Leaves of roadside plants as bioindicator of traffic related lead pollution during different seasons in Sargodha, Pakistan

Abstract

Plants are important bioindicators of heavy metal environmental pollution. For this purpose a study was conducted during winter and summer seasons in Sargodha, Pakistan. Three roadside plants that is Dalbergia sissoo Roxb., Prosopis juliflora L. and Eucalyptus spp. were collected from different locations. The study area was divided into five on the basis of traffic density and industrial pollution. These were Urban, Suburban, Industrial, Roadside and Rural. It was found that lead concentration was highest in the plants that were collected from industrial site in Dalbergia during winter and summer that is 421.43 ± 1 9.30 and 429.37 ± 14.49 ug g^-1 respectively and lowest at the control site (rural site) 69.57 ± 36.80 ug g^-1 in Eucalyptus during winter and 61.89 ± 35.97 ug g^-1 in Prosopis during summer. All the three selected plants proved to be good indicators of lead pollution and due to their diverse distribution in different parts of the world their leaves can be used as bioindicators of lead pollution.

Key words: Bioindicator, lead, roadside plants, seasonal variation.