Asymmetry of Leaf Plates of Elm Stick under Industrial Zone Conditions

Abstract

Assessment of the environmental quality of the industrial zones of the Kashkadarya region was carried out using fluctuating asymmetry  of the elm leaves of the squat (Ulmus pumila L.). The method used was based on identifying violations of the symmetry of the  development of a leaf plate of a tree species under the influence of anthropogenic factors, where the extent of asymmetry reflects the  relative strength of impact. Ulmus pumila L. leaf samples were taken at 4 points in the Kashkadarya region at various recreational sites  with different anthropogenic loads and remoteness from the main sources of pollution. The leaves of Ulmus pumila L. in the areas  surveyed were characterized by the presence of asymmetry to various extents exceeding the relative magnitude of the normal variance.  At the same time, in Muborak Gas Processing Plant and Shurtan Gas Processing Plant, the average index of fluctuating asymmetry  corresponded to grade IV on the scale of environmental quality assessment, which is characterized as a critical state of the environment.