Effect of auto-exhaust pollution on some physiological parameters of roadside Triticum aestivum and Hordeum vulgare

摘要

Air pollution is a worldwide problem which increases day by day by different human activities. The enormous increase in vehicle numbers running on roads is one of the most important causes of air pollution. This study was performed to determine the impact of road side auto-exhaust pollution on the growth of two economically important crops in Egypt ( Triticum aestivum and Hordeum vulgare ). It was found that yield parameters, carbohydrate, soluble protein of plant seeds grown on road side were significantly decreased compared with plants away from road side by distance of at least 1 meter. Lead concentration was higher in plant seeds grown on road side and this was reflected on the ionic concentrations of Ca, K, Mg and Fe. Total amino acids content of seeds was highly increased in response to air pollution, so the amino acids profile can be taken as a bioindicator of auto-exhaust air pollution.