Agroecology for Sustainable Food Security - tnsroindia.org.in

Indian Journal Of Natural Sciences ISSN: 0976 – 0997
Vol1 / Issue 2 / October 2010 © IJONS
Plants and Air Pollution
Sirajuddin. M. Horaginamani 1*, Ravichandran. M 1, Noorjahan Arif 1 and Rajashekar. O. Patil 2
1 Department of Environmental Management, School of Environmental Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli-620 024,
Tamil Nadu, India
2 Department of Environmental Studies, The B.E.S SANT GADGE Maharaj College, Mumbai – 400 004, Maharastra, India
Received: 15 Sep 2010 Revised: 25 Sep 2010 Accepted: 3 Oct 2010
* Address for correspondence:
Mr. Sirajuddin. M Horaginamani
Research Scholar, Department of Environmental Management, School of Environmental Sciences,
Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli-620 024, Tamil Nadu, India
E mail ID: ecosirajuddin@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Air pollution has been known to have adverse effects on plants. At first it was only sulphur dioxide that
was considered a dangerous pollutant. Now, with the advent of various pesticide and new industrial
process, the range of harmful pollutants has multiplied tremendously. Plants can be injured when
exposed to high concentrations of various air pollutants. Injury ranges from visible markings on the
foliage, to reduced growth and yield, to premature death of the plant. The development and severity of
the injury depends not only on the concentration of the particular pollutant, but also on a number of
other factors. Such impacts on agricultural productivity can have serious implications where problems of
food scarcity exist; studies in India have found that vulnerable sectors of society such as the poor and
malnourished as well as those depending on sustainable agriculture for their livelihoods are more
severely affected.
Key words: Air pollution, pollutant, sustainable agriculture.
EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON PLANTS
Air pollution has been known to have adverse effects on plants. At first it was only sulphur dioxide that was
considered a dangerous pollutant. Now, with the advent of various pesticide and new industrial process, the range of
harmful pollutants has multiplied tremendously. Sometimes, vegetation over 150km from the source of the
pollutants has been found to be affected. Industrial pollution, particularly from smelters, has caused complete
destruction of vegetation in some cases e.g. at Ducktown, Tennessee. The international dispute between Canada and
the United States over the damage caused by the Trails, British Columbia Copper Smelter is well known. Los Angeles
smog has caused wide spread damage to some agricultural crops and forests in Southern California. In fact many
books, research articles and reports have been published in USA on air pollution injury to vegetation. In some cases,
economics of the damage caused to agricultural crops and plants has been estimated .Compensation amounting to
thousands of dollars has paid for damage done to the crops. In our own country, there are many reports of effect of
pollutants like cement dust on plants [1].
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GENERAL ARTICLE