Correlation between environmental conditions and foliar chemical parameters in Ligustrum lucidum Ait.

CAÑAS, M; CARRERAS, H; ORELLANA, L.; PIGNATA, M.L

JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

ACADEMIC PRESS LTD-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 1997

0301-4797

A diagnostic study was made of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. in relation toatmospheric pollutants in Co´rdoba city, Argentina. The study area receivesregional pollutants, and it was categorized by taking into account traffic level,industrial density, type of industry, position of the sample point in relation tothe corner, treeless condition and topographic level. Dried weight/fresh weightratio (DW/FW) and Specific Leaf Area (SLA) were calculated; andconcentration of chlorophylls, carotenoids, total sulphur, soluble proteins,malondialdehyde and hydroperoxy conjugated dienes were determined for leafsamples. Malondialdehyde correlates positively with traffic density; foliarsulphur correlates negatively with type of industry; and, finally, DW/FW ratioand SLA correlates negatively with treeless conditions. On the other hand, theconcentration of photosynthetic pigments correlates negatively with sulphur,hydroperoxy conjugated dienes, proteins, DW/FW ratio and SLA.Pollution-induced changes in one parameter alone may not be sufficient todraw a clear picture of the situation. An approximation to predict tree injurymay be obtained by measuring sulphur content, SLA, hydroperoxy conjugateddienes, proteins, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b. These parameters could becombined to obtain a general index of air pollution, as they are responsible forthe major variability of the data.