Effect of Stone Crusher Dust on some Macro- and Micronutrients and Biochemical Parameters of some selected Tree Species in Central Kashmir (India) Hamid Fozia1, Bano Haleema1,*, Bangro Shabir A.2, Bhat M. Ashraf3, Ara Shoukat1 1Division of Environmental Sciences, S.K. University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar - 190 025, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (India) 2Division of Soil Science, S.K. University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar - 190 025, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (India) 3Division of Plant Biotechnology, S.K. University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar - 190 025, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (India) *e-mail: haleemaashraf@gmail.com
Online Published on 05 September, 2023. Abstract Stone crushing process leads to the emission of huge dust which depletes soil quality and adversely affects the plant growth and development. The present study was aimed to assess the impact of stone crusher dust on nutrient content and biochemical status of leaves of four widely growing tree species viz. Salix alba, Robinia pseudoacacia, Populus deltoides, and Ailanthus excels in districts Srinagar and Budgam of Kashmir. Leaf samples were collected both from the disturbed and undisturbed sites in separate polythene bags and analysed for micro-and macro nutrients, photosynthetic pigments, carotenoid and ascorbic acid contents. The results revealed low nitrogen content (1.90% in S. alba), phosphorus (0.15% in A. excelsa), potassium (0.25% in R. pseudoacacia) and photosynthetic pigments (total chlorophyll 1.26 mg g-1 in A. excelsa), and carotenoid (0.06 mg kg-1 in A. excelsa) at disturbed sites of Srinagar and Budgam; while higher contents were recorded at respective control sites. The highest content (in mg kg-1) of Fe (61.54, in S. alba), Mn (38.23, in P. deltoides), Cu (27.54 in P. deltoides), Zn (37.16, in P. deltoides) and ascorbic acid (7.93, in S. alba) was recorded in disturbed site. The study revealed that stone crusher dust adversely affects the leaf physiology, and two plant species viz., S. alba and P. deltoids showed some degree of tolerance to dust pollution. Top Keywords Ailanthus excels, Biochemical parameters, Nutrients, Populus deltoides, Robinia pseudoacacia, Salix alba, Stone dust. Top |