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Effect of Ambient Air Pollution on Photosynthetic Pigments of Litchi chinensis near Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station, Muzaffarpur, Bihar


Affiliations
1 Amity Institute of Biotechnology, J-3 Block, Ground Floor, Amity University, Sector - 125 (Express Highway), Noida, District Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
 

Urbanization and increased energy demand has resulted in deterioration of air quality and thermal power plants are the major contributor of air pollution. The plants act as a sink for the pollutants and can absorb particulate and other gaseous pollutants into their system, but they also have some limitation and thus changes in their essential components that tend to induced degradation in photosynthetic pigments after prolonged exposure. Litchi (Litchi chinensis) is the livelihood for millions of people as it provides both onfarm and off-farm employment of the district Muzaffarpur of Bihar and exposed to the Muzaffarpur thermal power station. The present study was carried out to assess the impact of thermal power plants on photosynthetic pigments of litchi plants at the adjoining areas. Sampling was done from five different sites of two to seven kilometre distances from the thermal power plant and measurements were taken for all the plant species spectrophotometrically. All the measured pigments were reduced in an exposed area compared with control site. There was a maximum reduction reported in Birpur village, four kilometres from the Thermal power plant, the chlorophyll content, either in individual or in total decreased by 33% (total) and 25% and 50% in Chl. a and Chl. b respectively.

Keywords

Air Pollution, Thermal Power Plant, Litchi chinensis, Chlorophyll Pigments.
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  • Effect of Ambient Air Pollution on Photosynthetic Pigments of Litchi chinensis near Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station, Muzaffarpur, Bihar

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Authors

Rajeev Kumar
Amity Institute of Biotechnology, J-3 Block, Ground Floor, Amity University, Sector - 125 (Express Highway), Noida, District Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract


Urbanization and increased energy demand has resulted in deterioration of air quality and thermal power plants are the major contributor of air pollution. The plants act as a sink for the pollutants and can absorb particulate and other gaseous pollutants into their system, but they also have some limitation and thus changes in their essential components that tend to induced degradation in photosynthetic pigments after prolonged exposure. Litchi (Litchi chinensis) is the livelihood for millions of people as it provides both onfarm and off-farm employment of the district Muzaffarpur of Bihar and exposed to the Muzaffarpur thermal power station. The present study was carried out to assess the impact of thermal power plants on photosynthetic pigments of litchi plants at the adjoining areas. Sampling was done from five different sites of two to seven kilometre distances from the thermal power plant and measurements were taken for all the plant species spectrophotometrically. All the measured pigments were reduced in an exposed area compared with control site. There was a maximum reduction reported in Birpur village, four kilometres from the Thermal power plant, the chlorophyll content, either in individual or in total decreased by 33% (total) and 25% and 50% in Chl. a and Chl. b respectively.

Keywords


Air Pollution, Thermal Power Plant, Litchi chinensis, Chlorophyll Pigments.

References