Biochemical Properties and Air Pollution Tolerance Indices of Plants in Port Harcourt City, Nigeria

Aims: The impact of air pollution on biochemical properties and air pollution tolerance indices of ten plants growing at Trans-Amadi Industrial Lay-out and along East-West Road, Port Harcourt alongside Umuokiri-Aluu as control site were studied.
Study Design: The leaves of the plants were collected and used to determine fresh weight, turgid weight, dry weight, relative water content, leaf extract pH, ascorbic acid content and total chlorophyll content. Air pollution tolerance indices were calculated from data obtained for each plant species.
Results: Results showed that relative water content of leaf samples were of the order Trans-Amadi Industrial Lay-out > East-West Road compared with the control. Leaf extract pH was higher at Trans-Amadi Industrial Lay-out and East-West Road than the control while Ascorbic acid was lower at Trans-Amadi and East-West Road. Percentage increase in air pollution tolerance index of seven plants of Trans-Amadi followed the order: Terminalia catappa (7.70%), Eluesine indica (22.24%), Musa sapientum (25.54%), Panicum maximum (26.56%), Psidium guajava (37.10%), Mangifera indica (44.18%), Delonix regia (181.90%) while that of East-West Road were of the order: Musa paradisiaca (4.84%), Chromolaena odorata (13.19%), Panicum maximum (20.17%), Musa sapientum (23.95%), Carica papaya (25.04%), Psidium guajava (25.32%), Mangifera indica (33.63%).
Conclusion: Air pollution tolerance indices of the plants were of the sensitive category and hence they can be used to monitor air quality of Niger Delta.