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Vol. 38 No. 6 (2026): Vol. 38 Issue No 6, 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Prerana Shakti Pandey

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Spatio-Temporal and Statistical Evaluation of Air Pollution Tolerance and Metal Accumulation in Plant Leaves and Foliar Dust in Rajasthan, India

https://doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2026.35697
Prerana Shakti
Department of Chemistry, Banasthali Vidyapith, Tonk-304022, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4848-5234
Ashutosh Kumar Pandey
Department of Earth Sciences, Banasthali Vidyapith, Tonk-304022, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0070-5513

Corresponding Author(s) : Prerana Shakti

dr.preranamishraspn@gmail.com

Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 38 No. 6 (2026): Vol. 38 Issue No 6, 2026

Abstract

This study evaluated the air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and metal accumulation index (MAI) to assess the tolerance, sensitivity and metal accumulation potential of plant leaves towards air pollution. The study was conducted on 12 roadside plant species across 4 sampling sites during 4 seasonal variations. Three sites, namely RIICO Industrial Area Mansarovar (MS), heavy-traffic Ajmeri Gate (AG), and commercial/residential Chandpole (CP), were located in Jaipur city, while Banasthali (BT) served as the rural reference site. Metal pollution was analysed to determine the capacity of plants and associated dust particles to accumulate metals. The highest metal concentrations (mg/kg) exceeded the WHO (1996) permissible limits for Cd (49.68, 37.72), Cr (45.90, 39.39), Cu (197.21, 171.21), Fe (1460.09, 1206.09), Hg (417.55, 365.54), Pb (217.55, 177.34) and Zn (200.06, 187.98) in dust foliage and leaf samples. Winter, pre- and post-monsoon seasons showed enhanced APTI and MAI, while monsoon showed moderated to reduced values in most species. Ficus benghalensis (31.22, 79.02), Ficus religiosa (32.25, 78.69) and Cassia fistula (29.13, 76.13) exhibited the highest APTI and MAI across sites, demonstrated high potential as phytomonitoring species and bioaccumulators of air pollutants, thereby supporting their suitability for greenbelt development to improve air quality. In contrast, Dalbergia sissoo (6.40, 38.27), Senna siamea (7.24, 36.97) and Vachellia nilotica (8.97, 37.03) had lowest APTI and MAI. Site-specific trends revealed that MS, followed by AG and CP, were more polluted environments compared to BT. This study emphasised that phytomonitoring can play a significant role in mitigating air pollution and improving the urban environment.

Keywords

Phytomonitoring Air pollution tolerance index Metal pollution Metal accumulation index Foliar dust deposition
(1)
Shakti, P.; Pandey, A. K. Spatio-Temporal and Statistical Evaluation of Air Pollution Tolerance and Metal Accumulation in Plant Leaves and Foliar Dust in Rajasthan, India. ajc 2026, 38, 1454-1470.
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