AIR POLLUTION AND PLANTATION STRATEGIES AROUD INDUSTRY

Air pollution poses an acute problem. Any damage to vegetation, adversely affects the entire natural balance. It has long been recognised that plants have an excellent capacity to withstand the polluted environment. Air pollution tolerance level of each plant is different and plants do not show a uniform behaviour. It is a universal logic that stress can either be avoided or tolerated through physiological manipulation of toxic pollutants entering into the plant body. The plant responses to pollutants thus depend upon a number of factors. Singh and Rao (1983) have suggested a method to determine Air Pollution Tolerance Index of a plant on the basis of several factors. It is seen that plants having higher index value are tolerant to air pollution, and can be used as a filter or sink to mitigate pollution.