Pollution tolerance assessment of the plants near poultry farms using air pollution tolerance index and metal accumulation index

The tolerant plant species act as a biomonitoring sink for the atmospheric pollutants and the sensitive plant species can be considered bioindicators for the pollution. The present study was designed to identify and categorize the plant species depending on their sensitivity and tolerance to the air pollutants, in the vicinity of the poultry farms in Pakistani rural areas. Air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and metal accumulation index (MAI) were used to evaluate the susceptibility of the selected plant species. Four established parameters i.e. pH of the leaf extract, relative water content, ascorbic acid content, and total chlorophyll content were assessed to calculate APTI. Metal concentrations and metal accumulation index were investigated. The ATPI values of the studied plant species were in the following order: Calotropis procera (17.22) > Cynodon dactylon (11.63) > Nerium oleander (10.55) > Bauhinia varigata (9.82) > Punica granatum (9.05) > Rubus ellipticus (8.10) > Amaranthus viridis (7.75) > Ficus carica (7.58) > Olea europaea (6.98) > Cannabis sativa (4.26). Calotropis procera had the highest APTI indicating the highest tolerance level and Bauhinia varigata exhibited the lowest APTI indicating sensitivity to the pollution. Olea europaea (8.13) had the highest MAI and Rubus ellipticus (1.43) had the lowest MAI. The outcomes have shown that the control samples had higher APTI values than those from the polluted sites. It is suggested that these tolerant and sensitive plant species can be grown near poultry farms for their biomonitoring and bioindicator potential.