Assessing the effects of hydrogen fluoride on mango (Mangifera indica L.) in the vicinity of a brick kiln field in Southern Pakistan.
Abdul Wahid, Ahmad S. S., Ahmad M. N., Benish Khaliq, Muhammad Nawaz, Shah S. Q., Shah R. U.
Author Affiliation: Environment Department, Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan, Pakistan.
Fluoride 47 : 307-314
Abstract : The aim of the study was to address the effects of hydrogen fluoride (HF) on mango (Mangifera indica L.), a widely grown economically important fruit of the Southern Punjab which has many agricultural fields with large mango orchards along with parallel clusters of poorly regulated brick-kilns emitting visible smoke throughout the year. A mango orchard, located 0.5 km from clusters of brick-kilns, was selected to investigate fluoride (F) affected mango fruits and leaves, while another mango orchard, located 20 km from the brick-kilns, was chosen to perform F induction experiments on six local varieties (Desi, Langra, Dosehri, Alphanso, Arataul, Chaunsa) of mango fruits and leaves in order to compare induced visible injuries with those at the polluted site. The HF induction experiment involved administering HF in deionized water on six occasions over a week in July 2012 at 50, 100, 150, 300, 600, and 1,200 ppm to three samples of fruit and leaves from each of the six varieties of mango. Control groups were treated with deionized water without F. The F content of the mango leaves and fruits of all the varieties grown near brickkilns was significantly higher compared to their counterparts at the control site. Visible necrotic lesions were frequently observed on the fruits of all the mango varieties. However, visible signs of injury were not seen on the leaves of all the varieties, although their F contents were 4-6 times higher than the corresponding fruits. It was concluded that mango fruit was severely affected by airborne F, and as the emissions increased, the severity of fruit injury also increased resulting in fruit of reduced economic value.