Expected performance indices of some planted trees of Bhopal.
Tiwari S., Bansal S., Rai R.
Author Affiliation: Govt. P.G. Girls College, Shivagi Nagar, Bhopal 462016, India.
Indian Journal of Environmental Health 35 : 282-287
Abstract : Twenty-one (forest) tree species were identified in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and leaf samples collected from trees in thickly populated areas with heavy vehicular traffic. The tolerance levels of the different species to this pollution were assessed by analyses of foliar chlorophyll, ascorbic acid, extract pH, and relative water content; an Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) was calculated for each species from these data, and values are tabulated. On the basis of APTI values and some other tree characteristics, tree species were graded as on an Expected Performance Index (EPI) of 0-7 - Not recommended for plantation, Very Poor, Poor, Moderate, Good, Very Good, Excellent and Best Plus. Species belonging to the last 4 categories are recommended for planting. The only Best Plus plant was Mangifera indica, but there were 5, 2 and 8 species, respectively, in the next 3 lower categories.