Mukesh K. Bhardwaj, Reshu Chaudhary and Amita Bhardwaj*

Department of Botany, D.S College, Aligarh (India) *Aligarh College of Engineering & Technology, Aligarh (India) E-mail: mkb.dsbot@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

The plants fumigated with different concentrations of sulphur dioxide showed variations in features regarding stem anatomy and leaf cuticular traits. The variations were of more significance in those experimental sets treated with higher doses of sulphur dioxide. The stem anatomical aspects like cortex area, pith area, number of vascular bundles, width of vascular bundles and size of vessels showed significant reductions when plants were exposed to higher doses i.e. 0.4 and 0.6 ppm of sulphur dioxide. However the length of vessel and number of vessel elements was found increased when plants were exposed to various concentrations of SO2 in comparison to control set. Similarly the leaf cuticular traits also showed variations in context of stomatal frequency, size, pore size, epidermal cell frequency, size of epidermal cell and stomatal index. The stomatal frequency, stomatal size and stomatal pore were found decreased. The reductions were more on lower surface than upper surface. The epidermal cell frequency and size were found increased when plants were exposed to higher doses of sulphur dioxide. The studies also revealed that under higher concentrations of SO2 the stomatal index was found decreased.

Key words : Sulphur dioxide, stem anatomy, cuticular trait, pollution, Solanum melongena, Stomatal index.

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