Ellen Grace L. Belasa, Floredith Ann P. Tan (January 2013)
Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus – Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PSHS WVC), Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000, Philippines
ABSTRACT
Air Pollution tolerance index (APTI) is used to determine plant species that are tolerant to air pollution. Plant species with APTI value less than 16 is considered sensitive to air pollution; APTI value that ranges from 17 to 29 is considered intermediate and greater than 30 is tolerant to air pollution. Several contributors agree that air pollution affects plant growth adversely. Plants are an integral basis for all ecosystems and most likely to be affected by airborne pollution and are the most potential to receive impacts from ambient air pollution. Biomonitoring of plants is an important tool to evaluate the impact of air pollution. Air pollution is the introduction to the atmospehere of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans and other living organism, or cause damage to the environment. Iloilo City has been industrializing for years and as an effect, the air around this area becomes more and more polluted. This study aimed to determine the air pollution tolerance index of three plant species. (Ixora coccinea, Swietenia macrophylla, Bougainvillea spectabilis) commonly found in the polluted and unpolluted areas of Iloilo City. Leaf samples were taken from Philippine Science High School- Western Visayas Campus and Barangay Balabag, Pavia, Iloilo City. Plants were randomly selected from the immediate vicinity of the station. Leaf samples were brought to the laboratory for evaluation of total chlorophyll content. (TCh), leaf extract pH, ascorbic acid content (AA), and relative leaf water content (RWC). Three trials were done during the months of December 2012 and January 2013. The APTI values of the plants were calculated using the formula of Liu and Ding ( 2008). It was found out that the APTI of Bougainvillea and Santan shows that it is sensitive to air pollution. Plant species that are found to be sensitive can act as bioindicator to air pollution and plant species that are tolerant to air pollution cannot indicate air pollution.