ТOLERANCE OF ORNAMENTAL CEREALS TO AIR POLLUTION IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE CAMPUS OF THE NSC «INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE» OF TARAS SHEVCHENKO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF KYIV

Abstract

Air pollution is a global phenomenon caused by unsustainable and rapid industrial development. Air quality is deteriorating every day due to an increase in the concentration of various gases in the atmosphere. Currently, no system has been developed that would completely remove air pollutants, but nature has already created a number of systems that to some extent counteract the harmful effects of various types of anthropogenic activities. Some plants can withstand high concentrations of pollutants and act as absorbers or filters that minimize air pollution by absorbing, adsorbing, detoxifying, accumulating and metabolizing the pollution. The goal is to assess the air pollution tolerance of plants of ornamental cereals in the transformed conditions of the campus of the NSC «Institute of Biology and Medicine» of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. Methodology. Commonly accepted biochemical methods of analysis of plant raw materials were used (determination of the content of the sum of chlorophylls, ascorbic acid, pH of leaf extract, relative water content), statistical methods of analysis. The results. Plants that can adapt to higher concentrations of pollutants can be proposed as tolerant species and used as pollutant sinks. In this study, air pollution tolerance indices (APTI index) of ornamental cereals Miscanthus Chinese variety Zebrinus, Miscanthus Chinese variety Silberfeder, Pennisetum foxtail variety Hameln, which grow in the transformed conditions of the campus of the NSC «Institute of Biology and Medicine» of Taras Shevchenko National University o Kyiv were investgatied. The APTI index is widely used to determine the reaction of plants to air pollution, based on physiological and biochemical parameters – markers of the functional state of plants, such as the total content of chlorophyll in leaves, the pH of leaf extract, the content of ascorbic acid, and the relative content of water. Gardeners use APTI to select tolerant plant species, to rank plants by level of tolerance to air pollution. Scientific novelty. The conducted studies of ornamental cereals of the genera Miscanthus and Pennisetum, which grow in the transformed conditions of the urban biotope, indicate that the plants are tolerant to air pollution, dryness of the soil cover, and an excessive amount of air masses both in terms of decorativeness and physiological parameters of resistance, which makes it possible to recommend them for wide use in landscape design of urban spaces. Practical significance. The air pollution tolerance index is an excellent basis for selecting plants for creating green belts to mitigate air pollution. Selection of tolerant plant species will contribute to the creation of a database that can help landscapers design green belts around industrial enterprises and national highways.