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Copyright (c) 2024 Ghulam Yasin, Muhammad Talha Bin Yousaf, Anzhen Qin, Qamar uz Zaman, Muhammad Farooq Azhar, Asif Javed Muhammad, Sami Al Obaid, Mohammad Javed Ansari, Shafeeq Ur Rahman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The undersigned hereby assign all rights, included but not limited to copyright, for this manuscript to CMB Association upon its submission for consideration to publication on Cellular and Molecular Biology. The rights assigned include, but are not limited to, the sole and exclusive rights to license, sell, subsequently assign, derive, distribute, display and reproduce this manuscript, in whole or in part, in any format, electronic or otherwise, including those in existence at the time this agreement was signed. The authors hereby warrant that they have not granted or assigned, and shall not grant or assign, the aforementioned rights to any other person, firm, organization, or other entity. All rights are automatically restored to authors if this manuscript is not accepted for publication.Comparative assessment of phytoremediation potential of four Ficus spp. under Semi-arid environmental conditions
Corresponding Author(s) : Shafeeq Ur Rahman
Cellular and Molecular Biology,
Vol. 70 No. 8: Issue 8
Abstract
Heavy metals have been recognized as a prominent hazard in today's world, causing pollution in the air environment. Woody tree species can play a significant role in the extraction and remediation of metal pollutants from the air, therefore promoting the air quality index. This study investigated the potential of four species of the Ficus genus (F. benjamina, F. microcarpa, F. religiosa, and F. virens) to remediate varying levels of heavy metal contamination in industrial, residential, and highway areas of Faisalabad City, Pakistan. For this purpose, six heavy metals (cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, zinc, and manganese) were assessed in young leaves (YL) as well as old leaves (OL) of subjected tree species at selected study sites. Eight fully expanded leaves were selected from each tree species: two from each cardinal direction from the shoot of the current year (young leaves, YL), as well as from the shoot of the previous year (old leaves, OL). The results showed that the same genus has different capabilities to accumulate different heavy metals, and the overall trend was in the following order: F. virens > F. religiosa > F. benjamina > F. microcarpa at all study sites. The heavy metal contents in both YL and OL of selected tree species decreased in the order of Manganese (Mn)> Zinc (Zn)> Copper (Cu) > Chromium (Cr) > Lead (Pb) > Cadmium (Cd) at all study sites. The metal accumulation index (MAI) values ranged between 2.14-5.42 for F. benjamina, 2.09-3.89 for F. microcarpa, 3.61-7.01 for F. religiosa and 4.77-6.48 for F. virens across all study sites. Among the studied tree species, it has been determined that F. virens and F. religiosa are well-suited for urban areas with significant heavy metal contamination and can be strategically planted in barrier areas to effectively combat atmospheric pollution.
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