Effect of railway engines emission on the micromorphology of some field plants.

Plant species as indicator is the most common method used to indicate the effects of pollution on plants. However, the present study explores the usage of micromorphological parameters of the plant species as the indicators. The plants selected for the present studies included Croton bonplandianum, Cannabis sativa and Calotropis procera. The parameters examined were (1) abnormalities of stomata, (2) number of stomata per unit area, (3) number of epidermal cells per unit area, (4) stomatal index. The present studies on these field plants revealed that diesel engines emission caused appreciable changes in the number of epidermal cells and stomata per unit area. Plants of all the three genera growing very close to the railway tracks displayed an adverse effect on these numbers.