Anatomical Study of the Air Pollution Effect on Robinia pseudoacacia and Ailanthus altisima leaves near to Iran Aluminum Co. (IRALCO)

Aim: The goal of the present research was evaluation of the effects of industrial area air pollution of Arak Aluminum Company on Robinia pseudoacacia (acacia) and tree-of-heaven anatomical changes.
Material and Information from the Environmental Protection Agency of Markazi province, Aluminum park as the infected area and Haftad-Ghole in 35 kilometers of Arak as the area clean were used. Leaf samples of Robinia and Alianthus were harvested in August 2013 simultaneously. Density and length of trichomes, stomatal density and opening, length of the palisade cells and diameter of the spongy cells of leaf were measured. Data analysis were performed by SPSS 16 and Excel software and means comparison by T-Test.
Under air pollution, trichome density in abaxial epidermis and trichome length in both surfaces of epidermis of acacia leaf increased significantly. Also in tree-of-heaven leaf, trichome density decreased and trichome length increased on abaxial epidermis significantly. Stomatal density on abaxial epidermis of acasia and tree-of-heaven leaves exposed to air pollution decreased and increased, respectively. Stomatal opening of Robinia and Ailanthus leaves had no significant effect. Length of the palisade cells of leaf in infected area decreased in acacia and increased in tree-of-heaven as compared with clean area, diameter of the spongy cells had no significant change in acacia leaf but decreased in tree-of-heaven leaf.
Results showed the anatomical changes in both plants for further compromise with regional air pollution.