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Lead Concentrations in Soils and Some Wild Plant Species Along Two Busy Roads in Pakistan

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Abstract

This study assessed the level of Pb in soil and five wild plant species (Calotropis procera, Datura alba, Parthenium hysterophorus, Cenchrus ciliaris and Ricinus communis) during all the four seasons. Two busy roads varying in age and traffic volume were selected i.e., Faisalabad–Sargodha road (FSR) and Pindi Bhattian to Lillah (M-2) in the Punjab, Pakistan. Results showed raised levels of Pb in both plants and soil samples along both roads. The range of Pb concentration in plants was 0.08–3.98 and 1.95–4.74 mg kg− 1 for soil. Higher Pb contamination was recorded along FSR road as compared to M-2. Among seasons, the higher Pb concentration was found during summer, probably due to very high temperature. Among all the plants studied, Calotropis procera accumulated the highest level (3.98 mg kg− 1 dry wt.) of Pb; Thus, it can be used as good biomonitor/phytoremediator at Pb contaminated areas.

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Acknowledgements

Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan supported the corresponding author for this research study through Indigenous Ph.D. fellowship program. The use of ICP-AES at Materials Research Laboratories (MRL), University of California Santa Barbara, USA is also appreciatively acknowledged. The MRL Shared Experimental Facilities are supported by the MRSEC Program of the NSF under Award No. DMR 1720256.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Govt. College Women University Sialkot, Sialkot, Pakistan

    Noreen Khalid

  2. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Noreen Khalid & Hillary S. Young

  3. Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Mumtaz Hussain & Mansoor Hameed

  4. Pakistan Science Foundation, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ashraf

  5. Department of Botany & Microbiology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Muhammad Ashraf

  6. Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Rashid Ahmad

Authors
  1. Noreen Khalid
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  2. Mumtaz Hussain
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  3. Hillary S. Young
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  4. Muhammad Ashraf
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  5. Mansoor Hameed
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  6. Rashid Ahmad
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Correspondence to Noreen Khalid.

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Khalid, N., Hussain, M., Young, H.S. et al. Lead Concentrations in Soils and Some Wild Plant Species Along Two Busy Roads in Pakistan. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 100, 250–258 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2247-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2247-7

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