Evaluation of leaf surfaces contaminated by volatile hydrocarbons

• Grant number: 12/08337-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2012
• End date: June 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Valquiria de Campos
• Grantee: Thaís Nayara Fogaça da Rocha
• Host Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental de Sorocaba. Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds, commonly known as VOCs, comprise a broad range of toxic substances that include olefinic and aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as substances containing oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and halogen atoms. These products readily form vapors at ambient pressure and temperature. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the surface changes caused by VOCs in the aerial systems of Pteris vittata L., using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), aiming to identify possible mechanisms of resistance of the plant to air pollution, i.e., hydrocarbon vapors. The experiments will be developed at the Forestry Institute in Itapetininga, state of São Paulo. The plantlets will be obtained by spore germination in two phases: a) without growth regulators, and b) with 1.0 mg L-1 of paclobutrazol (PBZ). The morphological evaluations, i.e., a number of sprouts (NS) per microplate, aerial length (AL), root length (RL), and leaf length (LL), will be performed at the beginning of the experiment and also for each subculture (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 days), with the length measurements taken by means of autoclaved graph paper.(AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CAMPOS, V.; SOUTO, L. S.; MEDEIROS, T. A. M.; TOLEDO, S. P.; SAYEG, I. J.; RAMOS, R. L.; SHINZATO, M. C.. Assessment of the Removal Capacity, Tolerance, and Anatomical Adaptation of Different Plant Species to Benzene Contamination. WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION, v. 225, n. 8, AUG 2014. (12/24832-2, 12/05982-3, 12/08337-1, 12/05595-0)