Botany Department, S.G.P.G. College, Saroorpur, Meerut-205 000, India.
A field and laboratory based experiment conducted to assess the effects of different pH ranges of simulated acid rain (2.5, 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5) was studied on chlorophyll and ascorbic acid contents in two cultivars (cv. Himalaya and cv. Kaushik) of a medicinal herb Mentha piperita. Chlorophyll and ascorbic acid contents of leaves were adversely affected at pH 2.5 and 3.5. The effects of simulated acid rain became more pronounced with the increase in acidity of rain and the duration of the treatments. Chlorophyll-a showed more reduction than chlorophyll-b. In both the cultivars cv. Himalaya was more sensitive than cv. Kaushik on chlorophyll and ascorbic acid rain contents. The study showed that acid rain has a significant negative effect on Mentha Piperita plant performance.
Acid rain, Mentha piperita, Chlorophyll, Ascorbic acid
