MOTATI SUNEELA AND REKHA THAKRE
Abstract
Two rice cultivars (Oryza sativa L. cv IAT 9219 and cv IR 64) were treated with simulated acid rain (SAR) at different pH levels viz., 7.8 (control), 5.7 4.5, and 3.8. Chlorophyll contents, net photosynthesis, root and shoot length, percent phytotoxicity and dry mass of shoot and root and their ratio were selected as biomonitoring indices to study the sensitivity of these two varieties to SAR. It was observed from these indices that the IR 64 appeared to be tolerant than IAT 9219 to SAR. Among the monitoring indices examined, chlorophyll contents, net photosynthetic rate and % phytotoxicity seemed to serve as good biological monitoring parameters for evaluating the relative sensitivity of the species to acid rain.