Vehicular emission and its impact on heavy metal accumulation and photosynthetic pigments on pine needles in Pahalgam forest ecosystem.

Human interference is rising day by day which adds more problems to conserve valuable forest resources. Vehicular exhausts are the main source of heavy metals that have detrimental impacts on the vegetation. The research provides comprehension about the increase in vehicular traffic along the Pahalgam highway, which is disturbing the balance of the forest ecosystem. The concentration of heavy metals and leaf pigments were determined in the leaf tissues collected along with the roadside pine trees in the Pahalgam resort. A total of 25 samples at each sampling site were collected in 100 m diameter along main road. High vehicular movements in summer correlated with the high accumulation of heavy metals such as Pb (0.563 mg/kg), Ni (0.271 mg/kg), and Cu (0.202 mg/kg) in pine needles. However, Zn exhibited higher concentration (0.468 mg/kg) at Batakote and Cd (0.05 mg/kg) at Pahalgam in autumn. Moreover, total chlorophyll content determined low (1.97 mg/g) at Pahalgam in autumn and high (3.81 mg/g) at Chandanwari in summer. In general, the chlorophyll content in the pine needles was certainly affected by the accumulation of heavy metals which indicating a negative correlation of chlorophyll content with heavy metals. Thus, the increase in traffic movement and tourist influx significantly affects the accumulation of heavy metals and decreases the pigment content in the pine needles. Rapid tourist influx in world-famous health resorts is dramatically influencing the forest ecosystem. Therefore, the need is to use green fuel or ban the old vehicles which can be helpful in maintaining the balance of the forest ecosystem.