Industrialization releases significant amounts of various air pollutants such as F, Cd, Pb, particulate matter, etc., which can in turn have a deleterious effect on a variety of biochemical and physiological processes as well as the structural organization within the cells. Responses from plants species to air pollutants is varied with certain species being very sensitive to such pollutants, ending up with well visible and measurable symptoms. Morphological damage is generally visible through lesions on the aerial parts, while biochemical and physiological changes which are invisible can be measured and quantified. This study has been designed to investigate the biochemical and physiological biomarkers of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) exposed to air pollution. It has been observed that, in comparison to unpolluted sites, lipid peroxidation level has increased in the leaves of apricot trees, grown in polluted areas, whereas photosynthetic capacity (Net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids) along with osmotic regulator (proline and soluble sugars) levels have declined. In P. armeniaca leaves, these symptoms can be used as indicators of air pollution stress for its early diagnosis, making them a reliable marker for a particular physiological disorder.

La pollution des ecosystemes terrestres par du cadmium d'origine industrielle (usine d'engrais phosphates) se traduit par des taches necrotiques au niveau des feuilles et par une accumulation importante de cet element dans ces feuilles et dans les horizons superficiels des sols. A proximite de la source d'emission, les taux de cadmium dans le sol depassent 10 fois les valeurs normales. Au niveau des feuilles, elles sont 10 a 30 fois plus elevees que chez les temoins et dependent de la nature de l'espece, de la distance (correlation negative) et des conditions topographiques

Aerosols on plant leaves make it possible to assess the quality of air in settlements. The purpose of this work was to assess the acidity and specific electrical conductivity of aerosol suspensions (by washing off aerosol particles from the leaves of apricot trees (Prunus armeniaca)), which characterize the air pollution in the residential area of the Svetly Yar settlement (Volgograd region, Russia) during the spring-summer of 2019. The research hypothesis was as follows: Acidic mineralized aerosols with a mixed source are present in Svetly Yar. The differences were checked by the Student’s t-test and evaluated at the level of significance of p = 0.05. The results indicated the presence of acidic (pH = 4.56 + 0.02) and highly mineralized aerosols (EC = 130.41 + 0.17 μS/cm) in the ambient air of the Svetly Yar residential area during the spring-summer of 2019 and revealed environmental risks for the population in comparison with aerosol suspensions from a (relatively) clean location (pH = 6.46 + 0.02; EC = 37.61 + 0.19 μS/cm). The authors confirmed their hypothesis in favor of mixed source acidic mineralized aerosols in the residential area of the Svetly Yar village. The anthropogenic sources were the industrial zones of Svetly Yar, the southern part of the city of Volgograd and artificial sedimentation tanks in the southwestern part of Svetly Yar. A natural source of pollution in the vicinity of Svetly Yar may be hidden geologically active structures: faults in the Earth’s crust, a salt diapir, an underground ancient semiactive volcanic zone on a steppe, etc.

In settlements, special attention is given to the study of anthropogenic aerosol pollution, and insufficient attention is given to natural sources of pollution, especially from active zones of the Earth. The aim of this work was to study atmospheric pollution (the Srednyaya Akhtuba village (Volgograd region, Russia)) using indicators (pH; EC, μS/cm) of aerosol suspensions (washing off aerosols from the leaves of Prunus armeniaca L.) during 2018–2020 and the forecast of pollution sources. Research hypothesis: low mineralization and close to neutral acidity of aerosol suspensions indicate the purity of the atmospheric air, and there is no load of anthropogenic and natural sources. Acid mineralized aerosols were found in the residential area of Srednyaya Akhtuba, which indicates air pollution during 2018–2020. The correlation relationship between pH and EC in μS/cm was investigated using standard least squares regression. The results obtained indicate statistically significant differences between the experimental territory and the (relatively) clean location from 2018 to 2020 in terms of the studied indicators, as well as the revealed correlation between them in Srednyaya Akhtuba village, which indicates the revealed patterns and the influence of the system factor. Anthropogenic and natural sources were the system factors. The authors predict an active underground ancient volcanic zone in the area of Srednyaya Akhtuba with a possible natural load on the residential areas of the village, the assumption of which is based on analysis of heat anomaly maps using the Landsat-8 program and other programs.