Use of biochemical methods for assessing oxidative stress in trees in urban area during growing season

Due to increased urbanization and industrialization, the emission of toxic material into the atmosphere is in expansion, which has a negative impact on the environment and human health. In this research, we monitored the effect of air pollution on the peroxidase (POD) activity and total antioxidant capacity of different tree species during the growing season. The main goal was to determine which tree species developed the highest tolerance to unfavorable environmental conditions at the end of growing season, based on the response of their antioxidative metabolism. The greatest change in POD activity was observed in the Fagus sylvatica L. leaves, where enzyme activity was more than doubled in the autumn, in comparison to spring. On the other hand, decrease in POD activity was the greatest in Cedrus atlantica (Endl.) Manetti ex Carrière needles. Moreover, total antioxidative capacity was altered during growing season in almost all examined tree species. The Magnolia spp. showed the most consistent response to the given environmental pollution with both portrayed parameters induced during growing season. In general, we can conclude that the tree species investigated in this research possess distinctive tolerance potential to air pollutants.