Environment Adaptive Plants To Help Control Pollen: Expert

The plantation of fastest growing plants in the federal capital would help control the pollen count unlike paper mulberry trees that have already affected the citizens with pollen allergy

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Feb, 2020 ) :The plantation of fastest growing plants in the Federal capital would help control the pollen count unlike paper mulberry trees that have already affected the citizens with pollen allergy.

Pir Mehr Ali Shah (PMAS) Arid Agriculture University Forest expert Dr Lubna Ansari told APP in an exclusive interview that the species being planted by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration had very small size pollen and was sustainable in air.

She said the increased pollen count occurred mainly due to Lantana Camara also West Indian Lantana and paper mulberry where both were invasive species.

The ICT administration had planted saplings of Pine, Ficus (Fig trees), Silver Oak, Chinar tree, Bottle Brush, Alstonia and Ornamental shrubs that were climate change adaptive and had benign pollen existing in the air.

Dr Lubna had also made research on plant growth promoting Rhizo-bacteria to mitigate drought and climate change risk.

The research was successfully carried out in the districts of Potohar plateau namely Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal and Rawalpindi.

The rhizo-bacteria were first isolated and then inoculated in the roots of leguminous trees which produced positive results in reducing drought stress and climate change conditions in the region, Dr Lubna said, who is also faculty member of Department of Forestry and Range Management of the University.

She said that the research has also been carried out by a Bengali environmentalist one species of leguminous plants (Albezia Lebbeck commonly Siri tree); however, her research focused four different species of trees.

She informed that the study was conducted under the supervision of Acting Vice Chancellor of PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Dr Sarwat Naz Mirza.

The only difficulty, she said I faced during my research was to perform field work as I by myself dug out the roots of the trees to vaccinate them with the bacteria.

Dr Lubna remarked that the escalating phenomenon of climate change and increasing frequency of disasters in the country demanded preemptive and enhanced approach to make relevant studies.

"I wanted to go for innovation and my PhD research primarily focused on to serve the purpose whereas it's the first ever approach made in the country," she added.

The next and only impediment for her, Dr Lubna said is to link her invention with the industry whereas Aisha Khan representative of Hashoo group has acknowledged her research and announced to help her in launching her advancement into the market.