Effects of simulated acid rain on the injury and physiological responses of crops

Experiment was performed to determine the injury and physiological responses of plantfoliage to simulated acid rain. Cross section of injured leaves, PH value of foliar homogenate,electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde content, content of peroxidase and some other enzymes were exa-nilned after exposure to simulated acid rain. Plants exhibited visible leaf injury when exposed tosimulated acid rain at PH values of 2.5 and 3.0. Peroxidase content and isozyme bands increasedsignificantly after the treatment at PH 3.0. Injured plants had higher electrolyte leakage and higherlevels of malondialdehyde. This showed that simulated acid rain induced lipid peroxidation andmembrane damage.