Assessment of DNA Methylation Levels in Saccharum officinarum L. under Traffic-related Abiotic Stress

Abstract

The continuously growing population and the increase in the number of vehicles, the emissions from vehicles result in that spread of smog and dust, contributing to air pollution. This has various negative impacts, especially on crops growing alongside roadways. Air pollution linked to transportation has emerged as a potentially deadly concern. Our study offers a summary of how vehicle emissions of smog and dust can affect crops. The primary objective of this study is to examine the effects of potential toxic abiotic stress caused by traffic-related air pollution on the quality of DNA methylation in crops, while also investigating the extent of health risks associated with the toxicological impact on crops. A comparative study of the concentrations of potential toxic abiotic agents (ppm) in crop soil, mature leaves, and the edible parts of mature plants was conducted. The locations selected included a very high dusting traffic road, a high dusting traffic road at a distance of 500 meters, a low dust traffic road at a distance of 1000 meters, and a control site at 1500 meters away. The potential toxic abiotic agents assessed were arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and chromium (Cr). Statistical evaluation of the samples from these sites indicated concentrations (ppm) of potential toxic abiotic agents with P values of 0.001, 0.004, and 0.0002 (where P < 0.05 is regarded as highly significant and very highly significant).