Particulate Matter (PM) Adsorption and Leaf Characteristics of Ornamental Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Cultivars and Two Common Indoor Plants (Hedera helix L. and Epipremnum aureum Lindl. & Andre)

Particulate matter (PM) is a serious threat to human health, climate, and ecosystems. Furthermore, owing to the combined influence of indoor and outdoor particles, indoor PM can pose a greater threat than urban PM. Plants can help to reduce PM pollution by acting as biofilters. Plants with different leaf characteristics have varying capacities to capture PM. However, the PM mitigation effects of plants and their primary factors are unclear. In this study, we investigated the PM adsorption and leaf characteristics of five ornamental sweet potato (Ipomea batatas L.) cultivars and two common indoor plants (Hedera helix L. and Epipremnum aureum Lindl. & Andre) exposed to approximately 300 μg m−3 of fly ash particles to assess the factors influencing PM adsorption on leaves and to understand the effects of PM pollution on the leaf characteristics of plants. We analyzed the correlation between PM adsorption and photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (Tr), leaf area (LA), leaf width/length ratio (W/L), stomatal density (SD), and stomatal pore size (SP). A Pearson’s correlation analysis and a principal component analysis (PCA) were used to evaluate the effects of different leaf characteristics on PM adsorption. The analysis indicated that leaf gas exchange factors, such as Pn and Tr, and morphological factors, such as W/L and LA, were the primary parameters influencing PM adsorption in all cultivars and species tested. Pn, Tr, and W/L showed a positive correlation with PM accumulation, whereas LA was negatively correlated.

Building The Independence of PKK Mothers During the Covid-19 Pandemic Through Training in Kokedama Making on Sukarami Subdistrict, Palembang

During the Covid-19 period, it was considered quite disruptive to the economy of every family. One promising entrepreneurial opportunity during this pandemic is the use of waste to become valuable goods. Kokedama is a gardening technique from Japan that can reduce plastic pots, an alternative to indoor plants with aesthetic value and high selling value. This service aims to provide training in making kokedama to Sukarami District Family Welfare Advisors (PKK). The community service method uses a training method consisting of three stages: the delivery of material, demonstrations, and practice of making kokedama, and evaluation of training activities. The results of this service, the community response to the material, stated that 100% of training participants did not know kokedama, 60% of participants were satisfied with the kokedama training, and 50% of participants noted that the time used was quite efficient for training and practice. In the future, the acquired skills are expected to provide provisions for improving family welfare through innovating ornamental plants by utilizing coco fiber waste to become kokedama.

Improving the IAQ for Learning Efficiency with Indoor Plants in University Classrooms in Ajman, United Arab Emirates

The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of improving indoor air quality with indoor plants. As a methodology, two target classrooms with the same size (120.64 m2) and 32 students per room were selected. Then, 48 areca palm pots (average leaf area of 300 cm2/pot) were placed, and the plant density was 14.68% of the floor area. Subjective assessment for general questions, learning motivation, perceived air quality, and SBS symptoms was conducted at 5 min after the class started and 5 min before the class ended. The results showed that the CO2 concentration by respiration of the students (average of 1873 ppm) exceeded the regulatory standard (1000 ppm), but the students did not recognize the indoor CO2 concentration. The increase in CO2 concentration in the classroom was lower in the case with plant placement (624 ppm) compared with the case without plant placement (about 1205 ppm). It was statistically proven that the CO2 concentration by respiration could be reduced by 50% if the indoor plant leaf area density were maintained at about 14.68% of the floor area. In the case with plant placement, the students perceived the indoor air quality to be 40% fresher and showed a 140% higher acceptability. Moreover, the complaining of SBS symptoms was improved by 108%, and the students’ perception that it was better to focus on learning increased by about 120%. As the awareness of sustainability increases, indoor plants will be more actively placed in the United Arab Emirates. Indoor plants not only provide a visual green effect to improve human comfort but also purify indoor air pollutants.

The Role of Indoor Plants in air Purification and Human Health in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Proposal for a Novel Line of Inquiry

The last two decades have seen the discovery of novel retroviruses that have resulted in severe negative consequences for human health. In late 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged with a high transmission rate and severe effects on human health, with 5% infected persons requiring hospitalisation and 3.81 million deaths to date globally. Aerosol particles containing virions are considered the main source of SARS CoV-2 transmission in this pandemic, with increased infection rates in confined spaces. Consequently, public and private institutions had to institute mitigation measures including the use of facial masks and social distancing to limit the spread of the virus. Moreover, the role of air purification and bio-decontamination is understood as being essential to mitigate viral spread. Various techniques can be applied to bio-decontaminate the air such as the use of filtration and radiation; however, these methods are expensive and not feasible for home use. Another method of air purification is where indoor plants can purify the air by the removal of air pollutants and habituated airborne microbes. The use of indoor plants could prove to be a cost-efficient way of indoor air-purification that could be adapted for a variety of environments with no need for special requirements and can also add an aesthetic value that can have an indirect impact on human health. In this review, we discuss the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the currently used air purification methods, and we propose the use of indoor plants as a new possible eco-friendly tool for indoor air purification and for reducing the spread of COVID-19 in confined places.

PARASITOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE SOIL OF INDOOR PLANTS

In modern conditions, interior planting has great importance and distribution. For growing indoor plants, along with ready-made soil, growers often use home-made mixtures. The article presents the results of parasitological studies of the soil from flower pots and the soil used for growing house plants, as well as the soil from forest park zones, and courtyard territories, and sand from playgrounds used in floriculture for composing soil mixtures in urban conditions. The results of the conducted sanitary and parasitological studies found that 4.7% of the home-made soil samples were positive. Eggs of geohelminths Toxocara spp. and Ascaris suum were found in the samples. Eggs of Toxocara spp., Trichocephalus vulpis and Dipylidium caninum were found in soil samples from forest park zones; eggs of Toxocara spp. and Taenia spp. were found in samples from courtyards. The main sources of invasive material in forest-park areas are dogs, while cats along with dogs take part in the contamination of the soil from the adjacent territories. The detection of geohelminth eggs in the soil from flower pots indicates that it is unsafe to use self-prepared soil mixtures without preliminary disinfection.

The collection of Ipomoea batatas L. in ”Alexandru Ciubotaru” National Botanical Garden (Institute)

The article describes the growth characteristics of the shoots in seven cultivars of Ipomoea batatas L., available in the collection of the Laboratory of Indoor Plants of the “Alexandru Ciubotaru” National Botanical Garden (Institute).

Effect of Fragrant Primula Flowers on Physiology and Psychology in Female College Students: An Empirical Study

Indoor plants can positively impact physical and mental health in daily life. However, the benefits of viewing indoor plants may be enhanced if the plants emit a fragrant aroma. In this crossover-design study, we measured the physiological and psychological effects of fragrant and non-fragrant Primula plants on 50 female college students, and explored whether aroma stimulation had additive benefits for this group. Non-fragrant Primula malacoides Franch was used as a control stimulus, and Primula forbesii Franch, which has a floral fragrance, was used as an experimental stimulus. We measured blood pressure, pulse rate, and electroencephalogram (EEG) to evaluate physiological responses, and used a mood state profile and the semantic differential (SD) method to evaluate psychological responses. We found that mean blood pressure and pulse rate decreased significantly after the experiment in both conditions. EEGs showed that the mean values of high alpha waves, high beta waves, and relaxation scores were significantly higher in the experimental vs. control condition. The average scores on each subscale of the psychological questionnaire improved after the experiment in both conditions, and the vitality (V) subscale and total emotional state scores were significantly better in the experimental vs. control condition. The results of the SD method showed that the sense of relaxation and comfort were significantly higher in the experimental vs. control condition. Compared with the non-fragrant Primula, the fragrant Primula induced relatively better physiological and psychological effects.