The major aim of the study was to identify the relationships of photosynthetic pigments with elemental contents of plants exposed to various ambient air conditions. Lolium multiflorum L. plants were exposed at five sites varying in environmental characteristics, including potential air pollution levels. The effect of air pollution by trace elements on plants was examined. Selected trace elements (Pb, Cd, As, Ni, Cr), some macro-elements as well as chlorophyll content were measured after each of four series. The graphical visualization revealed groups of sites with similar response of elements and chlorophyll contents. Sites located outside the city were grouped into one, and two urban sites were grouped into another. The trace element contents were relatively low and, excluding Ni and As, did not reach toxic levels in dry mass of leaves. However, some relations could be noted, which indicates the sensitivity of the photosynthetic process even at low levels of trace elements in ambient air. Chlorophyll b was found to be more sensitive to most of the analyzed trace elements than chlorophyll a. The results revealed chlorophylls, K and Na as indicators of plant stress caused by trace elements present in ambient air, even at relatively low levels.

In years 1998-2000 the pot experiment was carried out. The aim of this investigation was to determine the influence of brown coal, waste activated sludge, their mixtures and farmyard manure on the content of Cr and Ni in soil material and in the dry mass of Lolium multiflorum Krato variety. The pots were filled with loamy sand as soil material, brown coal which had low energetic value from Sieniawa and Konin mines. waste activated sludges were taken from mechanical-biological sewage purification plants located at Siedlce, Luków and Drosed (poultry processing plant) and mixed farmyard manure. In each year of experiment four cuts were harvested. The total content of Cr and Ni in soil materials and in dry mass of grass after dry combustion of samples was determinate by !CP-AES method on spectrometer Optima 3200 RL manufactured by Perkins-Elmer. The highest content of Cr and Ni was determinate in soil materials from objects fertilized with waste activated sludge from Siedlce. The average content of Cr in dry mass of grass reached 5.15 mg/kg and Ni 3.05 mg/kg.