EFFECT OF CEMENT DUST ON STRAW YIELD AND EAR YIELD OF BARLEY (HORDEUM VULGARE CV WADI EL-KOUF) UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS
Cement dust pollution reduced straw yield by 47.1% and ear yield by 42.1% in Hordeum vulgare cv Wadi el-Kouf. The reduction in ear yield was largely due to decrease in number of grains in the ear, and to lesser extent decrease in grain weight. The alkaline nature of cement dust was responsible for yield losses. In an earlier paper the author (Mohamed 1997) described the effect of cement factory dust on chlorophyll content of barley, a common cereal crop of coastal region of Libya. This crop is extensively grown in the vicinity of the Libyan Cement Factory and continuously subjected to cement dust pollution, adversely affecting its growth and yield. This paper reports on the effect of cement dust pollution on the phytomass and yield of barley.