Research Projects

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are emitted from plants and contribute approximately 90% of the total VOCs at the global level (Cai et al., 2021). BVOCs mainly contain isoprene, monoterpenes, and sesquiterpenes, which are highly reactive and play a critical role in atmospheric chemistry. In the presence of anthropogenic pollutants such as NOx, BVOCs can form secondary pollutants, which deteriorate the air quality (Yang et al., 2021). BVOC emissions studies in India are mostly reported from forest and urban tree species, particularly dicot plants. However, monocot plants including agricultural crops also emit significant amounts of BVOCs. For instance, maize plants emit a huge amount of BVOCs during their leaf senescence phase (Mozaffar et al., 2018). Thus far, emission studies on major agricultural crops (rice, wheat, and maize) in India have not been reported. About 54.6% of land is used for agriculture in India (DAFW, 2024), hence, BVOC emitted from crop plants can significantly contribute to the total VOCs of India. Addressing this gap, at the initial level of this study, my focus will be to investigate the crop plants in the western (Gujarat) and central (Chhattisgarh) parts of India. In Gujarat region, farmers mainly cultivate cotton, rice, bajra, maize, and groundnut as Kharif crops, and wheat, mustard, and barley as Rabi crops. Chhattisgarh is famous for its rice cultivation, where rice is cultivated in both rabi and kharif seasons and maize is grown as kharif and sugarcane is also grown as rabi. The first part of the objective is “identification and characterization of BVOCs from major agricultural crops in western and central India using chamber-based experiments.” For this, the selection of major crops (rice, wheat, and maize) is required, and chamber-based experiments will be performed to identify the types and amounts of BVOCs emitted from such crops. In the second part, “field observation and quantification of BVOC emissions under optimal and stress conditions,” specific agricultural lands will be selected (rural, urban, industrial) for the selected crops and the BVOC patterns will be analysed at every growth stage of the plants. During this study, we will also observe environmental stress conditions such as heavy rain, drought, and humidity. Some stress conditions will also be simulated under lab conditions, like drought, temperature, and salinity, and we will observe how these conditions influence BVOC emissions and compare them with data from controlled environment plants. This study will provide valuable data to evaluate the amount of speciated BVOC emissions from different crop plants. It uncovers the pattern of BVOC emissions from agricultural crops, an area that remains largely unexplored. This study will help to estimate the regional BVOC budget.