Innovative strategies for evaluating stressful conditions in urban environments

Ornamental and spontaneous plants in urban areas can provide several benefits to citizens from an aesthetical and environmental quality point of view. The beneficial effects of plants can be obtained if suitable ornamental species are selected for the different stressful conditions of different urban areas. The use of plants with adequate tolerance can effectively provide through their physiology processes oxygen, temperature mitigation, uptake of pollutants, and valorization of urban spaces. The aim of this work was to use non-destructive measurements such as chlorophyll a fluorescence, chlorophyll, water soil content, temperature, and solar radiation of a defined urban area for the identification of the different degrees of stress conditions. The measurements will be carried out on herbaceous, shrubs and ornamental trees such as Trifolium pratense L., Malva sylvestris L., Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers., Artemisia verlotiorum Lamotte, Ulmus minor Miller, Ailanthus altissima (Miller) Swingle, Buddleja davidii Franchet, located in the study area. Data will be analyzed using the JIP test for the identification of potential chlorophyll a fluorescence indexes, which will be correlated with the environmental parameters. These data will be used for the visualization of the stressful sites, the different tolerance of the botanical species distributed in the areas, and the selection of the best potential species for the different stress conditions. The highest potential benefits from plants can be only achieved if the correct species with the adequate tolerances will be used in the different urban environments.