Environ Monit Assess. 2026 Jul 23;198(8):867. doi: 10.1007/s10661-026-15716-0.
ABSTRACT
In the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), post-monsoon or winter air pollution is a significant environmental stressor on nearby agricultural systems. The current study analyzed the possible effects of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3) pollution on wheat and mustard yield losses during October-February coinciding with the post-monsoon cropping season, as well as the spatial characteristics of these pollutants throughout the agricultural airshed centered around Delhi. Pollution exceedance frequency, severe pollution episode analysis, PM2.5/PM10 ratios, O3 exposure indices, spatial gradient analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis, and crop stress risk assessment were used to analyze daily PM2.5, PM10, O3, and NO2 data (2022-2025) from Central Pollution Control Board monitoring stations situated within about 150 km of Delhi. The findings showed severe winter particulate pollution throughout the entire airshed, with frequent occurrences of severe PM2.5 pollution at stations affected by transportation and peri-urban areas. Particulate pollution was found to be the primary cause of regional atmospheric variability using PCA and cluster analyses. The values of the Crop Stress Index (CSI) varied from 54.35 in Palwal to 122.89 in Bahadurgarh for winter crops of this airshed. Potential yield-loss risks for rabi wheat in Bahadurgarh, Rohat and Sonipat could be up to 15, 14.25 and 11.4% while that of mustard could be potentially reduced by 12, 11.4 and 10.54%, respectively. Overall, the study shows that wintertime air pollution in the Delhi NCR area is a regional-scale agro-environmental stressor that may have an impact on the growth, physiology, and productivity of wheat and mustard throughout the Delhi’s agricultural airshed.
PMID:42489950 | DOI:10.1007/s10661-026-15716-0
