The production of cement is associated with serious deterioration of air quality and considerable damages on vegetation and other organisms. We investigated the effect of cement dust pollution on morphological characteristics, biomass and on chlorophyll content of two important crop plants in Cameroon (Vigna unguiculata, Zea mays) grown 30 and 500 meters in North and East directions from the cement factory of Figuil, North-Cameroon. The control plants were situated 2000 meters from the factory. Considerable amounts of dust deposited on the plants 30 meters from the factory and decreased at a distance of 500 meters. All the plants grown in the polluted sites presented significant deterioration of morphological characteristics and chlorophyll content relative to the control plants documenting the harmful effects of the cement dust pollution. The plants nears of cement factory (30 metres) showed the lowest shoot length, shoot diameter, leaf number, root length, dry biomass and higher percentage of decrease in chlorophyll content. Zea mays plants were more sensitive to cement dust pollution than Vigna unguiculata.

Keywords: Cement factory, pollution, morphological characteristics, chlorophyll content, Vigna ungiuculata, Zea mays Figuil