L. De Temmerman

Effects on nutrients and on grain quality in spring wheat crops grown under elevated CO2 concentrations and stress conditions in the European, multiple-site experiment ‘ESPACE-wheat’

Abstract Nutrient element concentrations and grain quality were assessed in spring wheat grown under elevated CO 2 concentrations and contrasting levels of tropospheric ozone at different nitrogen supply rates at several European sites. Carbon dioxide enrichment proved to affect nutrient concentrations in a complex manner. In green leaves, all elements (with exception of phosphorus and iron) decreased. In contrast, effects on the element composition of grains were restricted to reductions in nitrogen, calcium, sulphur and iron. Ozone exposure resulted in no significant effects on nutrient element concentrations in different tissues in the overall analysis. The nitrogen demand of green tissues was reduced due to CO 2 enrichment as shown by reductions in the critical leaf nitrogen concentration and also enhanced nitrogen use efficiency. Reductions in the content of ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase and repression of the photorespiratory pathway and reduced nitrogen allocation to enzymes driving the photosynthetic carbon oxidation cycle were chiefly responsible for this effect. Thus, nitrogen acquisition by the crop did not match carbon acquisition under CO 2 enrichment. Since crop nitrogen uptake from the soil was already completed at anthesis, nitrogen allocated to the grain after anthesis originated from vegetative pools—causing grain nitrogen concentrations to decrease under CO 2 enrichment (on average by 15% when CO 2 concentrations increased from 360 to 680xa0μmol mol −1 ). Correspondingly, grain quality was reduced by CO 2 enrichment. The Zeleny value, Hagberg value and dry/wet gluten content decreased significantly with increasing [CO 2 ]. Despite the beneficial impact of CO 2 enrichment on growth and yield of C 3 cereal crops, declines in flour quality due to reduced nitrogen content are likely in a future, [CO 2 ]-rich world.

Effects of elevated CO2 and/or ozone on nutrient concentrations and nutrient uptake of potatoes

Abstract Potato crops were grown at seven sites across Europe to test the effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and/or tropospheric ozone concentrations on growth, yield and various aspects of potato tuber quality within the framework of the EC funded programme Changing Climate and Potential Impacts on Potato Yield and Quality (CHIP). Field exposure systems were used to enrich the atmosphere in CO 2 and/or ozone. At five of the sites, nutrient element conconcentrations (macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and micronutrients: mangenese, zinc, iron) in different parts of plants from the various treatments were analysed. Under elevated CO 2 , nearly all nutrient elements tended to decrease in concentration. At maximum leaf area, a significant reduction was observed for the concentrations of nitrogen and potassium both in aboveground biomass and in tubers, and for calcium in tubers. Since CO 2 enrichment promoted early tuber growth, these effects could in part be attributed to tuber developmental stage. At maturity, potato grown under CO 2 enrichment exhibited significantly lower concentrations of nitrogen, manganese and iron in aboveground organs, and of nitrogen, potassium and magnesium in tubers which means a reduction of tuber quality. In contrast to CO 2 , elevated ozone tended to increase tuber nutrient element concentrations. This was significant for nitrogen and manganese. CO 2 effects on tuber biomass increase were more pronounced than CO 2 effects on nutrient element decrease. Thus, the total amount of nutrient elements taken up by potato crops increased under elevated CO 2 . Fertiliser practice in a future, CO 2 -rich world will have to be adjusted accordingly.

Effects of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone on potato tuber quality in the European multiple-site experiment 'CHIP-project'

Abstract Potato (Solanum tuberosum L cv. Bintje) was exposed to ambient and elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), to ambient and elevated ozone (O3) and to elevated levels of both gases during two growing seasons, 1998 and 1999. Experiments in open-top chambers (OTC) were carried out in Finland, Sweden, Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium and a FACE (Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment) experiment was carried out in Italy. In OTCs the plants were grown under ambient CO2 concentrations or with 550 and 680 μl l−1 CO2 alone or in combination with ambient or elevated O3 concentrations (target seasonal mean of 60 nl l−1 8 h per day). In the FACE systems the plants were exposed to ambient or 550 μl l−1 CO2. In the OTC experiments the reducing sugar content of potato tubers decreased significantly with increased concentration of O3. The starch content of potato tubers decreased, with negative impact on tuber quality, but the ascorbic acid concentration increased as a function of the AOT40 (The sum of the differences between hourly ozone concentration and 40 nl l−1 for each hour when the concentration exceeds 40 nl l−1 during a relevant growing season). However, simultaneous exposure to elevated CO2 counteracted the ozone effect. With increase in the CO2 exposure, glycoalkaloid and nitrate concentrations decreased yielding improved quality, while the citric acid concentration decreased causing a higher risk for discoloration after cooking. The amount of dry matter and starch increased significantly in the FACE experiment.

Growth and marketable-yield responses of potato to increased CO2 and ozone

Central to the CHanging climate and potential Impacts on Potato yield and quality project (CHIP) was the consideration of the potential impacts of ozone and CO2 on growth and yield of future European Potato crops. Potato crops, cv. Bintje, were exposed to ambient or elevated ozone; targeted daily average, 60 nl l−1 for 8 h, and ambient or elevated CO2; targeted 680 μl l−1 averaged over the full growing season, in open top chambers (OTCs) at six European sites in 1998 and 1999, or to elevated CO2 (550 μl l−1) in Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment facilities (FACE) at two sites in both years. Some OTC experiments included 550 μl l−1. Above and below ground biomass were measured at two destructive harvests; at maximum leaf area (MLA) and at final-harvest. Final-harvest fresh weight yields of marketable-size tubers, >35 mm diameter, from ambient conditions ranged from 1 to 12 kg m−2. There was no consistent (P>0.1) CO2×O3 interaction for growth or yield variables at either harvest. No consistent effects of ozone were detected at the maximum-leaf-area harvest. However, at final harvest, ozone had reduced both above-ground biomass and tuber dry weight (P 50 mm) size class. These yield losses showed linear relationships both with accumulated ozone exposure; AOT40 expressed as nl l−1 h over 40 nl l−1, and with yields from chambered ambient-ozone treatments (P<0.05) but, because of partial confounding between the treatment AOT40s and the ambient-ozone yields in the data, the two relationships were not completely independent. Yields from ambient-ozone treatments, however, explained a significant (P<0.01) amount of the residual variation in ozone effects unexplained by AOT40. When averaged over all experiments, mean dry weights and tuber numbers from both harvests were increased by elevated CO2. Only green leaf number at the MLA harvest was reduced. The CO2 responses varied between sites and years. For marketable-size tubers, this variation was unrelated to variation in ambient-CO2 treatment yields. Yield increases resulting from the 680 μl l−1 and 550 μl l−1 treatments were similar. Thus elevating [CO2] from 550 to 680 μl l−1 was less effective than elevating [CO2] from ambient to 550 μl l−1. On average, CO2 elevation to 680 μl l−1 increased the dry weight of marketable-size tubers by about 17%, which far exceeded the average ozone-induced yield loss of about 5%. The net effect of raising CO2 and O3 concentrations on the European potato crop would be an increase marketable yield.

Effect of climatic conditions on tuber yield (Solanum tuberosum L.) in the European 'CHIP' experiments

Abstract The main objective of the CHIP project was to perform ‘standardised’ investigations of potato ( Solanum tuberosum L. cv Bintje) responses to increased O 3 and CO 2 concentrations by means of open-top chambers (OTC) and free air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) systems. The experimental sites are located across Europe representing a broad range of different climatic conditions. In 1998 and 1999 a total number of 12 OTC experiments and four FACE experiments were conducted. According to the specific needs for subsequent modelling purposes, environmental data were collected during experiments, i.e. air temperature, global radiation, air humidity (vapour pressure deficit (VPD)), soil moisture and trace gas concentrations. In the present paper, the results of these measurements are summarised. It was shown that the experiments covered a considerable range of growing season mean air temperatures (13.8–19.9xa0°C) and global irradiances (12.0–21.3 MJ m −2 per day), the most important driving variables for crop growth simulation models. Analysis of the soils used during the experiments demonstrated that in most cases sufficient nutrient elements were available to guarantee an undisturbed growth. Mean concentrations of CO 2 and O 3 in ambient air and in different treatments illustrate the observed variability of trace gas exposures between different sites and experiments. However, the effects of these parameters on growth and yield are subject of separate papers. The general climatic conditions across Europe are also causing important growth and yield effects. Comparison of marketable tuber yields revealed an increase at higher latitudes. This result was associated with lower temperatures and VPD and longer day lengths at the higher latitudes, which in turn were associated with longer growing seasons.

Factors influencing visible ozone injury on potato including the interaction with carbon dioxide

Abstract Weekly observations and scoring of ozone injury were done on all experimental sites where continuous monitoring of ozone in ambient air was available. Typical acute symptoms were reddish-brown lesions and bronzing, primarily on the upper surface of the leaves. The potato cultivar Bintje, cultivated at all sites, appeared to be sensitive to ozone but less than clover species, which served as model for the short-term critical level (AOT40/5 d). At the mid-European and Nordic latitudes injury appeared after an AOT40/5 d exposure of about 700 and 275 nlxa0l −1 xa0h, respectively. In central Europe the plants were indeed less sensitive than in Scandinavia and the AOT40/5 d values were higher than the proposed critical level of 500 nlxa0l −1 xa0h at a vapour pressure deficit (VPD) exceeding 1.5 kPa and 200 nlxa0l −1 xa0h at a VPD below 1.5 kPa. In addition injury appeared primarily after the stage of maximum leaf area (MLA). In the Nordic countries injury was noticed at very low AOT40/5 d values and occurred before as well as after the stage of MLA. Using artificial neural network models it appeared from the data set that VPD did not play a major role in the ozone sensitivity of potato, but there were indications that daylength was an important parameter in addition to a possible higher uptake at high latitudes. Increasing the CO 2 concentration did not prevent the potato plants from visible ozone damage but it reduced the intensity by 10%. Taking only the OTC experiments of the mid-latitudes into account, there was a correlation between the ozone injury scoring just before harvest and the marketable yield loss. However, in all the cases considered, ozone damage appeared only after the stage of MLA and increased steadily towards harvest. The correlation can be explained by a parallel development of injury and chlorosis (senescence) typical for chronic exposure. There was no relationship between isolated short-term exposures causing acute injury and final yield.

Changing climate and potential impacts on potato yield and quality ‘CHIP’: introduction, aims and methodology

Abstract Climate change effects caused by an increasing concentration of CO 2 and ozone represent an issue of major concern both for scientists and policy-makers. In a concerted program funded by the Commission of the European Union, a European network of experiments (in open-top chambers (OTC), and free air carbon dioxide enrichment systems (FACE)) and modelling was carried out to investigate the effects of increasing atmospheric CO 2 and ozone concentrations, under different climatic conditions, on potato ( Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Bintje). This contribution describes the experimental network and the standard protocol set-up for the assessments that served to improve and to validate process oriented potato growth simulation models leading to scenarios of future productivity of potato in Europe.