L. Skärby

Yield and grain quality of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Drabant) exposed to different concentrations of ozone in open-top chambers

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Drabant) was exposed to different concentrations of ozone in open-top chambers for two growing seasons, 1987 and 1988, at a site located in south-west Sweden. The chambers were placed in a field of commercially grown spring wheat. The treatments were charcoal-filtered air (CF), non-filtered air (NF) and non-filtered air plus extra ozone (NF(+)). In 1988, one additional ozone concentration (NF(++)) was used. Grain yield was affected by the ozone concentration of the air. Air filtration resulted in an increase in grain yield of about 7% in both years, compared to NF. The addition of ozone (NF(+), NF(++)) reduced grain yield and increased the content of crude protein of the grain in both years. Filtration of the air had no significant effect on the content of crude protein, compared to NF. The results showed a strong positive chamber effect on grain yield in the cold and wet summer of 1987. In 1988, there was no net chamber effect on grain yield. The relative differences between the CF, NF and NF(+) treatments with respect to grain yield were of the same magnitude in the two years, despite the very different weather conditions.

The influence of ozone on the stomatal and non-stomatal limitation of photosynthesis in Norway spruce, Picea abies (L. ) Karst, exposed to soil moisture deficit

SummaryNorway spruce, Picea abies (L.) Karst., was exposed to charcoal-filtered air (CF) and non-filtered air + ozone (NF+) and periods of soil moisture deficit from 1985 to 1988 in open-top chambers. Net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, needle water potential and various shoot properties were measured on 1-year-old shoots during a period of soil moisture deficit. The gas exchange was measured at saturating photosynthetic photon flux density and across a range of CO2 concentrations. The soil moisture deficit induced a mild drought stress in the plants, expressed by a pre-dawn needle water potential of approximately-0.9 MPa and a substantial reduction in net photosynthesis and gas phase conductance. In the CF treatment, intercellular CO2 concentration was reduced, but was unaffected in the NF+ treatment. Furthermore, net photosynthesis declined more in response to the soil moisture deficit in the NF+ treatment than in the CF treatment. This is suggested to be attributed to the carboxylation efficiency at the operating point, which was decreased by 47% and 64% in shoots from the CF and the NF+ treatments, respectively. Stomatal limitation of net photosynthesis was increased by drought by 24–45% in the CF treatment, while it was unaffected in the NF+ treatment. Thus, our results imply that the coupling between the stomatal conductance and the photosynthetic rate was changed and that the marginal cost of water per given amount of carbon gain will increase in trees exposed to ozone, during periods of drought.

Impact of ozone on the growth of birch (Betula pendula) saplings.

Saplings of one half-sib family of birch, Betula pendula, were exposed to three levels of ozone in open-top chambers (OTCs) during two growing seasons 1997-1998. The ozone treatments were non-filtered air (NF, accumulated daylight AOT40 over the two growing seasons of 3.0 l l-1 h), non-filtered air with extra ozone (NF+, accumulated daylight AOT40 of 27.3 l l-1 h) and non-filtered air with additional extra ozone (NF++, accumulated daylight AOT40 of 120 l l-1 h). The birch saplings, including the roots, were harvested after the first and second growing seasons. After the first growing season, the NF++ treatment reduced the total wood biomass by 22%, relative to the NF treatment. There was no further reduction of the total wood biomass in the NF++ treatment after the second growing season. The root biomass was reduced by 30% after the first growing season. The shoot/root ratio, as well as the proportional biomass of leaves, were increased by ozone during both years. The ozone impact on the relative growth rate was estimated to -2% per 10 l l-1 h daylight AOT40 per growing season.

Ozone deposition to an oat crop (Avena sativa L.) grown in open-top chambers and in the ambient air

Abstract Fluxes and deposition velocities for ozone were determined for open-top chambers with and without an oat crop, and for the adjacent field, using a resistance analogue model and the aerodynamic wind-profile method, respectively. During a period when the canopy was green and the ambient wind speeds modest, the fluxes and deposition velocities were higher in the chamber with plants than in the field crop. The deposition to chamber walls and soil in the chamber only accounted for part of that difference. The deposition velocity for ozone to the crop was light-dependent both in the chamber with plants and in the ambient air. With increasing plant senescence, the deposition velocity declined and the light dependence disappeared. Fluctuations in deposition velocity superimposed on the overall declining trend followed the same temporal pattern in the chambers with and without plants. These fluctuations in deposition velocity may partly be explained by variations in surface wetness. Differences in boundary layer conductance between chamber and ambient, which under certain conditions may significantly influence the validity of the chamber as a test system, were observed.

Impact of ozone and reduced water supply on the biomass accumulation of Norway spruce saplings

Norway spruce saplings [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] were exposed during four growing seasons to two different ozone treatments in open-top chambers: charcoal filtered air (CF), and non-filtered air with extra ozone (NF+, 1.4xambient concentrations). Within each ozone treatment the saplings were either kept well watered or treated with a 7-8 week period with reduced water supply each growing season. The total biomass of the trees was measured in April and September during each of the last three growing seasons. NF+ significantly reduced the total biomass accumulation of Norway spruce saplings during the fourth growing season. No interaction between ozone and reduced water supply could be detected. The magnitude of the ozone impact after 4 years of exposure was an 8% reduction of the total plant biomass and a 1.5% reduction of the RGR. The reduced water supply reduced the total biomass 29% and the RGR 12%.

Yield and quality of spring barley, Hordeum vulgare L., exposed to different concentrations of ozone in open-top chambers

Abstract Spring barley ( Hordeum vulgare L., cv. ‘Lina’) was exposed to different concentrations of ozone in open-top chambers (OTCs) for 6 weeks following anthesis at a site located in south-west Sweden during the summer of 1989. The chambers were placed in a field of commercially grown barley. The treatments were charcoal-filtered air (CF), non-filtered air (NF) and non-filtered air plus extra ozone (NF +). Presence of the OTCs reduced grain yield, number of ears per unit area, and 1000-grain weight, probably due to increased drought during the warm and dry weather in the summer of 1989. The chamber also increased the crude protein content of grain. These effects were, however, not statistically significant. Grain yield was not affected by 7 h day −1 seasonal mean ozone concentrations up to 45 nl l −1 (24 h seasonal mean = 22 nl l −1 ) compared to charcoal-filtered air. It is concluded that barley is likely to be less sensitive to ozone than wheat. The possible role of differences in the process of grain filling between the two species for the differences in ozone sensitivity is discussed.

Exposure of a grass-clover mixture to ozone in open-top chambers : effects on yield, quality and botanical composition

Abstract A field-grown grass-clover mixture was exposed to four different levels of ozone in open-top chambers: filtered air, non-filtered air and non-filtered air with two different levels of ozone added. There was also an ambient air treatment with no chambers. The same pasture was exposed to ozone for two consecutive growing seasons. Three cuts per season were made. There was a negative relationship between yield and ozone concentration, and a significant regression was obtained between total dry weight yield for all six harvests and the Accumulated exposure Over Threshold 40 nl l−1 (AOT40) for the whole exposure period. Analysis of variance did not reveal significant ozone effects on quality parameters (fibre content, energy content, protein, Ca, Fe, Mo). Fibre content and botanical composition were, however, influenced by enclosure of the plants in the open-top chambers. The importance of the ozone concentration gradient above a field crop for the estimation of yield loss is discussed. It is hypothesised that the lower ozone sensitivity in pasture compared with wheat is due to the fact that pasture is harvested before natural senescence, while wheat is exposed during this ozone sensitive phase of plant development.

Exposure of oats, Avena sativa L., to filtered and unfiltered air in open-top chambers: effects on grain yield and quality.

Field grown oats, Avena sativa L. cv Vital, were exposed to filtered and unfiltered air from anthesis until harvest in open-top chambers at a site in south-west Sweden. Ambient plots were used to study the influence of the chamber itself. With the exception of the number of grains per panicle, which was significantly higher in the charcoal-filtered treatment, no significant filtration effects were obtained for any of the plant growth parameters studied), i.e. grain yield, number of panicles per square metre, 1000-grain weight, straw yield and harvest index.) The chamber had a significant negative effect on grain yield, 1000-grain weight and straw yield. None of the yield quality parameters that were measured, such as crude protein content, crude fibre content, fat content, volume weight of the grain and water content of the grain at harvest, were significantly influenced by either air filtration, or the presence of the chamber. The chlorophyll content of the flag leaves was higher in the charcoal-filtered treatment than in the non-filtered and ambient air treatments towards the end of the experiment, indicating that filtering of the air delayed senescence. The decline of the shoot area after the onset of plant senescence proceeded faster in both chamber treatments. The faster development in the chamber was explained by the faster accumulation of thermal time in the chamber.

Ozone gradients in a spruce forest stand in relation to wind speed and time of the day

Abstract Ozone concentrations were measured outside and inside a 60-year-old 15–20 m tall spruce forest at a wind-exposed forest edge in southwest Sweden, at 3 and 13 m height 15 m outside the forest, and at 3 and 13 m height inside the forest 45 m from the forest edge. Measurements at 3 m were made with three replicate tubes on each site, the replicates being separated by 10 m. In addition, horizontal and vertical wind speeds were measured at 8 m height outside and inside the forest. During daytime, the concentrations inside the forest were generally slightly lower. Negative ozone concentration gradients from the open field into the forest were observed at 3 m height when the wind speed was below approximately 1.5 m s −1 . At very low wind speeds, mainly occurring during the night, the ozone concentrations at 3 m height were frequently higher inside the forest than outside the forest. This may be caused by a very large aerodynamic resistance to ozone deposition, due to very small air movements inside the forest under stable conditions. It is concluded that ozone uptake by the trees is likely to be very small at night, even if stomata are not entirely closed. Results from open-top chamber experiments are also discussed.