Tropospheric ozone is known to adversely affect crops and other vegetation. Most studies have focussed on the effects of elevated ozone levels vs. present ambient. We investigated the effect of ...present ambient surface ozone (O3) concentrations vs. preindustrial on a range of agronomically important response variables in field-grown wheat, using results from 33 experiments (representing 9 countries, 3 continents, 17 cultivars plus one set of 4 cultivars) having both charcoal filtered (CF) and non-filtered (NF) air treatments. Average filtration efficiency was 62%, reducing the O3 concentration from 35.6±10.6SDppb in NF to 13.7±8.8SDppb in CF. Average CF concentrations were in the range of levels believed to represent pre-industrial conditions, while NF concentrations were 7% lower than in the ambient air at plant height on the experimental sites. NF had significant (p<0.05) negative effects compared to CF on grain yield (−8.4%), grain mass (−3.7%), harvest index (−2.4%), total above-ground biomass (−5.4%), starch concentration (−3.0%), starch yield (−10.9%), and protein yield (−6.2%). No significant effect was found for grain number and protein concentration. There was a significant relationship between the effect of filtration on grain yield and the difference in O3 concentration between NF and CF treatments. The average yield loss per ppb O3 removed was 0.38% and did not systematically vary with year of experiment (ranging from 1982 to 2010) or with the average O3 level in the experiments. Although there are many differences among the field experiments included in this meta-analysis (e.g. genotype, degree of O3 pollution of the site and year, nutrient and soil condition, filtration efficiency), our study clearly shows that there is a consistent and significant effect of present ambient O3 exposure on a range of important response variables in wheat, the most strongly affected being starch yield.
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•The effects of current vs. preindustrial ozone on wheat were investigated.•Compared to preindustrial levels, current ozone negatively affected wheat growth, yield and quality.•The effect on yield was related to the amount of ozone removed by filtration.•The effect on yield was not related to the age of the cultivar.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Data from experiments where field-grown wheat was exposed to ozone were collated in order to compare the effects in Europe, Asia and North America using dose-response regression. In addition to grain ...yield, average grain mass and harvest index were included to reflect the influence of ozone on the crop growth pattern. In order to include as many experiments as possible, daytime average ozone concentration was used as the ozone exposure index, but AOT40, estimated from average ozone concentrations, was also used to compare the performance of the two exposure metrics. The response to ozone differed significantly between the continents only for grain yield when using AOT40 as the exposure index. North American wheat was less sensitive than European and Asian that responded similarly. The variation in responses across all three continents was smallest for harvest index, followed by grain mass and grain yield. The highly consistent effect on harvest index shows that not only effects on biomass accumulation, but also on the partitioning of biomass, are important for the ozone-induced grain yield loss in wheat. The average duration of daily ozone exposure was longer in European experiments compared to North American and Asian. It cannot be excluded that this contributed to the indicated higher ozone sensitivity in European wheat in relation to North American. The main conclusions from this study are that on the average the response of wheat to ozone was lower for the older North American experiments and that the ozone response of the growth pattern reflected by grain mass and harvest index did not differ between continents.
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•Lower ozone sensitivity of grain yield in North American compared to European and Asian wheat experiments•Ozone response did not differ between continents for grain mass and harvest index•The exposure index AOT40 was superior to daytime average ozone concentration in explaining observed effects
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
We synthesized the effects of ozone on wheat quality based on 42 experiments performed in Asia, Europe and North America. Data were analysed using meta-analysis and by deriving response functions ...between observed effects and daytime ozone concentration. There was a strong negative effect on 1000-grain weight and weaker but significant negative effects on starch concentration and volume weight. For protein and several nutritionally important minerals (K, Mg, Ca, P, Zn, Mn, Cu) concentration was significantly increased, but yields were significantly decreased by ozone. For other minerals (Fe, S, Na) effects were not significant or results inconclusive. The concentration and yield of potentially toxic Cd were negatively affected by ozone. Some baking properties (Zeleny value, Hagberg falling number) were positively influenced by ozone. Effects were similar in different exposure systems and for spring and winter wheat. Ozone effects on quality should be considered in future assessments of food security/safety.
•Ozone reduces starch concentration, 1000-grain weight and volume weight of wheat.•Ozone enhances concentration, but reduces yield of several minerals and protein.•Some baking properties are positively affected by ozone.
Ozone negatively affects quality traits such as 1000-grain weight, volume weight and starch concentration in wheat, while baking properties are positively affected.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Crop quality under rising atmospheric CO2 Uddling, Johan; Broberg, Malin C; Feng, Zhaozhong ...
Current opinion in plant biology,
10/2018, Volume:
45
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
•Elevated CO2 decreases the concentrations of most nutrients in non-legume C3 crops.•The effects are correlated for nutrients mostly found in proteins: N, Zn, Fe, S.•None of the suggested mechanisms ...and processes can explain the effect on N.•Decreased concentrations of protein, Zn and Fe have implications for food security.
Crops grown under elevated CO2 (eCO2) typically exhibit enhanced yields but at the same time decreased nutritional quality. The latter effect has often been explained as a growth dilution phenomenon, but this cannot be the only process involved since crop nutrient concentrations are decreased also when production is unaffected by eCO2. We review the current knowledge on eCO2 effects on crop nutritional quality with focus on the current understanding of the possible mechanisms and processes causing these effects. Emphasis is on crop nitrogen (N) and protein concentrations but effects on other nutrients and how they compare with those on N are also covered.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
•Ozone reduces N fertilizer efficiency with respect to protein and grain yield in wheat.•Also P and K fertilizer is less efficiently used.•Translocation of nitrogen to grains is negatively affected ...by ozone.•Ozone pollution may increase the risk for nitrate leaching and N2O emissions.
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Inefficient use of fertilizers by crops increases the risk of nutrient leaching from agro-ecosystems, resulting in economic loss and environmental contamination. We investigated how ground-level ozone affects the efficiency by which wheat used applied nitrogen (N) fertilizer to produce grain protein (NEP, N efficiency with respect to protein yield) and grain yield (NEY, N efficiency with respect to grain yield) across a large number of open-top chamber field experiments. Our results show significant negative ozone effects on NEP and NEY, both for a larger data set obtained from data mining (21 experiments, 70 treatments), and a subset of data for which stomatal ozone flux estimates were available (7 experiments, 22 treatments). For one experiment, we report new data on N content of different above-ground plant fractions as well as grain K and P content. Our analysis of the combined dataset demonstrates that the grain yield return for a certain investment in N fertilizer is reduced by ozone. Results from the experiment with more detailed data further show that translocation of accumulated N from straw and leaves to grains is significantly and negatively affected by ozone, and that ozone decreases fertilizer efficiency also for K and P. As a result of lower N fertilization efficiency, ozone causes a risk of increased N losses from agroecosystems, e.g. through nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions, a hitherto neglected negative effect of ozone. This impact of ozone on the N cycle implies that society is facing a dilemma where it either (i) accepts increased N pollution and counteracts ozone-induced yield reductions by increasing fertilization or (ii) counteracts N pollution under elevated ozone by reducing fertilization, accepting further yield loss adding to the direct effect of ozone on yield.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Elevated CO2 (eCO2) generally promotes increased grain yield (GY) and decreased grain protein concentration (GPC), but the extent to which these effects depend on the magnitude of fertilization ...remains unclear. We collected data on the eCO2 responses of GY, GPC and grain protein yield and their relationships with nitrogen (N) application rates across experimental data covering 11 field grown wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars studied in eight countries on four continents. The eCO2‐induced stimulation of GY increased with N application rates up to ~200 kg/ha. At higher N application, stimulation of GY by eCO2 stagnated or even declined. This was valid both when the yield stimulation was expressed as the total effect and using per ppm CO2 scaling. GPC was decreased by on average 7% under eCO2 and the magnitude of this effect did not depend on N application rate. The net effect of responses on GY and protein concentration was that eCO2 typically increased and decreased grain protein yield at N application rates below and above ~100 kg/ha respectively. We conclude that a negative effect on wheat GPC seems inevitable under eCO2 and that substantial N application rates may be required to sustain wheat protein yields in a world with rising CO2.
The magnitude of the yield stimulation by elevated carbon dioxide depends on the nitrogen fertilizer application rate in wheat. Larger nitrogen application rates than 200 kg per ha did not promote further yield stimulation by elevated carbon dioxide.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Elevated carbon dioxide (eCO2) is well known to stimulate plant photosynthesis and growth. Elevated carbon dioxide’s effects on crop yields are of particular interest due to concerns for future food ...security. We compiled experimental data where field-grown wheat (Triticum aestivum Linnaeus) was exposed to different CO2 concentrations. Yield and yield components were analyzed by meta-analysis to estimate average effects, and response functions derived to assess effect size in relation to CO2 concentration. Grain yield increased by 26% under eCO2 (average ambient concentration of 372 ppm and elevated 605 ppm), mainly due to the increase in grain number. The response function for grain yield with CO2 concentration strongly suggests a non-linear response, where yield stimulation levels off at ~600 ppm. This was supported by the meta-analysis, which did not indicate any significant difference in yield stimulation in wheat grown at 456–600 ppm compared to 601–750 ppm. Yield response to eCO2 was independent of fumigation technique and rooting environment, but clearly related to site productivity, where relative CO2 yield stimulation was stronger in low productive systems. The non-linear yield response, saturating at a relatively modest elevation of CO2, was of large importance for crop modelling and assessments of future food production under rising CO2.
Elevated carbon dioxide (eCO2) stimulates wheat grain yield, but simultaneously reduces protein/nitrogen (N) concentration. Also, other essential nutrients are subject to change. This study is a ...synthesis of wheat experiments with eCO2, estimating the effects on N, minerals (B, Ca, Cd, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Zn), and starch. The analysis was performed by (i) deriving response functions to assess the gradual change in element concentration with increasing CO2 concentration, (ii) meta-analysis to test the average magnitude and significance of observed effects, and (iii) relating CO2 effects on minerals to effects on N and grain yield. Responses ranged from zero to strong negative effects of eCO2 on mineral concentration, with the largest reductions for the nutritionally important elements of N, Fe, S, Zn, and Mg. Together with the positive but small and non-significant effect on starch concentration, the large variation in effects suggests that CO2-induced responses cannot be explained only by a simple dilution model. To explain the observed pattern, uptake and transport mechanisms may have to be considered, along with the link of different elements to N uptake. Our study shows that eCO2 has a significant effect on wheat grain stoichiometry, with implications for human nutrition in a world of rising CO2.
Mercury, Hg, is one of the most problematic metals from an environmental perspective. To assess the problems caused by Hg in the environment, it is crucial to understand the processes of Hg ...biogeochemistry, but the exchange of Hg between the atmosphere and vegetation is not sufficiently well characterized. We explored the mercury concentration, Hg, in foliage from a diverse set of plant types, locations and sampling periods to study whether there is a continuous accumulation of Hg in leaves and needles over time. Measurements of Hg were made for deciduous and conifer trees in Gothenburg, Sweden (botanical garden and city area), as well as for evergreen trees in Rwanda. In addition, data for wheat from an ozone experiment conducted at Östad, Sweden, were included. Conifer data were quantitatively compared with literature data. In every case where older foliage was directly compared with younger, Hg was higher in older tissue. Covering the range from the current year up to 4-year-old needles in the literature data, there was no sign of Hg saturation in conifer needles with age. Thus, over timescales of approximately 1 month to several years, the Hg uptake in foliage from the atmosphere always dominated over Hg evasion. Rwandan broadleaved trees had generally older leaves due to lack of seasonal abscission and higher Hg than Swedish broadleaved trees. The significance of atmospheric Hg uptake in plants was shown in a wheat experiment where charcoal-filtrated air led to significantly lower leaf Hg. To search for general patterns, the accumulation rates of Hg in the diverse set of tree species in the Gothenburg area were related to the specific leaf area (SLA). Leaf-area-based Hg was negatively and non-linearly correlated with SLA, while mass-based Hg had a somewhat weaker positive relationship with SLA. An elaborated understanding of the relationship behind Hg and SLA may have the potential to support large-scale modelling of Hg uptake by vegetation and Hg circulation.
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