Impact of elevated ozone concentration on growth, physiology, and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): a meta-analysis

  1. ZHAOZHONG FENG1,2,
  2. KAZUHIKO KOBAYASHI1,
  3. ELIZABETH A. AINSWORTH3

Article first published online: 3 AUG 2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01673.x

Issue

Global Change Biology

Global Change Biology

Volume 14, Issue 11, pages 2696–2708, November 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

FENG, Z., KOBAYASHI, K. and AINSWORTH, E. A. (2008), Impact of elevated ozone concentration on growth, physiology, and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): a meta-analysis. Global Change Biology, 14: 2696–2708. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01673.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Global Agricultural Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan,

  2. 2

    State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China,

  3. 3

    USDA ARS Photosynthesis Research Unit and Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 147 ERML, 1201 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, USA

* Kazuhiko Kobayashi, fax +81 3 5841 5186, e-mail: aclasman@mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 22 OCT 2008
  2. Article first published online: 3 AUG 2008
  3. Received 1 February 2008 and accepted 10 March 2008

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Keywords:

  • air pollution;
  • atmospheric change;
  • biomass;
  • elevated [CO2];
  • global change;
  • grain quality;
  • ozone;
  • photosynthesis;
  • stomata;
  • yield component

Abstract

We quantitatively evaluated the effects of elevated concentration of ozone (O3) on growth, leaf chemistry, gas exchange, grain yield, and grain quality relative to carbon-filtered air (CF) by means of meta-analysis of published data. Our database consisted of 53 peer-reviewed studies published between 1980 and 2007, taking into account wheat type, O3 fumigation method, rooting environment, O3 concentration ([O3]), developmental stage, and additional treatments such as drought and elevated carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]). The results suggested that elevated [O3] decreased wheat grain yield by 29% (CI: 24–34%) and aboveground biomass by 18% (CI: 13–24%), where CI is the 95% confidence interval. Even in studies where the [O3] range was between 31 and 59 ppb (average 43 ppb), there was a significant decrease in the grain yield (18%) and biomass (16%) relative to CF. Despite the increase in the grain protein content (6.8%), elevated [O3] significantly decreased the grain protein yield (−18%). Relative to CF, elevated [O3] significantly decreased photosynthetic rates (−20%), Rubisco activity (−19%), stomatal conductance (−22%), and chlorophyll content (−40%). For the whole plant, rising [O3] induced a larger decrease in belowground (−27%) biomass than in aboveground (−18%) biomass. There was no significant response difference between spring wheat and winter wheat. Wheat grown in the field showed larger decreases in leaf photosynthesis parameters than wheat grown in < 5 L pots. Open-top chamber fumigation induced a larger reduction than indoor growth chambers, when plants were exposed to elevated [O3]. The detrimental effect was progressively greater as the average daily [O3] increased, with very few exceptions. The impact of O3 increased with developmental stages, with the largest detrimental impact during grain filling. Both drought and elevated [CO2] significantly ameliorated the detrimental effects of elevated [O3], which could be explained by a significant decrease in O3 uptake resulting from decreased stomatal conductance.

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