Growth abnormalities of Christmas trees attributed to sulfur dioxide and particulate acid aerosol

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1974 · Proc., Annu. Meet., Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5474237

Hindawi, I J; Ratsch, H C

Field surveys were conducted to investigate the cause of growth abnormalities of commercially grown scotch pine in West Virginia and Maryland. The abnormalities include short needles, premature needle drop, bud failure and stunted growth. Five separate studies conducted during the summer of 1970, 1971, and 1972 included: a visual examination of diseased and healthy needles to determine if symptoms of air pollution injury were present; exposing sensitive plants to ambient air or carbon filtered air at two sites in the area; exchanging injured trees from a plantation in which many trees were injured with healthy trees from a plantation of healthy trees; grafting of healthy scions to diseased trees and diseased scions to healthy trees to determine if infectious agents were involved; and exposing scotch pine to acid mist during needle growth and development. Native vegetation in the area displayed symptoms of sulfur dioxide injury. The degree of growth abnormalities in the scotch pine decreased with increasing distance from a coal burning power plant, suggesting that sulfur dioxide and/or particulate emissions may be related to the growth suppressed only when exposed to ambient air. Healthy scotch pine moved to a diseased plantation developed some injury and diseased trees moved to a healthy plantation showed some recovery. Grafting experiments indicated that the growth abnormalities were not caused by infectious agents. Controlled exposure in 1972 and 1973 demonstrated reproducible short needle syndrome in scotch pine exposed to sulfuric acid aerosol.

• OSTI ID: 5474237
• Journal Information: Proc., Annu. Meet., Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States), Vol. 67:74-252
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
ECONOMIC IMPACT
PINES
PLANT GROWTH
SULFUR DIOXIDE
TOXICITY
ACIDIFICATION
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
CHALCOGENIDES
CONIFERS
GROWTH
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
POLLUTION
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
TREES
560303* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Plants- (-1987)
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)