Effects of simulated sulfuric acid rain on crop plants
Since relatively little is known about the effects of acid precipitation on growth and productivity of crop plants, a crop survey was initiated to study effects of H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ rain simulants on growth, yield, and quality of selected crops which were chosen to represent diverse taxonomic groups and crop products. Plants were grown in pots in field-exposure chambers and subjected to three H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ rain simulants (pH levels 4.0, 3.5, and 3.0) and to a control simulant (pH 5.6). Yield of approximately two-thirds of the crops surveyed was not affected by the H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ rain treatments. Equal numbers of the remaining crops exhibited stimulatory and inhibitory yield responses at some H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ rain simulant pH levels. These results did not suggest that acid rain treatment either generally inhibited or stimulated crop productivity. Crop response depended on crop species and crop product. For example, while forage yield of alfalfa and timothy was stimulated at some acid rain pH levels, yield of the remaining forage legume and grass species was not generally affected by acid rain treatment. However, root and fruit crop species exhibited generalized responses (yield inhibition and stimulation, respectively) which appeared to be more closely associated with crop product than occurred for other crop product groupings. Effects on crop quality were also important. For instance, although yield of some horticultural leaf and fruit crops was either unaffected or stimulated by H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ rain treatment, marketability was adversely affected at low pH because of the presence of discoloration and/or lesions produced by H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ rain treatment. This preliminary study demonstrates considerable variability in crop response to acid rain.
- OSTI ID:
- 5670475
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560303* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACID RAIN
ALFALFA
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CROPS
GRASS
GROWTH
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
LEGUMINOSAE
PLANT GROWTH
PLANTS
PRODUCTIVITY
RAIN
SIMULATION
SULFURIC ACID
TOXICITY
YIELDS