Effects of sulfur dioxide and ambient ozone on winter wheat and lettuce

Journal Article · · J. Environ. Qual.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7025266

Olszyk, D M; Bytnerowicz, A; Kats, G; Dawson, P J; Wolf, J; Thompson, C R

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Yecora Rojo) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. Empire) were exposed in the field to SO/sub 2/ or ambient O/sub 3/ to determine the effects of these air pollutants on important winter grown crops. Plants were exposed with tubular air exclusion systems or in open-top field chambers to ambient air, or filtered air plus 0, 0.03, 0.07 or 0.15 ..mu..L SO/sub 2/ L/sup -1/. Exposures were continuous from 18 January to 7 May 1984 for wheat and from 18 January to 13 March 1984 for lettuce. Harvests to evaluate early plant growth were made after 2 to 3 weeks of exposure for each crop; final harvests were make at the end of the exposures. Wheat yield was decreased with exposure to 0.15 ..mu..L SO/sub 2/ L/sup -1/ in open-top field chambers, but was not affected by SO/sub 2/ exposure in air exclusion systems. Lettuce yield was decreased with exposure to 0.15 /sup +/L SO/sub 2/ L/sup -1/ in air exclusion systems, but was not affected by SO/sub 2/ exposure in open-top chambers. Neither wheat nor lettuce yield was reduced by ambient O/sub 3/ in either air exclusion systems or open-top chambers. The results from the two types of exposure systems could not be compared statistically due to differences in experimental design and soil topography. However, the differences in plant growth between the two systems were dramatic when compared to outside plots. Wheat and lettuce growth and yield was only slightly greater with air exclusion systems than in outside plots, but much greater in open-top field chambers than in outside plots.

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Riverside
• OSTI ID: 7025266
• Journal Information: J. Environ. Qual.; (United States), Vol. 15:4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
HERBS
PLANT GROWTH
OZONE
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
WHEAT
AIR POLLUTION
EXPOSURE CHAMBERS
LETTUCE
PRODUCTIVITY
CEREALS
CHALCOGENIDES
FOOD
GRASS
GROWTH
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
POLLUTION
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR OXIDES
VEGETABLES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology