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Title: Response of oats infected with barley yellow dwarf virus to elevated carbon dioxide

Journal Article · · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America
OSTI ID:95839
;  [1]
  1. Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

We examined the effects of elevated carbon dioxide on Avena sativa, cv. California Red, infected with barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) (PAV serotype). BYDV is a luteovirus that infects many genera of grasses, including Triticum, Hordeum, and Avena. Viral activity disrupts phloem transport, causing carbohydrate accumulation in leaves and reduction in root fraction. We measured tillering and biomass accumulation in individual Avena grown in large (2.5L) pots in temperature-controlled phytocells at two levels of carbon dioxide (ambient & ambient + 350 ppm). As expected, BYDV infection reduced plant growth and CO{sub 2} enrichment increased it. Notably, however, the percentage increase in biomass with enrichment was greatest for infected plants. The percentage change for infected plants was +33% at Day 42 and +32% at Day 60, but -2% and +10% for uninfected controls. Thus, enhanced carbohydrate production under enrichment may allow infected plants to partially overcome viral-induced restrictions in carbohydrate transport. This result raises an important issue, namely that diseased plants may respond differently than healthy ones to CO{sub 2} enrichment, with potential ecological consequences.

OSTI ID:
95839
Report Number(s):
CONF-9507129-; ISSN 0012-9623; TRN: 95:004728-0105
Journal Information:
Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Vol. 76, Issue 2; Conference: 80. anniversary of the transdisciplinary nature of ecology, Snowbird, UT (United States), 30 Jul - 3 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: Jun 1995
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English