Field assessment of a snap bean ozone bioindicator system under elevated ozone and carbon dioxide in a free air system

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) 2012-07, Vol.166, p.167-171
• Main Authors: Burkey, Kent O., Booker, Fitzgerald L., Ainsworth, Elizabeth A., Nelson, Randall L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollutants - metabolism; Air Pollutants - toxicity; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Bioindicator; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon dioxide; Carbon Dioxide - analysis; Carbon Dioxide - metabolism; Carbon Dioxide - toxicity; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Free air concentration enrichment (FACE); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Ozone; Ozone - analysis; Ozone - metabolism; Ozone - toxicity; Phaseolus - drug effects; Phaseolus - physiology; Phaseolus vulgaris; Snap bean; Stress, Physiological
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.03.020

Ozone-sensitive (S156) and -tolerant (R123 and R331) genotypes of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were tested as a plant bioindicator system for detecting O3 effects at current and projected future levels of tropospheric O3 and atmospheric CO2 under field conditions. Plants were treated with ambient air, 1.4× ambient O3 and 550 ppm CO2 separately and in combination using Free Air Concentration Enrichment technology. Under ambient O3 concentrations pod yields were not significantly different among genotypes. Elevated O3 reduced pod yield for S156 (63%) but did not significantly affect yields for R123 and R331. Elevated CO2 at 550 ppm alone did not have a significant impact on yield for any genotype. Amelioration of the O3 effect occurred in the O3 + CO2 treatment. Ratios of sensitive to tolerant genotype pod yields were identified as a useful measurement for assessing O3 impacts with potential applications in diverse settings including agricultural fields. ► Elevated O3 and CO2 plots were established using free air concentration enrichment. ► Yield was measured for O3 sensitive (S156) and tolerant (R123, R331) snap beans. ► Elevated O3 reduced yields by 63% for S156 with no effect on tolerant genotypes. ► Sensitive/tolerant yield ratios can be used as a bioindicator to assess O3 impacts. ► Elevated CO2 prevented S156 yield loss from elevated O3. Differential yield responses of ozone-sensitive (S156) and tolerant (R123, R331) snap beans as a bioindicator system to assess ozone effects in the field.