Photosynthesis and crop growth of spring oilseed rape and broccoli under elevated tropospheric ozone

Maarten De Bock, Reinhart Ceulemans, Nele Horemans, Yves Guisez, Karine Vandermeiren, Hildegarde Vandenhove, Hans Vanmarcke

    Research outputpeer-review

    Abstract

    The impact of a season-long exposure to moderately elevated tropospheric O3 concentrations on the canopy growth and photosynthetic capacity of two important Brassica crops, spring oilseed rape and broccoli, was studied during three consecutive growing seasons (2007–2009). Brassica napus L.and Brassica oleracea L. were exposed to non-filtered ambient air (NF) and non-filtered air with addition of 20 (NF+) and/or 40 ppb O3 (NF++) in open-top chambers. Light saturated CO2 assimilation (Asat), stomatal conductance (gst), maximum and actual quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm, Fv/Fm), performance index (PI) and leaf area index (LAI) were monitored on a weekly basis from emergence or planting until harvest. Before flowering, elevated O3 did not have an influence on LAI nor on the photosynthetic capacity of the upper canopy leaves of either crops. This corresponded with the absence of a reduction of aboveground biomass of oilseed rape at maximum leaf area (MLA) and of broccoli plants harvested before flowering. After flowering, which coincided with MLA, the oilseed rape canopy showed a faster decline of LAI and of the chlorophyll content in NF+ compared to NF. In the NF++ treatment, this effect was intensified with an additional decrease of Asat, gst, Fv/Fm, Fv/Fm and PI.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)28-36
    JournalEnvironmental and Experimental Botany
    Volume82
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Oct 2012

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