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Project Overview:
Current levels of the air pollutant ozone
lower yields of
susceptible crops and impair forest health in many regions of the
United States and elsewhere worldwide (Krupa
et al. 2001).
There continues to be a
need for research and assessment of ozone effects on crops and
forests to determine severities of impact, estimate economic costs,
project future effects, and possibly improve plant tolerance to ozone
damage.
The NE-1013 project
facilitates collaboration and communication among scientists in the
United States and other countries worldwide who are actively involved in research
on plant responses to ozone.
Ambient ozone injury
on pumpkin,
Long Island, NY, summer 2007
The project (under various
designations) has been active within USDA-CSREES for 30+ years.
Scientists involved with the project have authored more than 500
scientific publications, provided the scientific underpinnings for
many federal and state ozone air quality standards, and communicated
with the public in various ways concerning plant responses to ozone.
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 In addition, the project seeks to expand its outreach
by encouraging participation of other interested scientists,
informing state extension services of our activities, and educating the public
about the effects of ambient ozone on plants.
Project Objectives:
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Describe the spatial - temporal
characteristics of the adverse effects of current ambient ozone levels
on crop productivity, including the development of numerical models to
establish cause – effect relationships that apportion the ozone
contribution.
-
Assess the effects of ozone on
structure, function and inter-species competition in managed and native
plant populations, including alterations in their nutrient quality.
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Examine the joint effects of ozone
with other growth regulating factors (e.g., carbon dioxide, temperature)
that are expected to vary with ongoing climate change on crop growth and
productivity.
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Examine the physiological and
molecular basis of ozone toxicity and tolerance in plants.
Multistate Snap Bean
Project:
Snap bean varieties with
differing sensitivity to ozone are being using at NE-1030
project locations nationwide to study plant responses to ambient ozone
pollution.
Results of the study are
being used for ozone toxicity research, numerical modeling of plant
responses to ambient ozone, and development of educational materials
for demonstrating effects of ambient ozone on plants.
Contact Information
Fitzgerald Booker
USDA-ARS Plant Science
Research Unit
North Carolina State
University
3127 Ligon Street
Raleigh, NC 27607
Tel: 919-515-9495
email:
fitz.booker@ars.usda.gov
URL: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/usda-ne-1013
Krupa, S., M. T. McGrath, C. Anderson, F.L. Booker, K.O.
Burkey, A. H Chappelka, B.I. Chevone, E. J. Pell and B.A. Zilinskas. 2001.
Ambient ozone and plant health. Plant Disease 85:4-12. |
