NE-1013 Snap bean Project

Snap Bean Project

We are conducting a multi-state (MA, MN, NC, NJ, NY, PA) project that utilizes ozone sensitive and tolerant snap bean cultivars grown under field conditions to assess the effects of ambient ozone on crop growth and yield.
This study employs common experimental protocols and crop management practices among sites.
Results are being analyzed using a multi-point growth model combined with a multi-variant, non-parametric model of yield, initially developed for alfalfa (Krupa and Nosal 1989).

Identified crop responses to the interactive effects of ozone with other environmental factors will be used to predict production changes over time, including changes relevant to global climate change.
Over the course of the project, new statistical methodologies and derived information will help define relationships between ambient ozone exposures and plant responses that explain the spatial and temporal variability in such relationships.
Data derived from the project contribute directly to the scientific basis for developing National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone to protect vegetation.
The project contributes to improved understanding of regional scale issues in resource management.
Characterization of plant responses to oxidative stress aids in developing stress-tolerant plants through breeding and other approaches.
The project provides the foundation for educational materials that demonstrate the impacts of ambient ozone on plants, the genetic potential for improving crop stress tolerance, and implications for human health.