Annual/Termination Reports:

[07/21/2004] [08/25/2005] [11/08/2006] [03/31/2008] [07/25/2007]

Report Information

Participants

Booker, Fitzgerald - USDA-ARS, Raleigh; Burkey, Kent - USDA-ARS, Raleigh; Bytnerowica - USFS, Riverside; Chevone, Boris - VPI; Davison, Alan - Newcastle University; Decoteau, Dennis - Pennsylvania State University; Esperanza, Annie - US National Park Service; Grantz, David - University of California Riverside; Grulke, Nancy - US Forest Service Riverside; Krupa, Sagar - University of Minnesota; Lewis, Tim - US EPA; Manning, William - University of Massachusetts; McGrath, Meg - Cornell University; Momen, Bahram - University of Maryland; Neufeld, Howard - Appalachian State University; Sandermann, Heinrich - Institut fuer Biochemische Pflanzenpathologie; Shrestha, Anil - Kearney Agricultural Center; Seem, Robert - Cornell University; Zaleski, Rosemary - Exxon Mobil Biomedical Science; Zilinskas, Barbara, Rutgers University;

Brief Summary of Minutes

The NE-1013 Annual Technical Committee Meeting was called to order at 8:15 AM PST on May 20, 2004 by presiding chair F. Booker (USDA, NC). Welcoming comments were made by F. Booker and D. Grantz (Kearny Research Center, UC, CA), the local host, followed by introductions of the attending members. R. Seem, AES administrative advisor, remarked that the new project had been approved and is now formally operational. He stated that multi-state projects require impact statements as part of the annual reports for USDA purposes and that a change in the AES administrative advisor position may be forthcoming. Ray Knighton has been designated as the new CSREES advisor to the project in Washington, DC, but could not attend the meeting due to prior commitments. Formula funding from Washington should stay level, but NRI funding will be low. The NE 176 termination report will require impact benefits to society. S. Krupa (MN) remarked that target audiences for the project are detailed in the recent Plant Disease article authored by several project members.


Mr. Evan Shipp, meteorologist with the San Joaquin Valley, APCD, presented a talk on air quality in the valley. Violations of the 1 hr and 8 hr ozone national air quality standard are common, with 160 ppb ozone typical for 1 hr high concentrations and 155 ppb for 8 hr concentrations. In the summer, the 8 hr standard is violated almost every day downwind from the Fresno/Bakersfield metro centers. Contributing to the high ozone concentrations are NOx, reactive organic compounds, high solar radiation, weak winds/strong inversions and recirculation of air masses.


Following Mr. Shipps presentation, station reports commenced.


At the conclusion of the station reports, the cooperative bean project was discussed. Stations involved in the project include NC, MD, NY, MA and MN. S. Krupa (MN) indicated that environmental and air quality data are necessary for modeling efforts. He would provide the other stations with a list of minimum data required. Another potential cooperative project was proposed concerning the role of ascorbate in O3 tolerance. This project is in the developmental stages at present.


Dennis Decoteau (PA), replacing J. Skelly, and Lew Ziska (USDA, MD), replacing M. Robinson, were formally accepted as members. Steve Long (IL) was unanimously approved to join the project and a letter of invitation would be extended to him by F. Booker (USDA, NC). D. Decoteau was elected as vice-chair and B. Chevone (VA) agreed to remain as secretary for the next two years. Asheville, NC was approved as the site for the 2005 meeting and H. Neufeld (NC) and A. Chappelka (AL) would serve as local hosts. F. Booker (USDA, NC) passed the gavel to H. Neufeld (NC) as the incoming chair and H. Neufeld (NC) adjourned the meeting at noon on May 21, 2004. A field tour of the Kearny Research Station followed the formal meeting, with dinner at the Grantzs home. On May 22, a tour of ozone-impacted areas in the Sequoia National Park was led by Annie Esperanza (NPS) and Nancy Grulke (USDA/FS).


Respectfully submitted by,


Boris Chevone
Secretary, NE-1013

Accomplishments

S. Krupa (MN) discussed an approach to modeling ozone exposure-crop response relationships under field conditions, using as an example, alfalfa response to ambient air quality in Alberta, Canada at three study sites over a five-year cycle. A total of 67 harvests (two harvests each year) were used to model alfalfa growth rates and biomass yield in relation to O3, SO2, NOx and various meteorological variables. Growth rates and biomass differed between the harvests, sites and years and were categorized into low or high groups. A multivariate statistical model demonstrated that air quality contributed to 50% of the yield effects and that O3 was the most important air pollutant reducing biomass.<br /> <br /> <br /> W. Manning (MA) presented results on apple seedling, snapbean and bioindicator plant responses to O3 in both open-top chamber (OTC) and ambient air studies. OTCs affected apple seedling growth irrespective of pollutant concentration and, therefore, chambers may be unsuitable for examining O3 effects on some tree species. Snapbean selections R331 (O3 tolerant) and S156 (O3 sensitive) were exposed to ambient O3 for only one harvest period during 2003. Fresh weight of bean pods was reduced by 65% in the sensitive line. Several O3 bioindicator plants were identified including Lyonia ligustrina (purple-reddish coloration on the upper leaf surface), Pinus cembra, a native pine of eastern Europe (chlorotic mottle), N. tabacum Orinoco (small, whitish lesions on upper leaf surface) and garden okra of unknown variety (purple stippling).<br /> <br /> <br /> H. Neufeld (NC, Appalachian State Univ.) discussed research results from both NC and AL (A. Chappelka) on coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) response to ambient O3 in the Smoky Mountains National Park. In severely injured leaves, cell wall lignin increased significantly which lowered digestibility by 33% and demonstrated that O3 can affect nutritive quality of plant material. RFLP analysis of coneflowers selected from different sites in the Smoky Mountains Park indicated that at least twenty-three different populations exist in the area. Ozone sensitivities of the different genotypes are not known presently. Physiological studies showed that net photosynthesis in coneflower decreased with increasing foliar O3 injury and with leaf age. In chamber studies, no growth effect from O3 was observed, however, CO2 uptake was reduced in fumigated plants.<br /> <br /> <br /> A. Davison (Univ. of Newcastle, UK) presented results on the use of genetic selection of Brassica rapa in O3 research. B. rapa lines were selected over three generations for differences in acute injury (150 ppb O3), growth in 70 ppb O3 and total leaf ascorbate. Selection of each character resulted in significant differences for that specific character as well as some of the others. Plants sensitive to a high O3 concentration showed foliar injury, reduced growth and lower ascorbate (20%). However, selection for high and low ascorbate resulted in ascorbate differences of 250% between lines, but no effect on visible symptom expression. The experiments demonstrated that B. rapa can be utilized for investigating O3 effects and raises questions concerning the cellular compartmentation and role of ascorbate in influencing the oxidative stress response in plants.<br /> <br /> <br /> B. Momen (MD) discussed the effects of 100 ppb O3 on leaf and stem metabolic heat rate (q) and total dry biomass in tolerant (R331) and sensitive (S156) snapbean cultivars. Cultivar by O3 effect was not significant for stem q, leaf q, and total leaf biomass. However, O3 caused an increase in leaf q in both cultivars indicating decreased metabolic efficiency and/or increased demand for repair and cell maintenance since growth rate was unaffected.<br /> <br /> <br /> A. Bytnerowicz (USDA/FS, CA) presented results from a Sierra Nevada O3 study using passive samplers and visual evaluation of injury to Ponderosa pine at the sampling sites. Ambient O3 concentrations were highly variable on a spatial basis, but less so on a temporal basis. The SW and W portions of the northern Sierras experienced long-term elevated O3 exposures. Ponderosa pines in the Lake Tahoe Basin were slightly injured with 23% of the trees showing foliar O3 symptoms. The Desolation Wilderness creates a barrier that prevents polluted air masses from the California Central Valley and the Bay Area from entering the Lake Tahoe Basin. However, in the southern Sierras, polluted air from the Central Valley crosses the mountains along the Sa Joaquin River drainage causing elevated O3 concentrations in the Mammoth Lakes and Mono Lake areas.<br /> <br /> <br /> K. Burkey (USDA, NC) discussed results from studies with snapbean and apoplastic ascorbate in relation to O3 sensitivity. Tolerant snapbean cultivar (R331) is susceptible to sun scald injury and does show some O3 damage, however, much less than the sensitive cultivar S156. Pod yields in S156, exposed to ambient O3 concentrations, were 70% less than in R331. Apoplastic ascorbate does not seem to relate to O3 sensitivity and other antioxidants, such as ferulic acid, that may be present in the cell wall. In milkweed, cone flower and crownbeard, only apoplastic ascorbate in cone flower correlated with O3 sensitivity. Crownbeard had virtually no cell wall ascorbate. In coneflower, there are numerous antioxidant compounds present in the apoplastic compartment and the concentrations increase in proportion to leaf injury.<br /> <br /> <br /> R. Zaleski (NJ) reported results from a CO2, O3 and drought study using two winter wheat cultivars, Gore (O3 sensitive) and Susquehanna (O3 tolerant) in open-top chambers. Antioxidant enzyme activity was higher in Gore than Susquehanna under control conditions, however, total antioxidants were higher in Susquehanna. Gore was not responsive to O3, whereas ascorbate peroxidase activity and ascorbate increased in Susquehanna. Drought decreased stomatal conductance, but increased glutathione content in both cultivars. The cultivars showed a differential response to the oxidative stresses, with Susquehanna increasing antioxidant activity, but Gore remaining unchanged.<br /> <br /> <br /> B. Chevone (VA) discussed ascorbate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis vtc mutants which are O3 sensitive and have low total ascorbate content compared with wild type plants. Addition of the GLOase gene from rat, which encodes the last enzyme in the animal pathway, into the vtc mutants resulted in rescued ascorbate levels, indicating that more than one biosynthetic pathway exist in plants. Cloning of a myo-inositol oxygenase (MIOX) gene from Arabidopsis and constitutive expression in transgenic plants increased ascorbate content two to fourfold, again demonstrating the existence of more than one route for ascorbate synthesis. An RNAi knockout of all four MIOX genes in Arabidopsis, resulted in arrested growth at the cotyledon stage in transformants, indicating the importance of MIOX to cell wall biosynthesis and ascorbate production. Since some low ascorbate mutants are not O3 sensitive, other biochemical factors must contribute to O3 tolerance.<br /> <br /> <br /> F. Booker (UDSA, NC) reported on the differential responses of G-protein Arabidopsis mutants to O3 exposures. Mutants lacking the alpha subunit of the heterotrimeric G-protein did not display leaf epinasty after O3 treatment. These results are consistent with a role for G-proteins as a signaling link relaying information into the cell from the extracellular site of O3 perception and are critically involved in the expression of O3 effects in plants. Further studies are required to determine if G-proteins have a direct role in O3 signal transduction.<br /> <br /> <br /> H. Sandermann (GSF, Munich) presented conceptual aspects of the O3 dose- response chain-of-events in plants. The internal dose is what is critical and is controlled by the stomata. Ozone can produce an oxidative burst through the NADPH oxidase and generate second messengers such as hydrogen peroxide. Also other genes can be induced, such as stilbene synthase, and compounds produced, such as lipid peroxides, ethylene, and nitrous oxide, that activate defense genes. Therefore, O3 is not generally present at the active site. Ozone induces a metabolic disturbance that generates active oxygen species which, in turn, activate defense systems that result in resistance toward viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens.<br /> <br /> <br /> M. McGrath (NY) summarized results of research conducted since 1998 to assess the impact of ambient O3 on plants growing on Long Island, NY, using sensitive and tolerant snap bean lines. Average reduction in yield of the sensitive line, S156, compared to the tolerant line, R331, was 36% ((31-47%) for weight of pods harvested for fresh-market consumption, 37% (24-59%) for number of pods harvested at maturity, 49% (39-66%) for number of mature seeds, and 27% (21-30%) for mature seed weight. Although ambient ozone concentrations were lower in 2003 than during the previous 8 years, productivity of S156 was reduced comparatively to other years. Application of an insecticide and herbicide were examined to determine if the bean system for assessing ozone impact would be affected. Ozone effect on bean productivity was estimated to be greater for pesticide-treated than non-treated plants: 31% vs 23% reduction in fresh-market yield of S156 compared to R123, 42% vs 21% reduction in number of pods at maturity, and 52% vs 26% reduction in number of seeds at maturity.<br /> <br /> <br /> D. Grantz and A. Shrestha (CA) discussed O3 effects on weed/crop competition and carbohydrate export from photosynthetic tissue. In Pima cotton, O3 reduced growth of fine roots rather than mature roots and could alter water relations and nutrient uptake. Also, O3 affected carbon export from leaf tissue more than net photosynthesis. Ozone decreased the ratio of sucrose to raffinose/stachyose. Since sucrose is apoplastically transported into the phloem tissue, O3 appears to be affecting membrane transport in some manner. In competition studies, O3 affected aboveground growth of cotton more than nightshade, allowing increased nightshade biomass. In tomato/yellow nutsedge competition studies, O3 caused a decrease in tomato height and increased leaf turnover, but decreased root and shoot biomass in both species. Tomato and nutsedge appear to be equally sensitive to O3. In cotton/yellow nutsedge studies, nutsedge outcompeted cotton because cotton in more O3 sensitive.

Publications

Booker, FL. 2004. Influence of ozone on ribonuclease activity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves. Physiologia Plantarum 120:249-255.<br /> <br /> <br /> Booker, FL, KO Burkey, K Overmyer, AM Jones. 2004. Differential responses of G-protein Arabidopsis thaliana mutants to ozone. New Phytologist 162:633-641<br /> <br /> <br /> Booker, FL, EL Fiscus, JE Miller. 2004. Combined effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and ozone on soybean whole-plant water use. Environmental Management 33:S355-S362.<br /> <br /> <br /> Bytnerowicz, A, B Godzik, K Grodzinska, W Frczek, R Musselman, W Manning, O Badea, F Popescu, P Fleischer. 2004. Ambient ozone in forests of the Central and Eastern European mountains. Environmental Pollution 130: 5-16. <br /> <br /> <br /> Estes, BL, SA Enebak, AH Chappelka. 2004. Loblolly pine seedling growth after inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and ozone exposure. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 34:1410-1416.<br /> <br /> <br /> Finkelstein, PL, AW Davison, HS Neufeld, TP Meyers, AH Chappelka. 2004. Sub-canopy deposition of ozone in a stand of cutleaf coneflower. Environmental Pollution 131:295-303.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, DA and MJ Sanz. 2004. Common co-occurrence of citriculture and ozone air pollution: Potential for yield reductions. Proceedings 10th International Society of Citriculture Congress. Paper No. 97.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, DA and AK Murray. 2004. Effect of ozone on phloem transport in cotton. Proceedings of the 2004 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, San Antonio, TX. January 2004. Pp. 2144-2149.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, DA and A Shrestha. 2004. Ozone affects competition between cotton and nutsedge. Proceedings of the 2004 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, San Antonio, TX. January 2004. Pp. 2877-2882.<br /> <br /> <br /> Gravano, E, F Bussotti, RJ Strasser, M Schaub, K Novak, JM Skelly, C Tani. 2004. Ozone symptoms in leaves of woody plants in open-top chambers: ultrastructural and physiological characteristics. Physiologia Plantarum 121:620-633.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grünhage, L, SV Krupa, AH Legge, HJ Jäger. 2004. Ambient flux-based critical values of ozone for protecting vegetation: differing spatial scales and uncertainties in risk assessment. Atmospheric Environment 38:2433-2437.<br /> <br /> <br /> Krupa, SV, R Muntifering, AH Chappelka. 2004. Effects of ozone on plant nutritive quality characteristics for ruminant animals. The Botanica 54:1-12. <br /> <br /> <br /> Long SP, EA Ainsworth, A Rogers, DR Ort. 2004. Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide: plants FACE the future. Annual Review of Plant Biology 55:591-628.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lorence, A, BI Chevone, P Mendes, CL Nessler. 2004. Myo-inositol oxygenase offers a possible entry point into plant ascorbate biosynthesis. Plant Physiology 134:1200-1205.<br /> <br /> <br /> Manning, WJ, CJ Bergweiler. 2004. Assessing plant response to ambient ozone: growth of young apple trees in open-top chambers and corresponding ambient air plots. Environmental Pollution 132:503-508.<br /> <br /> <br /> Manning, WJ, B Godzik. 2004. Bioindicator plants for ambient ozone in Central and Eastern Europe. Environmental Pollution 130:33-39.<br /> <br /> <br /> Morgan PB, CJ Bernacchi, DR Ort, SP Long. 2004. An in vivo analysis of the effect of season-long open-air elevation of ozone to anticipated 2050 levels on photosynthesis in soybean. Plant Physiology 135:2348-2357.<br /> <br /> <br /> Murray, AK and DA Grantz. 2004. Carbohydrate composition of cotton aphid honeydew. Proceedings of the 2004 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, San Antonio, TX. January 2004. Pp. 1590-1593.<br /> <br /> <br /> Niyogi, D, H-I Chang, VK Saxena, T Holt, K Alapaty, FL Booker, F Chen, KJ Davis, B Holben, T Matsui, T Meyers, WC Oechel, RA Pielke, Sr, R Wells, K Wilson, Y Xue. 2004. Direct observations of the effects of aerosol loading on net ecosystem CO2 exchanges over different landscapes. Geophysical Research Letters 31: L20506, doi: 10.1029/2004GL020915.<br /> <br /> <br /> Robinson, JM, J Lydon, CA Murphy, R Rowland, R Smith. 2004. Effect of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tagetis infection on sunflower leaf photosynthesis and ascorbic acid relations. International Journal of Plant Science. 165:263-271. <br /> <br /> <br /> Robinson, JM, RC Sicher Jr. 2004. Antioxidant levels decline in primary leaves of barley during growth at ambient and elevated carbon dioxide levels. International Journal Of Plant Science. 165:965-972.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sandermann, H. (ed). 2004. Molecular Ecotoxicology of Plants. Berlin: Springer. 241 pp.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sanz, J, RB Muntifering, BS Gimeno, V Bermejo. 2004. Nutritive quality and growth of Trifolium subterrraneum are modulated by ambient ozone concentrations and nitrogen fertilization. In: Garcia Criado, B, Garcia Cuidad, B, Vasquez de Aldana, A, Zabagogeazcoa, I. (eds.). Proceedings Spanish Society for Pasture Studies, Salamanca, Spain. 10-14 May. Pp. 197-201. <br /> <br /> <br /> Schaub, M, JM Skelly, KC Steiner, DD Davis, SP Pennypacker, J.Zhang, JA Ferdinand, JE Savage, RE Stevenson. 2004. Physiological and foliar responses of Prunum serotina, Fraxinus americana and Acer rubrum seedlings to varying soil moisture and ozone. Environmental Pollution 124:307-320.<br /> <br /> <br /> Skelly JM, DD Davis, DR Decoteau. 2004. Development of an air quality learning and demonstration center at the arboretum at Penn State. HortScience 39:810.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wei, C, JM Skelly, SP Pennypacker, JA Ferdinand, JE Savage, RE Stevenson, DD Davis. 2004. Responses of hybrid poplar clones and red maple seedlings to ambient ozone under differing light within a mixed hardwood forest. Environmental Pollution 130:199-214.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wei, C, JM Skelly, SP Pennypacker, JA Ferdinand, JE Savage, RE Stevenson, DD Davis. 2004. Influence of light fleck and low light on foliar injury and physiological responses of two hybrid poplar clones to ozone. Environmental Pollution 130:215-227.

Impact Statements

1. A multivariate statistical model demonstrated that air quality contributed to 50% of the alfalfa yield losses in polluted regions and that ozone was the most important air pollutant reducing biomass.
2. Ambient ozone can alter crop-weed relationships in the field. Yellow nutsedge outcompeted cotton in field trials because cotton was more sensitive to ozone than yellow nutsedge.

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Report Information

Participants

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

Long and short term monitoring: The establishment of long term monitoring programs combining analytical measurements with in field plant indicator species allows for evaluating plant health from ozone and other atmospheric contaminants. It allows for risk assessors and managers to have a gauge as to whether restrictions on atmospheric inputs are resulting in less leaf toxicity in sensitive species. Recommendations for the planting of certain less sensitive species would be encouraged in order to reduce leaf damage until ozone levels are sufficiently reduced. <br /> <br /> <br /> Educational opportunities: Developing hands on activities designed for younger students to obtain an understanding of atmospheric impacts on sensitive plant species. In the case of Penn State a 3 credit summer course in this area is taught to teachers for maintaining accreditation for teacher certification.<br /> <br /> <br /> Research: The results from studies conducted at the various participating organizations allows for an exchange of information and a broad discussion on the mechanism by which ozone and other atmospheric contaminants damage plant species. The results in a variety of species demonstrate the variability in sensitivity of the different plant species. Specific information that was discussed at the meeting included: 1) base information on impacts on nutrient quality of grasses with Trifolian species experiencing increased sensitivity 2) species sensitivity may be related to stomatal density and aperture allowing varying amounts of ozone entering the plant leaf 3) long term exposure of approximately a week between 50-60 ppm ozone causes significant damage 4) CO2 can ameliorate ozone toxicity at certain concentrations 5) ascorbate may be another factor that can modulate toxicity and 6) Arabidopsis and several mutants have provided insight into genes and pathways involved in species sensitivity. <br />

Publications

Impact Statements

1. Long term monitoring programs to evaluate plant health
2. Educational opportunities for students to learn about the effects of the atmosphere on plants
3. Research on the mechanisms by which ozone and other atmospheric contaminants damage plants

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Report Information

Participants

Ainsworth, Lisa  University of Illinois; Bernacchi, Carl  Illinois State Water Survey; Burkey, Kent  USDA ARS; Chappelka, Arthur  Auburn University; Chevone, Boris  Virginia Polytechnic Institute; Decoteau, Dennis  Pennsylvania State University; Knighton, Raymond  USDA CSREES; Krupa, Sagar  University of Minnesota; Leakey, Andrew  University of Illinois; Long, Steve  University of Illinois; Manning, William  University of Massachusetts; Morgan, Patrick  USDA ARS; Sandermann, Heinrich  Frieburg, Germany; Wittig, Victoria  University of Illinois; Zilinskas, Barbara  Rutgers University;

Brief Summary of Minutes

The NE-1013 Annual Technical Committee Meeting was called to order at 8:15 AM on June 19, 2006 by S. Long (IL) as presiding chair-elect D. Decoteau (PA) was delayed by inclement weather. R. Knighton, the National Program Leader for Air Quality and the NE-1013 CSREES/USDA advisor, remarked that a major concern in Washington was the contribution of agriculture to air quality. He further commented that the emission of ammonia, particulates and animal-produced reactive VOCs in relation to ozone production was an important consideration. Several committee members then noted that the research focus of NE-1013 has been the effects of air quality (ozone) on crop production and the health of native vegetation. Most members expressed concern about continuing in the program if research emphasis shifted to a monitoring/modeling effort from an effects/mitigation effort.

Station reports then began. A. Chappelka (AL) discussed the successful use of ethylenediurea (EDU), an ozone protectorant, to assess effects of ozone on two coneflower species. B. Manning (MA) presented results of EDU effects on seedling and sapling European Ash, which are ozone sensitive. L. Ainsworth (USDA/ARS, Univ. IL) discussed ozone effects on photosynthesis, seed fill and leaf development in Spencer soybean in the SoyFACE experiment. K. Burkey (USDA/ARS NCSU, NC) presented information on ozone tolerance in ancestral soybean germplasm. S. Krupa (MN) discussed progress on the collaborative project of ambient ozone effects on snapbean yield. P. Morgan (USDA/ARS, NCSU) presented results of studies on ozone signaling in Arabidopsis using several mutants defective in signaling pathways. H. Sandermann (Freiburg, Ger.) discussed the toxic agent responsible for ozone foliar injury which is not ozone itself. B. Chevone (VA) presented results of altering leaf ascorbate content on ozone sensitivity in Arabidopsis mutants. C. Bernacchi (IL State Water Survey) discussed leaf-level processes involved in canopy scaling in soybean/corn ecosystems exposed to ozone. D. Decoteau (PA) presented information on the Air Quality Demonstration Center at Penn. State University. This is a major outreach program of NE-1013. V. Wittig (IL) presented a meta-analytical review of the effects of tropospheric ozone on trees. B. Zilinskas (NJ) discussed changes in yield, antioxidant levels and stomatal conductance in wheat under ozone and high CO2 and moisture stress. A. Leakey (IL) presented results on differences in gene expression in soybean exposed to ambient ozone vs 1.25X ambient.

After the station reports, discussion ensued concerning the collaborative effort of the snapbean project. One purpose of the project was to determine the contribution of ambient ozone levels to yield loss of the sensitive cultivar compared to the tolerant one. This information was deemed important to US EPA to consider when setting the ozone standard. The question was raised if the project would really affect the standard setting process since snapbeans are a small component of U.S. agriculture. Additionally, since the resistant and sensitive cultivars do not mature at the same time, the question arose as to the appropriate sampling time. This decision was left to the participating collaborators on the project.

A discussion then began on the renewal of NE-1013. Several areas were mentioned for inclusion in the renewal and the topics/coordinators were natural vegetation/A. Chappelka; water quality/air quality/B. Momen (MD); mechanisms and adaptation/S. Long and K. Burkey; education and outreach/D. Decoteau; and biomonitoring/W. Manning. S. Long was denoted coordinator of the renewal with a draft made available by October 1, 2006. R. Knighton suggested in the future that station reports, either oral or written, should be directed toward specific objectives of the existing proposal.

Potential new members included N. Grulke (USFS, CA), D. Karnosky (Michigan Tech, MI) and John King (NCSU, NC). The meeting site for next year was selected as Rhinelander, WI. D. Decoteau adjourned the meeting at 12N on June 20, 2006.

Accomplishments

Objective 1. Describe the spatial - temporal variability of the adverse effects of O3 on crops and forests.<br /> <p><br /> 1. Studies investigating the effects of ambient ozone on native forest and wildflower communities growing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) were completed in 2005. Analysis of tree ring data from black cherry indicated that radial growth did not vary among ozone sensitivity groups during any time period analyzed. Yellow-poplar radial growth varied by sensitivity group during the period 1990-1994, but not from 1997-2001. No distinct differences in growth of these trees were detected over time relative to ozone. (AL).<br /> <p><br /> 2. Research was conducted on a variety of projects involving the responses of native plants to ozone. This included a study of the impacts of chronic and acute ozone exposures on seedlings of tulip poplar trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) in Boone, NC, and the impacts of ozone on cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata), in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our goal is to determine how varying ozone exposures elicit foliar and biochemical responses in tulip poplar.<br /> <p><br /> 3. Ambient ozone induced foliar symptoms on Chambourcin grape vines that had been planted within open plots and non-filtered-air-open-top chambers while vines in filtered air chambers remained asymptomatic. Symptoms included adaxial stipple and yellowing and defoliation of the older leaves. The Vidal variety of grape, which is considered tolerant to ozone injury, exhibited no foliar injury in any of the treatments. Berry harvests were made in early October and fruit quality evaluations suggest that ambient ozone may decrease grape fruit size and juice total acidity, while increasing juice pH and Brix content. Tropospheric ozone air pollution continues to pose serious problems for the growth and productivity of agricultural crops across much of the eastern United States. The finding of ozone-injury within the open-top chambers or open plots during a summer season with the lowest ozone that has been recorded in recent years, provides further evidence that ozone is the cause of significant losses when higher during previous years. (PA) <br /> <p><br /> 4. Ambient concentration of ozone, the most important air pollutant, on Long Island throughout the summer growing season in 2005 was sufficiently high to cause acute injury that was followed by premature defoliation and to greatly reduce yield of sensitive snap bean plants in one of the most important agricultural counties in New York. Based on a comparison of yield from ozone-tolerant and ozone-sensitive snap bean lines, which were developed to quantify impact of ambient ozone, total weight of bean pods harvested for fresh-market consumption was 17%, 49% and 56% lower for the ozone-sensitive line in three plantings during the summer. Dry weight of mature pods was 43%, 44%, and 64% lower. Yield reduction can be expected to also occur in crops grown in this area, including some that do not develop acute injury. (NY)<br /> <p><br /> Objective 2. Assess the effects of O3 on structure, function and diversity of plant communities.<br /> <p><br /> 1. The ozone-protectorant chemical, ethylenediurea (EDU), was effective in determining ozone sensitivity of native plant species based on dose-response experiments using open-top chambers. Cutleaf coneflower appears to be more sensitive to ozone than purple coneflower and injury was diminished by EDU applications. Results from this research suggests that chronic ozone exposures can lead to alterations in inter-species competition, species fitness or reproduction and consequently changes in species biodiversity. (AL).<br /> <p><br /> 2. To determine the nutritive quality of injured versus uninjured cutleaf coneflower leaves, leaves were collected at three locations in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Preliminary analyses indicate that injured leaves contain less nitrogen and less food value for ruminant herbivores. In addition, it appears that a strong relationship is evident between the production of total phenolics and lignin for the injured leaves, but not as strong for uninjured ones. The implication of these results on animal nutrition is currently being explored in more detail. (AL)<br /> <p><br /> Objective 3. Examine the joint effects of O3 with other growth regulating factors on crop and tree growth and productivity.<br /> <p><br /> 1. The first year of a soybean-wheat rotation no-till experiment and the third year of a soybean-corn rotation open-air exposure experiment were completed to assess long-term effects of elevated ozone and carbon dioxide on biomass production and yield. In soybean, elevated carbon dioxide increased biomass and seed yield, elevated ozone decreased biomass and yield, and the deleterious effects of ozone were partially ameliorated by carbon dioxide when the two gas treatments were combined. (USDA, NC, IL)<br /> <p><br /> 2. Two winter-wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars, Gore and Susquehanna, were treated with elevated carbon dioxide and ozone individually and in combination. Elevated carbon dioxide resulted in stomatal closure and, under low ozone, induced antioxidant changes that could enhance defensive capacity for oxidative stress. Yield under the combination of elevated ozone and carbon dioxide tended to be greater than for elevated ozone alone. The results suggest that plant response to ozone depends upon a number of factors working together. The availability of high pools of antioxidants may further contribute to enhanced oxidative defense capabilities. (NJ)<br /> <p><br /> 3. During early August 2004, red and white clover foliage was collected from the elevated carbon dioxide and ozone treatment rings at the aspen FACE site in Rhinelander, WI. Foliage was analyzed for dry matter, N, soluble phenolics, in vitro digestibility and cell-wall constituents, which are utilized to predict a relative food value. Ozone appears to alter the nutritive quality of these species irrespective of carbon dioxide; i.e., the response is similar regardless of plants growing in an ambient or elevated carbon dioxide environment. Elevated carbon dioxide does not ameliorate the ozone effect on nutritive quality, and elevated carbon dioxide does not appear to affect nutritive value of these species. Ozone appears to induce an increase in lignification, which lowers its food value. (AL).<br /> <p><br /> Objective 4. Examine the molecular and physiological basis of O3 toxicity and tolerance in plants.<br /> <p><br /> 1. Arabidopsis thaliana mutants with key deletions in the G-protein pathway were not different from wild-type controls when using peroxidase enzyme activity to assess plant response to ozone concentrations as high as 125 ppb. The implication is that the G-protein pathway may not be a good molecular target for improving crop response to ozone stress. (USDA, NC).<br /> <p><br /> 2. An ozone screen for activation-tagged Arabidopsis mutants identified an ozone-sensitive genotype with 40 to 50% of the total leaf ascorbate typically present in wild-type plants. Subsequent analysis showed that a putative F-Box gene, VCF1, negatively regulates gene expression in the mannose-galactose pathway of ascorbate biosynthesis and increases ozone sensitivity. These results indicate that ascorbate has a critical role in plant sensitivity to ozone and suggests a potential target for genetically engineering increased plant tolerance to ozone. (VPI, VA). <br /> <p><br /> 3. Thirty soybean ancestors representing a majority of genes in modern U.S. cultivars were screened for ozone sensitivity under greenhouse conditions using foliar injury as an assessment tool. Two ancestors (Fiskeby III and Fiskeby 840-7-3) exhibited minimal ozone injury following a 6-day exposure to 80 ppb ozone. If confirmed in yield tests, these ozone-tolerant ancestors represent sources of genes for development of new ozone tolerant cultivars so that productivity can be maintained under future climate scenarios where ambient ozone concentrations are expected to be much higher than today. (USDA, NC).<br /> <p><br /> Objective 5. Develop numerical models to establish relationships between ambient O3 exposures and plant responses.<br /> <p><br /> 5. Work currently in progress begins to address the issues of increasing population, urbanization, agricultural sustainability, air quality and global change by the development of hybrid or coupled empirical and mechanistic methodologies to relate the measured (5-years of data) dynamics of the atmosphere with corresponding changes in crop growth and productivity under ambient conditions, using alfalfa (Medicago sativa) as a model species. (MN).<br />

Publications

Ainsworth EA, SP Long. 2005. What have we learned from 15 years of free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE)? A meta-analytic review of the responses of photosynthesis, canopy properties and plant production to rising CO2. New Phytologist 165:351-372.<br /> <p><br /> Bernacchi CJ, PB Morgan, DR Ort, SP Long. 2005. The growth of soybean under free air [CO2] enrichment (FACE) stimulates photosynthesis while decreasing in vivo Rubisco capacity. Planta 220:434-446.<br /> <p><br /> Booker, FL, EL Fiscus. 2005. Role of ozone flux and antioxidants in the suppression of ozone injury by elevated carbon dioxide in soybean. Journal of Experimental Botany 56:2139-2151.<br /> <p><br /> Booker, FL, JE Miller, EL Fiscus, WA Pursley, LA Stefanski. 2005. Comparative responses of container- versus ground-grown soybean to elevated CO2 and O3. Crop Science 45:883-895.<br /> <p><br /> Booker, FL, SA Prior, HA Torbert, EL Fiscus, WA Pursley, S Hu. 2005. Decomposition of soybean grown under elevated concentrations of CO2 and O3. Global Change Biology 11:685-698.<br /> <p><br /> Burkey, KO, JE Miller, EL Fiscus. 2005. Assessment of ambient ozone effects on vegetation using snap bean as a bioindicator species. Journal of Environmental Quality 34:1081-1086.<br /> <p><br /> Elagoz, V. and Manning WJ. 2005. Responses of sensitive and tolerant bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to ozone in open-top chambers are influenced by phenotypic differences, morphological characteristics, and the chamber environment. Environmental Pollution 136:371-383.<br /> <p><br /> Fiscus, EL, FL Booker, KO Burkey. 2005. Crop responses to ozone: uptake, modes of action, carbon assimilation and partitioning. Plant, Cell and Environment 28:997-1011.<br /> <p><br /> Gielen, B, et al. (S Long). 2005. Net carbon storage in a poplar plantation (POPFACE) after three years of free-air CO2 enrichment. Tree Physiology 25:1399-1408.<br /> <p><br /> Grantz, DA. 2005. Ozone impacts on plants. In: P Dwivedi and RS Dwivedi (eds.). Physiology of Abiotic Stress in Plants. Oxford IBH Publishing Co., New Delhi. (in press).<br /> <p><br /> Grantz, DA and A Shrestha. 2005. Ozone reduces crop yields and alters competition with weeds such as yellow nutsedge. California Agriculture 59:137-143.<br /> <p><br /> Hu, S, J Wu, KO Burkey, MK Firestone. 2005. Plant and microbial N acquisition under elevated atmospheric CO2 in two mesocosm experiments with annual grasses. Global Change Biology 11:213-223.<br /> <p><br /> Hughes, NM, HS Neufeld, KO Burkey. 2005. Functional role of anthocyanins in high-light winter leaves of the evergreen herb Galax urceolata. New Phytologist 168:575-587.<br /> <p><br /> Krupa, S.V. (Ser. ed.). 2005. Cross-Border Resource Management by R. Guo. Developments in Environmental Science. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 300 p.<br /> <p><br /> Long SP, Ainsworth EA, Leakey ADB, Morgan PB. 2005. Global food insecurity. Treatment of major food crops with elevated carbon dioxide or ozone under large-scale fully open-air conditions suggests recent models may have overestimated future yields. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 360: 2011-2020.<br /> <p><br /> Morgan, PB, GA Bollero, RL Nelson, FG Dohleman, SP Long. 2005. Smaller than predicted increase in aboveground net primary production and yield of field-grown soybean under fully open-air [CO2] elevation. Global Change Biology 11:1856-1865.<br /> <p><br /> Sanz, J., R.B. Muntifering, V. Bermejo, B.S. Gimeno and S. Elvira. 2005. Ozone and increased nitrogen supply effects on the yield and nutritive quality of Trifolium subterraneum. Atmospheric Environment 39:5899-5907.<br /> <p><br /> Schaub, M, JM Skelly, JW Zhang, JA Ferdinand, JE Savage, RE Stevenson, DD Davis, KC Steiner. 2005. Physiological and foliar symptom response in the crowns of Prunus serotina, Fraxinus americana and Acer rubrum canopy trees to ambient ozone under forest conditions. Environmental Pollution 133:553-567.<br /> <p><br /> Shrestha, A and DA Grantz. 2005. Ozone impacts on competition between tomato and yellow nutsedge: Above- and below-ground effects. Crop Science 45:1587-1595.<br /> <p><br /> Wittig, VE, CJ Bernacchi, X-G Zhu, C. Calfapietra, R Ceulemans, P Deangelis, B Gielen, F Miglietta, PB Morgan, SP Long. 2005. Gross primary production is stimulated for three Populus species grown under free-air CO2 enrichment from planting through canopy closure. Global Change Biology 11:644-656.<br /> <p><br /> Zaleski, Rosemary (2005) Characterization of yield, antioxidant and stomatal response in wheat grown in open-top chambers under variations in atmospheric ozone, carbon dioxide and soil moisture. Ph.D. Thesis, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 254 pp.<br />

Impact Statements

1. Our work contributes to the understanding of ozone effects to individual plants as well as community and ecosystem responses. Our studies should add to the knowledge base about the impacts of ozone on crops, forests, native plants, and their herbivores. In addition, these results will provide information to decision makers so adequate protective standards can be developed.
2. Our research aids in the development of ozone-tolerant plants.
3. Using an analysis of the present and predicted changes in global population and agriculture, the present research addresses the needed development of methods to predict how air quality can affect crop production.
4. These results provide an understanding of ozone and elevated carbon dioxide effects on individual plants, plant-soil interactions, nutrient cycling and cropping systems so that informed decisions can be made regarding air quality and global change practices and policy.

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Report Information

Participants

Ainsworth, Lisa - USDA-ARS; Booker, Fitzgerald - USDA-ARS; Burkey, Kent - USDA-ARS; Bytnerowicz, Andrzej - US Forest Service; Carlson, John - Pennsylvania State University; Chappelka, Arthur - Auburn University; Chevone, Boris - Virginia Polytechnic Institute; Davison, Alan - Newcastle University; Decoteau, Dennis - Pennsylvania State University; Grantz, David - University of California at Riverside; Grulke, Nancy - US Forest Service; Karnosky, David - Michigan Technological University; King, John - North Carolina State University; Kohut, Robert - Cornell University; Krupa, Sagar - University of Minnesota; Lewis, Tim - US EPA; Long, Steve - University of Illinois; Manning, William - University of Massachusetts; Matyssek, Rainer - Technical University of Munich; McGrath, Margaret - Cornell University; Momen, Bahram - University of Maryland; Mulchi, Charles - University of Maryland; Muntifering, Russell - Auburn University; Neufeld, Howard - Appalachian State University; Percy, Kevin - Canadian Forest Service; Robinson, Michael - USDA-ARS; Sandermann, Heinrich - Ecotox; Skelly, John - Pennsylvania State University; Schaub, Marcus - Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL; Wiese, Cosima - College Misericordia; Zaleski, Rosemary - Exxon Mobil Biomedical Science; Zilinskas, Barbara - Rutgers University;

Brief Summary of Minutes

Annual meeting dates and locations: May 8-9, 2003 (Raleigh, NC); May 20-22, 2004 (Fresno, CA); May 19-20, 2005 (Asheville, NC); June 19-20, 2006 (Champaign, IL); May 21-22, 2007 (Rhinelander, WI).


CSREES Multistate Research Project
Project No. NE-1013
Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Ozone in the Northeastern US

NE-1013 ANNUAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEETING
Raleigh, North Carolina
8-9 May 2003
Minutes of the 2003 Annual Meeting


Meeting Attendees


Fitzgerald Booker, USDA-ARS, Raleigh, NC;
Kent Burkey, USDA-ARS, Raleigh, NC;
Art Chappelka, Auburn University, Auburn, AL;
Boris Chevone, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA;
Vahram Elagoz, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA;
Edwin Fiscus, USDA-ARS, Raleigh, North Carolina;
David Grantz, Kearney Agricultural Center and UC-Riverside, Parlier, CA;
Sagar Krupa, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN;
Tim Lewis, US EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC;
Bill Manning, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA;
Meg McGrath, Cornell University, Riverhead, NY;
Bahram Momen, University of Maryland, College Park, MD;
Charles Mulchi, University of Maryland, College Park, MD;
Russell Muntifering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL;
Howard Neufeld, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC;
Mike Robinson, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD;
Marcus Schaub, Swiss Federal Research Institute, Switzerland;
Bob Seem, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY;
John Skelly, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA;


The Technical Committee of NE-1013 was called to order by Chair F. Booker at 8:30 AM on May 8, 2003 in Raleigh, NC.


Dr. Seem, Project Administrator, discussed final completion of the NE 176 project. All members were requested to send a publication list from annual reports 1996 to 2002 to Dr. Seem who will use this information to compile the termination report.


Dr. Krupa raised concern about the lack of attendance of our CSREES representative from Washington at the past two meetings. Dr. Seem stated that this was not uncommon due to funding issues and interest of the CSREES representative. The possibility of recommending another individual from CSREES would be addressed by Dr. Seem. The comment was made that the current annual report should mention that about 50% of committee members in attendance were involved in writing or reviewing the new Ozone Criteria Document for EPA. This should be developed as an impact statement reflecting the outreach component of the Regional Project.


Station research reports were then presented by respective members for the remainder of May 8 and continued on May 9.


Dr. Burkey discussed the collaborative bean project utilizing tolerant and sensitive snapbeans. The experimental protocols for the bean project were presented to collaborating members and comments should be sent to Dr. Burkey prior to planting at the respective stations.


A discussion of the next meeting concerned issues of attendance of the European members. A suggestion was made to hold the Technical Committee Meeting in conjunction with the Air Pollution Workshop. No consensus was reached. The meeting site and date was to be decided by Dr. Grantz after corresponding with committee members. New European members to NE 1013 included M. Schwab, J. Jaeger. A. Davidson and H. Sandermann.


A motion was made and passed that two levels of membership to the committee be established: 1) full members and 2) corresponding members. Corresponding members would be those individuals interested in the research of the NE 1013 Regional Project, but are unable to attend meetings on a regular basis.


Motion before the NE-1013 Technical Committee
May 2003


Guidelines for NE-1013 membership and meeting attendance


In order to encourage attendance at NE-1013 Annual Meetings of the Technical Committee, and to provide opportunities for collaboration and project coordination, and to provide a mechanism for maintaining current membership rolls, the following motion is proposed.


Attendance by members (or a representative of that members laboratory) of one annual NE-1013 technical committee meeting within three consecutive years is encouraged. If attendance guidelines are not met, then the executive committee shall inquire into that members commitment to the project either directly or through the administrative director. If a member cannot attend regular meetings, but would like to remain affiliated with the group, a member may be classified as an adjunct member who would be kept apprised of the groups activities.


This proposal is not meant to exclude or restrict membership to NE-1013, nor does it terminate membership if attendance guidelines are not met. It is intended to foster participation in the group and to provide a mechanism that allows the Executive Committee to maintain a current membership roll.


Dr. Skelly requested that the committee write a letter to the PAES director stating the importance of maintaining an air pollution position at Penn State upon his retirement. The motion was made and passed that this be done and that Dr. Booker write the letter on behalf of the committee.

The meeting was adjourned at 12 N on May 9, 2003.


Respectfully submitted,
Boris Chevone
Secretary, NE 1013



CSREES Multistate Research Project
Project No. NE-1013
Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Ozone in the Northeastern US
NE-1013 ANNUAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEETING
Fresno, Parlier and Sequoia National Park, California
20-22 May 2004

Minutes of the 2004 Annual Meeting


Meeting Attendees


Fitzgerald Booker, USDA-ARS, Raleigh, NC;
Kent Burkey, USDA-ARS, Raleigh, NC;
Andrzej Bytnerowicz, USDA Forest Service, Riverside, CA;
Boris Chevone, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA;
Alan Davison, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.
Dennis Decoteau, Pennsylvania State University, PA;
Annie Esperanza, US National Park Service, Sequoia National Park, CA;
David Grantz, Kearney Agricultural Center and UC-Riverside, Parlier, CA;
Nancy Grulke USDA Forest Service, Riverside, CA;
Sagar Krupa, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN;
Tim Lewis, US EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC;
Bill Manning, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA;
Meg McGrath, Cornell University, Riverhead, NY;
Bahram Momen, University of Maryland, College Park, MD;
Howard Neufeld, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC;
Heinrich Sandermann, Institut fuer Biochemische Pflanzenpathologie, Neuherberg, Germany;
Anil Shrestha, Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier, CA;
Bob Seem, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY;
Rosemary Zaleski, Exxon Mobil Biomedical Science, Annandale, NJ;
Barbara Zilinskas, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ;


SECRETARY'S REPORT


The NE-1013 Annual Technical Committee Meeting was called to order at 8:15 AM PST on May 20, 2004 by presiding chair F. Booker (USDA, NC). Welcoming comments were made by F. Booker and D. Grantz (Kearny Research Center, UC, CA), the local host, followed by introductions of the attending members. R. Seem, AES administrative advisor, remarked that the new project had been approved and is now formally operational. Ray Knighton has been designated as the new CSREES advisor to the project in Washington, DC, but could not attend the meeting due to prior commitments.


Mr. Evan Shipp, meteorologist with the San Joaquin Valley, APCD, presented a talk on air quality in the valley. Violations of the 1 hr and 8 hr ozone national air quality standard are common, with 160 ppb ozone typical for 1 hr high concentrations and 155 ppb for 8 hr concentrations. In the summer, the 8 hr standard is violated almost every day downwind from the Fresno/Bakersfield metro centers. Contributing to the high ozone concentrations are NOx, reactive organic compounds, high solar radiation, weak winds/strong inversions and recirculation of air masses. Following Mr. Shipps presentation, station reports commenced.


At the conclusion of the station reports, the cooperative bean project was discussed. Stations involved in the project include NC, MD, NY, MA and MN. S. Krupa (MN) indicated that environmental and air quality data are necessary for modeling efforts. He would provide the other stations with a list of minimum data required. Another potential cooperative project was proposed concerning the role of ascorbate in ozone tolerance. This project is in the developmental stages at present.


Dennis Decoteau (PA), replacing J. Skelly, and Lew Ziska (USDA, MD), replacing M. Robinson, were formally accepted as members. Steve Long (IL) was unanimously approved to join the project and a letter of invitation would be extended to him by F. Booker (USDA, NC). D. Decoteau was elected as vice-chair and B. Chevone (VA) agreed to remain as secretary for the next two years. Asheville, NC was approved as the site for the 2005 meeting and H. Neufeld (NC) and A. Chappelka (AL) would serve as local hosts. F. Booker (USDA, NC) passed the gavel to H. Neufeld (NC) as the incoming chair and H. Neufeld (NC) adjourned the meeting at noon on May 21, 2004. A field tour of the Kearny Research Station followed the formal meeting, with dinner at the Grantzs home. On May 22, a tour of ozone-impacted areas in the Sequoia National Park was led by Annie Esperanza (NPS) and Nancy Grulke (USDA/FS).


Respectfully submitted by,
Boris Chevone
Secretary, NE-1013
July 21, 2004



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY
NE-1013 Annual Technical Committee Meeting
May 19-20, 2005
Asheville, NC

Minutes of the 2005 Annual Meeting


Attendees of the NE1013 Technical Committee Meeting, 2005


Boris Chevone, VPI;
Margaret Pippin, NASA Langely;
Irene Ladd, NASA Langely;
Jack Fishman, NASA Langely;
Kirk Overmyer, NC, UNC-CH;
Heinrich Sandermann, GSF, Germany;
Bill Manning, MA;
Kent Burkey, NC, USDA Raleigh;
Margaret McGrath, NY;
Don Davis, PA, PSU;
Dennis Decoteau, PA;
Fitz Booker, NC, USDA Raleigh;
Pat Morgan, NC, USDA Raleigh;
Stephanie Pilgrim, AL;
Callie Nunley, AL;
Steve Long , IL;
John Skelly, retired, PA;
John Lin, AL;
Russ Muntifering, AL;
Alan Davison, UK, Newcastle, U.K.;
David Grantz, CA;
Ray Knighton, CSREES/USDA;
Cosima Wiese, PA, College Misericordia;


The NE-1013 Annual Technical Committee Meeting was called to order at 8:15 AM EST on May 19, 2005 by presiding chair H. Neufeld (NC, Appalachian State Univ.). Welcoming comments were made by H. Neufeld, also the local host, followed by introductions of the attending members.


Bill Jackson, USDA-FS discussed ozone impacts in Class I wilderness areas in the southeastern U.S. High ozone concentrations occur in these areas but are dependent upon weather conditions. The concentrations are sufficient to cause foliar symptoms on milkweed and tulip poplar. Ten years of ozone data across the U.S. will soon be on the web from both high and low elevation sites. To date, the TREGRO model has shown that growth of red oak and red maple are not affected by current ambient ozone concentrations. The North Carolina Clean Smokestack Bill, reductions in emissions by TVA, the Clean Air Interstate Rule and Knoxvilles attainment of the ozone NAAQS should contribute to a reduction in ambient ozone concentrations in nearby Class I areas.


Ms. Irene Ladd of the GLOBE outreach project, NASA Langley, then presented aspects of the program. One objective is to develop a common level of knowledge by the public of air pollution problems in the U.S. This education is directed toward developing an interest in young people to become air pollution scientists. The program involves surface measurement of ozone using ozone sampling strips and planting ozone bio-indicator gardens.


Ms. Susan Sachs from the National Park Service discussed the ozone bio-monitoring gardens in the Great Smoky Mts. There is more SOx and NOx in the Smokies than in any other National Parks. Three species have been planted in the indicator gardens and include crownbeard (Verbesina occidentalis), cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) and tall milkweed (Asclepias exaltata). Symptoms of stippling, chlorosis and necrosis are recorded weekly at three elevations and are animated over time to show the progression of foliar injury during the summer.


Following Ms. Sachs presentation, station reports commenced.


At the conclusion of the station reports, F. Booker (USDA, NC) discussed the NE1013 web page. The page has links to members of the project and to other sites showing ozone effects to vegetation. The URL is: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/usda-ne-1013/.


Illinois was selected as the site of the next meeting and S. Long would be the local host.


The project renewal was then discussed and has to be submitted by September 2006. The committee to develop the renewal consisted of D. Decoteau, chair (PA), S.Krupa (MN), B. Chevone (VA), A. Chappelka (AL) and D. Grantz (CA). A draft of the renewal is to be completed by the May Technical Committee Meeting, 2006.


H. Neufeld formally closed the meeting at 12 noon, May 20, 2005.


Formally submitted by,
Boris Chevone
Secretary, NE-1013
July 28, 2005



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY
NE-1013 Annual Technical Committee Meeting
June 19-20, 2006
Champaign, IL


Minutes of the 2006 Annual Meeting


Meeting Attendees


Ainsworth, Lisa - University of Illinois;
Bernacchi, Carl - Illinois State Water Survey;
Burkey, Kent - USDA ARS;
Chappelka, Arthur - Auburn University;
Chevone, Boris - Virginia Polytechnic Institute;
Decoteau, Dennis - Pennsylvania State University;
Knighton, Raymond - USDA CSREES;
Krupa, Sagar - University of Minnesota;
Leakey, Andrew - University of Illinois;
Long, Steve - University of Illinois;
Manning, William - University of Massachusetts;
Morgan, Patrick - USDA ARS;
Sandermann, Heinrich - Frieburg, Germany;
Wittig, Victoria - University of Illinois;
Zilinskas, Barbara - Rutgers University;


The NE-1013 Annual Technical Committee Meeting was called to order at 8:15 AM EST on June 19, 2006 by S. Long (IL) as presiding chair-elect D. Decoteau (PA) was delayed by inclement weather. Committee chair Howard Neufeld was unable to attend the meeting due to weather. Welcoming comments were made by S. Long the local host who mentioned the continuous crop plots started in the 1870s at the University of Illinois and the current SoyFACE project where a 20% yield loss of soybean has been observed under ambient ozone concentrations. Introductions by the attending members then followed. S. Krupa (MN) briefly discussed the draft renewal of NE1013 project. R. Knighton, the National Program Leader for Air Quality and the NE-1013 CSREES/USDA advisor, remarked that a major program concern was the contribution of agriculture to air quality. He further commented that the emission of ammonia, particulates and animal-produced reactive VOCs in relation to ozone production was an important consideration. Ammonium in rainwater is increasing and the contribution from crop production is not known. Several committee members then raised a concern that the research focus of NE-1013 has been the effects of air quality (ozone) on crop production and the health of native vegetation. Most members expressed concern about continuing in the program if research emphasis shifted to a monitoring/modeling effort from an effects/mitigation effort.


Station reports were then presented. After the station reports, discussion ensued concerning the collaborative effort of the snapbean project. One purpose of the project was to determine the contribution of ambient ozone levels to yield loss of the sensitive cultivar compared to the tolerant one. This information was deemed important to US EPA to consider when setting the ozone standard. A discussion then began on the renewal of NE-1013. Several areas were mentioned for inclusion in the renewal and the topics/coordinators were natural vegetation/A. Chappelka; water quality/air quality/B. Momen (MD); mechanisms and adaptation/S. Long and K. Burkey; education and outreach/D. Decoteau; and biomonitoring/W. Manning. R. Knighton suggested in the future that station reports, either oral or written, should be directed toward specific objectives of the existing proposal.


Potential new members included N. Grulke (USFS, CA) and D. Karnosky (Michigan Tech, MI). The meeting site for next year was selected as Rhinelander, WI. D. Decoteau adjourned the meeting at 12N on June 20, 2006.


Respectfully submitted,
B. Chevone
Secretary NE1013
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA



CSREES Multi-State Research Project NE-1013
Mechanisms of Plant Response to Ozone in the Northeastern US
Holiday Inn Express, Rhinelander, WI
May 21-22, 2007


Minutes of the Meeting of the Technical Committee


Attendees:
Lisa Ainsworth, USDA-ARS, Urbana, IL;
Fitzgerald Booker, USDA-ARS, Raleigh, NC;
Kent Burkey, USDA-ARS, Raleigh, NC;
John Carlson, Pennsylvania State University;
Dennis Decoteau, Pennsylvania State University;
David Grantz, University of California, Riverside;
Nancy Grulke, US Forest Service, Riverside;
Dave Karnosky, Michigan Technological University;
John King, NC State University;
Raymond Knighton, USDA-CSREES, Beltsville, MD;
Mark Kubiske, US Forest Service, Rhinelander;
Rainer Matyssek, Technical University of Munich, Germany;
Margaret McGrath, Cornell University;
Russ Muntifering, Auburn University;
Neil Nelson, US Forest Service, Rhinelander;
Howard Neufeld, Appalachian State University;
Kevin Percy, Canadian Forest Service;
Heinrich Sandermann, Ecotox, Germany;
Cosima Wiese, College Misericordia;
Barbara Zilinskas, Rutgers University;

The meeting was called to order on May 21, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. by Fitz Booker, Chair of the Technical Committee, who introduced committee members and presented the history, objectives and collaborative projects of NE-1013. Ray Knighton informed the group that the renewal project NE-1030 had been approved for a new 5-year period through September 30, 2012, and presented a number of federal budgetary items and funding opportunities that are pertinent to research and outreach activities of the Technical Committee. The committee was invited to submit information to Ray about ozone effects on specialty crops that he could take into consideration when formulating the RFPs for the new USDA initiative on specialty crops.


Station reports were then presented.


The following items were addressed during the business meeting:

1. NE-1030 was officially approved on 5/14/07.

2. David Grantz, Chair-Elect, will take over the position of Chair after next years 2008 meeting and will preside over the 2009 and 2010 meetings. A new Chair-Elect will need to be approved in 2008.

3. The US Forest Service has created the Paul Miller Clean Air Award, a national award for Forest Service employees to honor his memory. US Forest Service members on the Technical Committee were encouraged to consider nominating deserving USFS individuals for this recognition.

4. NE-1013 Annual Reports for the period of June 2006 to May 2007 are due to F. Booker by June 25, 2007. All committee members from land grant universities are required to submit annual reports, which basically contain the same information as annual CRIS Form AD-421, including publications. Fitz will summarize and submit along with meeting minutes.

5. An NE-1013 termination report is due for submission to our CSREES administrator no later than March 31, 2008. Station termination reports should be sent to Fitz by February 15, 2008. The termination report is very similar to the annual report except that accomplishments, impacts and publications cover the entire span of the project. The following people agreed to help compose the termination report:
Objective 1. (Describe the spatial - temporal variability of the adverse effects of ozone on crops and forests - Meg McGrath and Dennis Decoteau;
Objective 2. (Assess the effects of ozone on structure, function and diversity of plant communities) - Russ Muntifering and Howie Neufeld;
Objective 3. (Examine the joint effects of ozone with other growth regulating factors on crop and tree growth and productivity)- Fitz Booker and Dave Grantz;
Objective 4. (Examine the molecular and physiological basis of ozone toxicity and tolerance in plants) - Barbara Zilinskas, Kent Burkey;
Objective 5. (Develop numerical models to establish relationships between ambient O3 exposures and plant responses) - Sagar Krupa.

5. A report of the meeting is required by the EPA for funding that has been received. Howie Neufeld has $10,000 for travel. He needs official receipts for airplane, hotel and other expenses, except food receipts. He can handle partial reimbursement requests.

6. Kent Burkey provided an update on the snap bean project status. NJ, NC, PA, and NY will continue this research in 2007. The experiment may also be conducted in CA; however, the excessive heat occurring when ozone concentrations are highest may necessitate doing the work during the winter vegetable growing season when ozone levels are much lower.

7. Meg McGrath was elected next Secretary to replace Russ Muntifering, the current Secretary.

8. Potential meeting locations were discussed. Next years meeting of the new NE-1030 project will be in the spring of 2008 at Auburn University, hosted by Art Chappelka and Russ Muntifering.

Dave Karnosky (MI), local host for the meeting and director of the Aspen FACE project, gave an overview of the Aspen FACE research, which is attempting to see how ozone alters the response of Northern forest ecosystems to elevated carbon dioxide. He discussed the variability displayed in growth responses to these two interacting gases, both interspecific and intraspecific. Later in the program, Dave led a field trip to the Aspen FACE project, which included a walk through of the four rings in the north replicate of the 12-ring experiment that covers some 20 ha on the USFS Harshaw Farm.


Respectfully submitted,
R. Muntifering
Secretary NE1013
Auburn University
Auburn, AL

Accomplishments

The NE-1013 Project was organized into five distinct objectives. The Accomplishments of this successful collaboration are presented by Objective, below. The Impacts of these activities are then presented, integrated over all Objectives. At the conclusion of this 5-year project, the membership successfully prepared a renewal application, approved as NE-1030 for the 5-year period through September 30, 2012. <br /> <br /> <br /> This project has been fundamental to increased understanding of ozone effects on plants. The collaborative effort has been the primary vehicle for such research in North America during this period. Meeting participants came together from 15 universities, two federal agencies and four foreign countries, produced 120 peer-reviewed publications on ozone impacts, numerous book chapters, and four theses, and conducted a wide array of research and outreach activities. Several of the Technical Committee Members served as peer reviewers of the US. EPA 2006 Criteria Document for Ozone and Other Photochemical Oxidants. Much of the relevant new data regarding Welfare Effects and the associated Secondary Air Quality Standard for Ambient Ozone was developed by members of this project. Additionally, the project provided background briefing documents to the USDA Air Quality Task Force on Ozone Research and Vegetative Impacts and on Ozone Effects on Specialty Crops, to support preparation of the 2008 Farm Bill and to use in advising the Secretary of Agriculture regarding air quality policy. We also participated in reviews of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on Climate Change. The project has maintained a comprehensive web page since 2005, and regularly updates the site (http://www.ncsu.edu/project/usda-ne-1013/index.htm) with current information.<br /> <br /> <br /> Objective 1. Describe the spatial - temporal variability of the adverse effects of ozone on crops and forests.<br /> <br /> <br /> Adverse effects of ozone on crops and forests were investigated through experiments conducted with plants exposed to ambient ozone in various locations and time periods to achieve a diversity of ozone exposures. For example, the behavior of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) selections R331 (tolerant to ozone) and S156 (susceptible to ozone) were compared in field plot evaluations over several planting dates, years and locations (states). Ambient ozone caused severe injury to leaves and defoliation in the ozone-sensitive snap bean cultivar, S156, across all of the tested locations and years. Total weight of bean pods harvested for fresh-market consumption was 40 to 56% lower for S156 compared with the tolerant genotype when ozone concentrations were considered to be moderate to high. The R331 and S156 lines typically yielded similarly under low ozone concentrations, which usually occurred during the first or last planting dates at some of the sites. Overall, there was little spatial or temporal variability in the response of these bean lines to ambient ozone. Damage occurred at ambient ozone levels in the sensitive line at a number of locations and over several years except when ozone concentrations were low. <br /> <br /> <br /> In a similar type of study, biomass production of ozone-sensitive and ozone-resistant clones of the commercial white clover line (Regal) were compared in New York. The sensitive clone was more severely injured and exhibited up to 26% reduction in biomass production relative to the resistant clone when ambient ozone concentrations were high. The clones grew similarly when concentrations were low. <br /> <br /> <br /> In contrast to the bean and clover studies, the amount of injury observed on grape foliage varied from year to year and was influenced by weather conditions. A study with Charbourcin grape in Pennsylvania found that ambient ozone injury included adaxial stipple and yellowing and defoliation of the older leaves. The drought of 2005 may have reduced foliar ozone injury compared with other years due to lowered ozone uptake. Also wet and cloudy conditions of 2003 and 2004 contributed to reduced seasonal ambient ozone levels, which coincided with less injury. The Vidal variety of grape, which is considered tolerant to ozone injury, typically exhibited no foliar injury to ambient ozone levels.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ambient ozone levels in the forests of western Virginia are sufficient to cause differential responses in ozone-sensitive and tolerant black cherry trees. Sensitive black cherry exhibited greater foliar injury symptoms and lower photosynthetic rates. These results demonstrate that even low ozone levels (in the 50 to 60 ppb range) can damage carbon assimilation processes in sensitive trees. Surprisingly, in Alabama, tree ring data from black cherry indicated that radial growth did not vary among ozone sensitivity groups during any time period analyzed.<br /> <br /> <br /> In a study of native cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, we found ozone injury to vary both spatially and temporally. These responses were not well correlated with ozone concentrations. In fact, injury was observed in relatively low-ozone years, indicating that this native plant can be quite sensitive to ozone, depending on other environmental conditions. Micro-site (seasonal rainfall or temperature patterns) and genetic factors influence plant sensitivity to ozone. In addition, it was found that sensitive coneflower developed injury earlier in the season than insensitive plants. Older leaf cohorts were more likely to exhibit the greatest percent injury by the end of the growing season. Also, leaf loss was more likely for older cohorts and lower leaf positions than in younger cohorts and upper leaves, respectively. Failure to take these factors into account can result in underestimation of the effects of ozone on these plants. <br /> <br /> <br /> Clearly, these results showed that medium to high ambient ozone concentrations can damage vegetation and reduce yields, but that genetic and environmental factors strongly modulate the responses. <br /> <br /> <br /> Objective 2. Assess the effects of ozone on structure, function and diversity of plant communities.<br /> <br /> <br /> The overall goal of Objective 2 was to assess the effects of ozone on structure, function and diversity of plant communities, notably forests and grasslands. Results have provided critically needed data on physiological and growth responses of mature trees and understory herbaceous species in the field under a range of ambient ozone exposure regimes. We determined changes in tree growth under ambient ozone conditions and elucidated underlying mechanisms responsible for differences in sensitivity of native wildflower species. Also, we characterized alterations in cell-wall constituents and secondary metabolites in ozone-exposed herbaceous vegetation that have implications to the nutritional ecology of economically important ruminant animals. Information needs in these areas have been identified as critical for the assessment of ozone pollution effects in natural ecosystems. <br /> <br /> <br /> One of the fundamental differences identified by testing responsiveness of understory herbaceous species to rapid changes in light is that ozone-sensitive plants, such as cutleaf coneflower, have impaired stomatal functioning, such as non-responsiveness to changes in humidity or light compared to ozone-insensitive plants. It was found that ozone-sensitive plants fail to close their stomata under conditions where insensitive plants would, leading to reductions in water use efficiency and continued uptake of ozone by the plant, which contributes to ozone injury.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ecosystem function can be altered by several processes, one of which is differential reproductive success. We found that reproductive effort of selected native plant species was affected by ozone. These effects can be translated into alterations in flowering patterns and abortion of seeds/fruits, and have implications regarding establishment, survival, genetic stability and vigor of these species. Ozone reduces photosynthesis in native plants, especially in their older leaves, which translates into reduced starch reserves in these leaves and the underground rhizomes. Plants known to be sensitive suffer greater reductions in photosynthesis than those that are insensitive. Sensitivity in one herbaceous species was linked to extracellular levels of the antioxidant ascorbic acid, suggesting that both uptake and biochemical detoxification are important mechanisms of response in these native plants.<br /> <br /> <br /> Research under this objective has shown that, as a result of accumulation of secondary phenolic compounds, increased deposition and lignification of cell-wall constituents and decreased in vitro digestibility in a number of ozone-sensitive plant species, predicted loss of forage nutritive quality for ruminant animals due to ozone injury can readily approach the same order of magnitude as that observed for biomass yield depression (ca. 5-15%). These are extremely important findings because total loss of consumable food value (fractional reduction in yield × fractional reduction in nutritive quality for ruminants) can be much more significant than biomass yield reductions alone in the assessment of the true economic impact of ozone on forages under current and future global-climate scenarios. Using ethylene diurea (EDU, an antioxidant protectant for plants) it was found that in purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), EDU could ameliorate the deleterious effect of ozone on nutritive quality. Further testing is needed in this area to determine if this is response is evident among other plant species. Until recently, economic assessment models have included only the effects of yield depression. <br /> <br /> <br /> Results of research under this objective also illustrate the value of both 'real-world' and manipulative experiments, and the importance in climate-change/nutritional ecology research of assessing effects of co-exposure to environmentally relevant levels of multiple air pollutants. For example, ground-level ozone, temperature and precipitation were observed to be the most important determinants of nutritive quality in a 5-year study with alfalfa grown under ambient concentrations of multiple air pollutants (ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide) and prevailing meteorological conditions, but their relative importance was largely dependent on yield such that ozone exposure was the most important determinant of quality in high-yielding but not in low-yielding alfalfa. We have observed in both intensively managed and semi-natural systems that adverse effects of ozone on forage quality may be amplified by high soil fertility or exposure to growth-stimulating levels of atmospheric N deposition compared with low soil fertility or growth-limiting levels of N deposition, respectively. We have discovered in our work with red (Trifolium pratense) and white (Trifolium repens) clover that, in contrast to recent reports of a protective effect of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide against yield reduction in plants under ozone stress, future increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration might not be expected to ameliorate the negative impact of elevated ozone on nutritive quality under global chemical-climate scenarios projected for the Northern Hemisphere through at least the first half of the 21st Century. <br /> <br /> <br /> Objective 3. Examine the joint effects of ozone with other growth regulating factors on crop and tree growth and productivity<br /> <br /> <br /> Nutrition<br /> <br /> <br /> The atmosphere has become a source of bioavailable N as well as oxidizing species such as ozone. Observations in a long-term experiment in a sub-alpine pasture in Switzerland examined the impact on pasture nutritive quality of the combined impacts of ozone and high N input. A pasture exposed to ozone and N deposition in Switzerland showed that nutritive quality was 7% lower for elevated ozone treatments due to altered cell-wall chemical composition. There were long term changes in vegetative composition as well, with forbs increasing from 23 to 36%, and grasses and legumes both decreasing (from 68 to 60%, and from 9 to 3% of biomass, respectively). <br /> <br /> <br /> Weeds and Invasive Vegetation<br /> <br /> <br /> Competition relationships between crops and weeds can be altered by concurrent exposure to ozone. However, knowledge of the ozone tolerance of individual species has not proven useful in predicting the outcome of inter-specific plant competition in open top chambers studies in the San Joaquin Valley of California. For example, competition between Pima cotton and the globally significant C4 weed, yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.) was affected substantially by ozone exposure. Cotton was generally more sensitive to ozone than nutsedge, and both competition from nutsedge and exposure to ozone reduced productivity of cotton. The two species inhibited the growth of each other to similar extents. At a high ozone concentration productivity of cotton was low, but the relative reduction by nutsedge competition at high ozone was similar to that at low ozone concentration. Growth of nutsedge in competition with cotton was greatest at high ozone, as the vigor of cotton declined. <br /> <br /> <br /> In contrast, similar competition studies with tomato, which is somewhat more ozone tolerant than cotton, led to differing results. Tomato became more competitive at high ozone. Tomato growth was inhibited at the highest ozone concentration at all levels of nutsedge competition, while nutsedge was less affected. Nutsedge reduced tomato productivity under low and moderate ozone concentrations, but tomato was more competitive at high ozone concentrations. Nutsedge allocated greater resources to reproductive tubers at the highest ozone exposure which could make it even more invasive in future environments.<br /> <br /> <br /> Horseweed is an economically important C4 weed that is becoming increasingly invasive in areas like the San Joaquin Valley. Glyphosate-resistant horseweed has almost completely replaced the wild-type, glyphosate-susceptible, biotype. Results of research conducted by this project suggest that ozone may be a significant contributor to this rapidly changing population structure. Responses to ozone are similar in glyphosate-sensitive and -resistant lines. However, additive effect of ozone and glyphosate is sufficient to drive the glyphosate-sensitive population to extinction. The resistant biotype was less likely than the susceptible biotype to being driven out of the population by the combination of high ozone and glyphosate. Thus ozone may contribute to the rapid evolution of herbicide resistance and to rising crop production costs due to increased need for vegetation management, in addition to the well known effect of reducing yield directly. This is the first indication that tropospheric ozone may be a contributory factor in development of a serious agricultural pest through altered population structure. <br /> <br /> <br /> Elevated Carbon Dioxide<br /> <br /> <br /> Ozone is a component of the changing atmosphere, and will play a part in ongoing Global Change. A soybean-corn rotation open-air exposure experiment showed that for soybean, elevated carbon dioxide increased biomass and seed yield, elevated ozone decreased biomass and yield, and the deleterious effects of ozone were partially ameliorated by carbon dioxide when the two gas treatments were combined. This and other studies have indicated that protection against ozone injury in many crops by elevated carbon dioxide can be attributed to reduced ozone uptake and possibly other factors, but there has been little direct testing of these hypotheses. Manipulation of ozone concentrations and estimates of plant ozone uptake indicated that equivalent ozone fluxes that suppressed net photosynthesis, growth, and yield at ambient concentrations of carbon dioxide were generally much less detrimental to plants treated concurrently with elevated carbon dioxide. These responses appeared unrelated to effects on antioxidant metabolism. Plants treated with elevated carbon dioxide had higher rates of net photosynthesis due to higher intercellular carbon dioxide concentrations. Increased photoassimilation and decreased photorespiration with elevated carbon dioxide would promote growth and help counter detrimental effects of ozone. Increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide will likely ameliorate ozone damage to many crops due to reduced ozone uptake and increased carbon assimilation. Our study further suggests that elevated carbon dioxide may increase the threshold ozone flux for biomass and yield loss in soybean.<br /> <br /> <br /> An experiment designed to test the effects of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in a soybean-wheat no-till system using open-top chambers showed that elevated carbon dioxide increased soybean and wheat biomass production by 10 to 25% while ozone suppressed it by 11 to 27%. In combination, elevated carbon dioxide ameliorated ozone effects on biomass. Treatment effects on biomass production dominated potential impacts on soil carbon dynamics as evidenced by litter levels in the treatment plots and minirhizotron images of root production.<br /> <br /> <br /> Two winter-wheat cultivars, Gore and Susquehanna, were treated with elevated carbon dioxide and ozone individually and in combination. Elevated carbon dioxide resulted in stomatal closure and, under low ozone, induced antioxidant changes that could enhance defensive capacity for oxidative stress. Yield under the combination of elevated ozone and carbon dioxide tended to be greater than for elevated ozone alone. The results suggest that plant response to ozone depends upon a number of factors working together. The availability of high pools of antioxidants in wheat may further contribute to enhanced oxidative defense capabilities.<br /> <br /> <br /> The AspenFACE experiment indicated that northern forests have the capacity for sustained growth stimulation due to elevated carbon dioxide, and that concurrent exposure to moderate levels of tropospheric ozone partially or totally compromises growth stimulation from elevated carbon dioxide. Also, elevated carbon dioxide and ozone have small effects on litter chemistry and specific rates of decomposition, while changes in litter inputs under elevated carbon dioxide and ozone will likely have large effects on soil organic matter.<br /> <br /> <br /> Objective 4. Examine the molecular and physiological basis of ozone toxicity and tolerance in plants.<br /> <br /> <br /> Systemic effects of ozone<br /> <br /> <br /> Ozone immediately affects leaf tissue; however, ozone can cause systemic effects on the whole plant. In snap beans, ozone treatment increased shoot respiration based on elevated metabolic heat rates measured with a microcalorimeter. In both Pima cotton and muskmelon, ozone-induced inhibition of carbon assimilation and transport of carbohydrate from shoots to roots did not cause the expected reduction of root respiratory activity. As source strength and transport of carbohydrate to sink tissues declined, root respiration per unit fresh weight increased. The mechanism of these seemingly disparate phenomena remains unknown. However, these findings suggest that the hypothesis that substrate control of root respiration, as it is modulated by ozone impact on shoot tissues, may not be supported.<br /> <br /> <br /> In Pima cotton, exposure of the shoots to ozone led to genetic damage in root tips as visualized by an alkaline, single-cell electrophoretic assay of damaged DNA in isolated root tip cells. DNA damage increased with increasing ozone exposure. The results clearly indicate that the effects of ozone on vegetation are systemic, and suggest that translocated products of ozonation, or other signal transduction processes, are involved in reducing root proliferation following shoot exposure to ozone. Root growth is often inhibited by ozone and has been primarily attributed to reduced availability of carbon resources needed for growth. The finding that ozone induces genetic damage in root tips adds a new dimension to our understanding of the mechanisms of ozone toxicity.<br /> <br /> <br /> Methyl jasmonate caused a suite of developmental changes reminiscent of ozone exposure. These preliminary experiments were in response to recent gene expression studies that link jasmonate metabolism to ozone impacts. In our experiments, application of methyl jasmonate induced responses very similar to those of ozone. These similarities were sufficient to suggest that ozone-induced developmental or injury pathways were modulated by methyl jasmonate. However, application of methyl jasmonate in our experiments did not alter plant responses to ozone, indicating that ozone effects are propagated through a network of metabolic pathways and cellular processes that are only partly modulated by methly jasmonate. These and similar studies are important because they help us disect the biochemical and physiological mechanisms of ozone toxicity which may contribute to the engineering of ozone-tolerant crops.<br /> <br /> <br /> Stomatal conductance in relation to ozone tolerance<br /> <br /> <br /> Stomatal conductance was similar for ozone-sensitive (S156) and tolerant (R123) snap beans. While genetic variation was found for stomatal density and aperture on upper and lower leaf surfaces, these differences in stomatal characteristics did not translate into differences in conductance rates, suggesting that the observed genetic variation in ozone response is not related to differences in ozone uptake.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ascorbic acid metabolism<br /> <br /> <br /> Ascorbic acid (known also as vitamin C) is generally acknowledged to play a key role in plant response to oxidative stressors, including ozone. In Arabidopsis, a putative F-Box gene, VCF1 (Vitamin C F-box 1), was identified that appears to negatively regulate gene expression in the mannose-galactose pathway of ascorbate biosynthesis. Plants in which VCF1 was inactivated had increased leaf ascorbate content and enhanced tolerance to ozone.<br /> <br /> <br /> Photosynthesis in mature leaves of soybean was more sensitive to ozone exposure in the cultivar Forrest than in cultivar Essex. The ozone tolerance of Essex was associated with enhanced capacity to maintain ascorbate in the reduced form. The research provided further evidence that reduced ascorbate is an important antioxidant and the ascorbate-glutathione cycle plays a role in protecting the photosynthetic apparatus from ozone-induced damage.<br /> <br /> <br /> Genetic variation in ozone response<br /> <br /> <br /> Thirty soybean ancestors representing 92% of genes in modern U.S. and Canadian cultivars were screened for ozone sensitivity. Two ancestors, Fiskeby III and Fiskeby 840-7-3, exhibited minimal foliar injury when exposed for six-days to 80 ppb ozone under greenhouse conditions and maintained yield under elevated ozone treatments during season-long exposures in open-top chambers. However, foliar injury in general was not a good predictor of seed yield loss. Specific ancestors exhibited low foliar injury with 25-30% yield loss whereas others were extensively injured with only 10% yield loss. Ozone effects on seed yield components were complex and included combinations of reduced seed size and reduced pod/seed number. These results suggest that screening of germplasm for ozone-tolerance based on foliar injury alone may not be the ideal or appropriate predictor of ozone effects on yield.<br /> <br /> <br /> Antioxidants localized in the leaf apoplast and cell wall have the potential to scavenge ozone and ozone-derived reactive oxygen species thought to be involved in initiating foliar injury responses. The leaf apoplast from ozone-sensitive and tolerant genotypes of soybean and tobacco contained low levels of ascorbic acid relative to total antioxidant capacity, evidence that soluble compounds other than ascorbate may contribute to ozone scavenging reactions. Soybean genotypes expressing differential ozone sensitivity also exhibited differences in composition of cell wall bound phenolic compounds. These results suggest that research on antioxidant mechanisms of ozone tolerance should be broadened to include other types of leaf chemistry in addition to the work being done on ascorbic acid.<br /> <br /> <br /> G-proteins<br /> <br /> <br /> The molecular signals that initiate ozone responses in plants are thought to originate in the leaf apoplast, but the mechanisms involved in sensing and propagating these signals are not known. Since GTPases (G-proteins) are involved in plant defense responses that share common features with ozone responses, Arabidopsis G-protein null mutants were tested for ozone sensitivity. Mutants with key deletions in the G-protein pathway did not exhibit the leaf epinasty observed in Columbia wild-type controls following ozone exposure, evidence that this particular phenotypic response to ozone is at least partially G-protein dependent. Biomass production, chlorophyll levels and photosynthesis rates were slightly lower in the G-protein null mutants following chronic ozone exposure. However, induction of peroxidase enzyme activity by ozone was similar in both G-protein mutants and wild-type controls. The results indicate that stimulation of peroxidase activity by ozone does not involve G-protein signaling processes. Ozone effects likely involve multiple pathways and cellular processes. Suppression of the G-protein signaling pathway in Arabidopsis did not markedly increase its sensitivity to ozone, which suggests that other processes compensated for the genomic changes or other modes of action are more critical in the etiology of ozone toxicity. <br /> <br /> <br /> Objective 5. Develop numerical models to establish relationships between ambient ozone exposures and plant responses.<br /> <br /> <br /> Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) cv. Beaver was grown under ambient conditions at multiple sites using the local grower cultivation practices. There were two harvests per growth season per plot (with 6 replicates). Since alfalfa cultivation was on a five-year rotation cycle, each year a new seeding was done on separate study plots and harvested, starting with the year after seeding and during the following four years, with a total 78 harvests, but with differing age classes (2-5 years). <br /> <br /> <br /> Alfalfa and total biomass (alfalfa + other plant species, weeds) yields varied between the two harvests at a given site during a given year and between sites and years, although there was no carry-over effect of stress from one harvest to another. Using the median yield value for all sites and years combined, separately for alfalfa and for total biomass, data were segregated into two statistically differing classes: lowand high. Alfalfa yields for low ranged from 85 to 17% of the median and from 117 to 218% for high. Similarly for total biomass yield values for lowranged from 83 to 32% of the median and from 117 to 197% for high. The lowand highwere treated separately in the yield modeling of the alfalfa and the total biomass. The air quality and meteorological variables were defined separately for each of three growth stages (time series) for use in the yield models. The independent variables in each stage were: ozone (median and 95th percentile hourly concentrations), sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen exposure integrals (concentration x exposure duration) and temperature, relative humidity and global solar radiation, and precipitation depth totals. Mallows Critical Point Best regression was used to select the best yield models for further application. The initial analyses were done for alfalfa and total biomass separately, but with all yields, sites and years combined, the results giving very satisfactory values for both adjusted coefficient of variation (68-76%) and its significance p (0.000). Hourly ozone concentrations, the median and equal to or greater than the 95th percentile values were selected as important predictors of both alfalfa and total biomass yields. In addition to ozone, some of the other important predictors of yield included sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, temperature, global radiation and relative humidity. <br /> <br /> <br /> Overall the models could account for 68 to 76% of the R2 variability in the yields of alfalfa or the total biomass respectively. Air quality (ozone + sulfur dioxide + oxides of nitrogen) influenced about 50% of the total variation in all of the alfalfa yields combined, with ozone accounting for one-half of it. The remaining 50% was due to variations in the climate and parameters that were not measured. Similar results were also obtained in the case of the total biomass. These results have been disseminated to the scientific community through USDA-NE1013 Annual Technical Committee Meetings and currently three journal articles are in preparation.<br />

Publications

2007<br /> <br /> <br /> Booker, FL, KO Burkey, WA Pursley and AS Heagle. 2007. Elevated carbon dioxide and ozone effects on peanut. I. Gas-exchange, biomass, and leaf chemistry. Crop Science 47:1475-1487.<br /> <br /> <br /> Burkey, KO, FL Booker, WA Pursley and AS Heagle. 2007. Elevated carbon dioxide and ozone effects on peanut. II. Seed yield and quality. Crop Science 47:1488-1497.<br /> <br /> <br /> Calfapietra, C, AE Wiberley, TG Falbel, AR Linskey, G Scarascia-Mugnozza, DF Karnosky, F Loreto, and TD Sharkey. 2007. Isoprene synthase expression and protein levels are reduced under elevated O3 but not under elevated CO2 (FACE) in field-grown aspen trees. Plant Cell Environment 30:654-661.<br /> <br /> <br /> Chen, X, C Tu, M Burton, D Watson, KO Burkey and S Hu. 2007. Plant nitrogen acquisition and interactions under elevated CO2: impact of endophytes and mycorrhizae. Global Change Biology. 13: 1238-1249.<br /> <br /> <br /> Cheng, FY, KO Burkey, JM Robinson and FL Booker. 2007. Leaf extracellular ascorbate in relation to O3 tolerance of two soybean cultivars. Environmental Pollution 150:355-362.<br /> <br /> <br /> Dubois, J.-J.B., EL Fiscus, FL Booker, MD Flowers and CD Reid. 2007. Optimizing the statistical estimation of the parameters of the Farquhar-von Caemmerer-Berry model of photosynthesis. New Phytologist 176:402-414.<br /> <br /> <br /> Fiscus, EL, FL Booker, J-JB Dubois, TR Rufty, JW Burton and WA Pursley. 2007. CO2 enhancement effects in container- versus ground-grown soybeans at equal planting densities. Crop Science 47:2486-2494.<br /> <br /> <br /> Flowers, MD, EL Fiscus, KO Burkey, FL Booker and J-J Dubois. 2007. Photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, and yield of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes differing in sensitivity to ozone. Environmental and Experimental Botany 61:190-198.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, D.A., A. Shrestha, and H-B. Vu. 2008. Early vigor and ozone response in horseweed (Conyza canadensis) biotypes differing in glyphosate resistance. Weed Science 56:224230.<br /> <br /> <br /> Holmes, WE, DR Zak, KS Pregitzer, and JS King. 2006. Elevated CO2 and O3 alter soil nitrogen transformations beneath trembling aspen, paper birch, and sugar maple. Ecosystems 9:1354-1363.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karnosky, DF, JM Skelly, KE Percy, and AH Chappelka. 2007. Perspectives regarding 50 years of research on effects of tropospheric ozone air pollution on U.S. Forests. Environmental Pollution 147:489-506.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karnosky, DF, H Werner, T Holopainen, K Percy, T Oksanen, E Oksanen, C Heerdt, P Fabian, J Nagy, W Heilman, R Cox, N Nelson, and R Matyssek. 2007. Free-air exposure systems to scale up ozone research to mature trees. Plant Biology 9:181-190.<br /> <br /> <br /> Kubiske, ME, VS Quinn, PE Marquardt, and DF Karnosky. 2007. Effects of elevated CO2 and/or O3 on intra- and interspecific competitive ability of aspen. Plant Biology 9:342-355.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lin, JC, M. Nosal, RB Muntifering, and SV Krupa. 2007. Alfalfa nutritive quality for ruminant livestock as influenced by ambient air quality in west-central Alberta. Environmental Pollution 149:99-103.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lin, JC, K Nadarajah, M Volk, RB Muntifering and J Fuhrer. 2007. Nutritive quality of a species-rich, extensively managed pasture exposed to elevated ozone in a free-air fumigation system. Journal of Animal Science 90 (Suppl. 1): 36.<br /> <br /> <br /> Liu, L., J.S. King, and C.P. Giardina. 2007. Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3 on nutrient dynamics: decomposition of leaf litter in trembling aspen and paper birch communities. Plant Soil, 299: 65-82.<br /> <br /> <br /> Oncley, S.P., Foken, T., Vogt, R., Kohsiek, W., DeBruin,H.A.R., Bernhofer, C., Christen, A., van Gorsel, E., Grantz, D., Feigenwinter, C., Lehner, I., Liebethal, D., Liu, H., Mauder, M., Pitacco, A., Ribeiro, L., and Weidinger, T. 2007. The Energy Balance Experiment EBEX-2000. Part I: Overview and energy balance. Boundary Layer Meteorology 123: 1-28.<br /> <br /> <br /> Percy, KE, M Nosal, W Heilman, T Dann, AH Legge, J Sober, and DF Karnosky. 2007. New exposure-based metric approach for evaluating O3 risk to North American aspen forests. Environmental Pollution 147:554-566.<br /> <br /> <br /> Pregitzer, K.S., D.R. Zak, W.M. Loya, J.S. King, and A.J. Burton. 2007. The contribution of root systems to biogeochemical cycles in a changing world. In Z. Cardon and J. Whitbeck (eds) The rhizosphere-an ecological perspective. Elsevier, Boston, pp. 155-178.<br /> <br /> <br /> Zak D.R, W.E. Holmes, K.S. Pregitzer, J.S. King, D.S. Ellsworth, and M.E. Kubiske. 2007. Belowground competition and the response of developing forest communities to atmospheric CO2 and O3. Global Change Biology, 13: 2230-2238.<br /> <br /> <br /> 2006<br /> <br /> <br /> Burkey, K.O., H.S. Neufeld, L. Souza, A.H. Chappelka, and A.W. Davison. 2006. Seasonal profiles of leaf ascorbic acid in ozone-sensitive wildflowers. Environmental Pollution. 143:427-434.<br /> <br /> <br /> Bender, J., R. Muntifering, J. Lin and H. Weigel. 2006. Growth and nutritive quality of Poa pratensis as influenced by ozone and competition. Environmental Pollution 142: 109-115.<br /> <br /> <br /> Decoteau, DR., J Ferdinand, J Savage, D Stevenson, and D Davis. 2006. Advanced teacher training on air pollution effects on plants at the Air Quality Learning and Demonstration Center at the Arboretum at Penn State. HortScience 41:1003.<br /> <br /> <br /> Elagoz, V, S Han and WJ Manning. 2006. Acquired changes in stomatal characteristics in response to ozone during plant growth and leaf development of bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) indicate phenotypic plasticity. Environmental Pollution 140:395-405.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grulke, NE, HS Neufeld, AW Davison, M Roberts, AH Chappelka. 2006. Stomatal behavior of ozone-sensitive and -insensitive coneflowers (Rudbeckia laciniata var. digitata) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. New Phytologist 173:100-109.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, D. and A. Shrestha. 2006. Tropospheric ozone and interspecific competition between yellow nutsedge and Pima cotton. Crop Science 46:1879-1889.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, D., S. Gunn and H.-B. Vu. 2006. O3 impacts on plant development: a meta-analysis of root/shoot allocation and growth. Plant, Cell and Environment 29:1193-1209.<br /> <br /> <br /> Holmes, W.E., D.R. Zak, K.S. Pregitzer, and J.S. King. 2006. Elevated CO2 and O3 alter soil nitrogen transformations beneath trembling aspen, paper birch, and sugar maple. Ecosystems, 9:1354-1363.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lewis, J., S. Ditchkoff, J. Lin, R. Muntifering and A.H. Chappelka. 2006. Nutritive quality of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) exposed to tropospheric ozone. Rangeland Ecol. Mgmt. 59:267-274.<br /> <br /> <br /> Long, S.P., E.A. Ainsworth, A.D.B. Leakey, A.D.B., J. Nosberger and D.R. Ort. 2006. Food for thought: Lower-than-expected crop yield stimulation with rising CO2 concentrations. Science 312:1918-1921.<br /> <br /> <br /> Muntifering, R.B., A.H. Chappelka, J.C. Lin, D.F. Karnosky and G.L. Somers. 2006. Chemical composition and digestibility of Trifolium exposed to elevated ozone and carbon dioxide in a free-air (FACE) fumigation system. Functional Ecology 20: 269-275.<br /> <br /> <br /> Muntifering, R.B., W.J. Manning, J.C. Lin and G.B. Robinson. 2006. Short-term exposure to ozone altered nutritive quality of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) under controlled exposure conditions. Environmental Pollution 140: 1-3.<br /> <br /> <br /> Neufeld, H.S., A.H. Chappelka, K.O. Burkey, and A.W. Davison. 2006. Reduced ability of the SPAD meter to measure chlorophyll concentrations in cutleaf coneflower leaves exhibiting visible foliar injury from ozone. Photosynthesis Research 87: 281-286.<br /> <br /> <br /> Souza, L., H.S. Neufeld, A.H. Chappelka, K.O. Burkey, and A.W. Davison. 2006. Seasonal development of ozone-induced foliar injury on tall milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Environmental Pollution. 141:175-183.<br /> <br /> <br /> Tu, C., F.L. Booker, D.M. Watson, X. Chen, T.W. Rufty, W. Shi and S. Hu. 2006. Mycorrhizal mediation of plant N acquisition and residue decomposition: impact of mineral N inputs. Global Change Biology 12:793-803.<br /> <br /> <br /> Weiser, G, WJ Manning, M Tausz and A Bytnerowicz. 2006. Evidence for potential effects of ozone on Pinus cembra L. at mountain sites in Europe: an overview. Environmental Pollution 139:53-58.<br /> <br /> <br /> 2005<br /> <br /> <br /> Ainsworth EA, SP Long. 2005. What have we learned from 15 years of free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE)? A meta-analytic review of the responses of photosynthesis, canopy properties and plant production to rising CO2. New Phytologist 165:351-372.<br /> <br /> <br /> Bernacchi CJ, PB Morgan, DR Ort, SP Long. 2005. The growth of soybean under free air [CO2] enrichment (FACE) stimulates photosynthesis while decreasing in vivo Rubisco capacity. Planta 220:434-446.<br /> <br /> <br /> Booker, FL, EL Fiscus. 2005. Role of ozone flux and antioxidants in the suppression of ozone injury by elevated carbon dioxide in soybean. Journal of Experimental Botany 56:2139-2151.<br /> <br /> <br /> Booker, FL, JE Miller, EL Fiscus, WA Pursley, LA Stefanski. 2005. Comparative responses of container- versus ground-grown soybean to elevated CO2 and O3. Crop Science 45:883-895.<br /> <br /> <br /> Booker, FL, SA Prior, HA Torbert, EL Fiscus, WA Pursley, S Hu. 2005. Decomposition of soybean grown under elevated concentrations of CO2 and O3. Global Change Biology 11:685-698.<br /> <br /> <br /> Burkey, KO, JE Miller, EL Fiscus. 2005. Assessment of ambient ozone effects on vegetation using snap bean as a bioindicator species. Journal of Environmental Quality 34:1081-1086.<br /> <br /> <br /> Chapman, J.A., J.S. King, K.S. Pregitzer, and D.R. Zak. 2005. Effects of elevated concentrations of atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3 on decomposition of tree fine roots. Tree Physiology, 25:1501-1510.<br /> <br /> <br /> Fiscus, EL, FL Booker, KO Burkey. 2005. Crop responses to ozone: uptake, modes of action, carbon assimilation and partitioning. Plant, Cell and Environment 28:997-1011.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, DA. 2005. Ozone impacts on plants. In: P Dwivedi and RS Dwivedi (eds.). Physiology of Abiotic Stress in Plants. Oxford IBH Publishing Co., New Delhi.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, DA and A Shrestha. 2005. Ozone reduces crop yields and alters competition with weeds such as yellow nutsedge. California Agriculture 59:137-143.<br /> <br /> <br /> Hu, S, J Wu, KO Burkey, MK Firestone. 2005. Plant and microbial N acquisition under elevated atmospheric CO2 in two mesocosm experiments with annual grasses. Global Change Biology 11:213-223.<br /> <br /> <br /> Hughes, NM, HS Neufeld, KO Burkey. 2005. Functional role of anthocyanins in high-light winter leaves of the evergreen herb Galax urceolata. New Phytologist 168:575-587.<br /> <br /> <br /> Long SP, Ainsworth EA, Leakey ADB, Morgan PB. 2005. Global food insecurity. Treatment of major food crops with elevated carbon dioxide or ozone under large-scale fully open-air conditions suggests recent models may have overestimated future yields. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 360: 2011-2020.<br /> <br /> <br /> Morgan, PB, GA Bollero, RL Nelson, FG Dohleman, SP Long. 2005. Smaller than predicted increase in aboveground net primary production and yield of field-grown soybean under fully open-air [CO2] elevation. Global Change Biology 11:1856-1865.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sanz, J., R.B. Muntifering, V. Bermejo, B.S. Gimeno and S. Elvira. 2005. Ozone and increased nitrogen supply effects on the yield and nutritive quality of Trifolium subterraneum. Atmospheric Environment 39:5899-5907.<br /> <br /> <br /> Schaub, M, JM Skelly, JW Zhang, JA Ferdinand, JE Savage, RE Stevenson, DD Davis, KC Steiner. 2005. Physiological and foliar symptom response in the crowns of Prunus serotina, Fraxinus americana and Acer rubrum canopy trees to ambient ozone under forest conditions. Environmental Pollution 133:553-567.<br /> <br /> <br /> Shrestha, A and DA Grantz. 2005. Ozone impacts on competition between tomato and yellow nutsedge: Above- and below-ground effects. Crop Science 45:1587-1595.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wittig, VE, CJ Bernacchi, X-G Zhu, C. Calfapietra, R Ceulemans, P Deangelis, B Gielen, F Miglietta, PB Morgan, SP Long. 2005. Gross primary production is stimulated for three Populus species grown under free-air CO2 enrichment from planting through canopy closure. Global Change Biology 11:644-656.<br /> <br /> <br /> 2004<br /> <br /> <br /> Booker, FL. 2004. Influence of ozone on ribonuclease activity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves. Physiologia Plantarum 120:249-255.<br /> <br /> <br /> Booker, FL, KO Burkey, K Overmyer, AM Jones. 2004. Differential responses of G-protein Arabidopsis thaliana mutants to ozone. New Phytologist 162:633-641.<br /> <br /> <br /> Booker, FL, EL Fiscus, JE Miller. 2004. Combined effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and ozone on soybean whole-plant water use. Environmental Management 33:S355-S362.<br /> <br /> <br /> Bytnerowicz, A, B Godzik, K Grodzinska, W Frczek, R Musselman, W Manning, O Badea, F Popescu, P Fleischer. 2004. Ambient ozone in forests of the Central and Eastern European mountains. Environmental Pollution 130: 5-16.<br /> <br /> <br /> Estes, BL, SA Enebak, AH Chappelka. 2004. Loblolly pine seedling growth after inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and ozone exposure. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 34:1410-1416.<br /> <br /> <br /> Finkelstein, PL, AW Davison, HS Neufeld, TP Meyers, AH Chappelka. 2004. Sub-canopy deposition of ozone in a stand of cutleaf coneflower. Environmental Pollution 131:295-303.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, DA and MJ Sanz. 2004. Common co-occurrence of citriculture and ozone air pollution: Potential for yield reductions. Proceedings 10th International Society of Citriculture Congress. Paper No. 97.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, DA and AK Murray. 2004. Effect of ozone on phloem transport in cotton. Proceedings of the 2004 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, San Antonio, TX. January 2004. Pp. 2144-2149.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, DA and A Shrestha. 2004. Ozone affects competition between cotton and nutsedge. Proceedings of the 2004 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, San Antonio, TX. January 2004. Pp. 2877-2882.<br /> <br /> <br /> Gravano, E, F Bussotti, RJ Strasser, M Schaub, K Novak, JM Skelly, C Tani. 2004. Ozone symptoms in leaves of woody plants in open-top chambers: ultrastructural and physiological characteristics. Physiologia Plantarum 121:620-633.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grünhage, L, SV Krupa, AH Legge, HJ Jäger. 2004. Ambient flux-based critical values of ozone for protecting vegetation: differing spatial scales and uncertainties in risk assessment. Atmospheric Environment 38:2433-2437.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karnosky, D.F., Percy, K.E, Chappelka, A.H. and Krupa, S. (2004). Air pollution and global change impacts on forest ecosystems: monitoring and research needs. In Air Pollution, Global Change and Forests in the New Millenium. eds. Karnosky, D.F., Percy, K.E., Simpson, C. and Chappelka, A.H. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. pp 447-459.<br /> <br /> <br /> Krupa, SV, R Muntifering, AH Chappelka. 2004. Effects of ozone on plant nutritive quality characteristics for ruminant animals. The Botanica 54:1-12.<br /> <br /> <br /> Long SP, EA Ainsworth, A Rogers, DR Ort. 2004. Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide: plants FACE the future. Annual Review of Plant Biology 55:591-628.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lorence, A, BI Chevone, P Mendes, CL Nessler. 2004. Myo-inositol oxygenase offers a possible entry point into plant ascorbate biosynthesis. Plant Physiology 134:1200-1205.<br /> <br /> <br /> Manning, WJ, CJ Bergweiler. 2004. Assessing plant response to ambient ozone: growth of young apple trees in open-top chambers and corresponding ambient air plots. Environmental Pollution 132:503-508.<br /> <br /> <br /> Manning, WJ, B Godzik. 2004. Bioindicator plants for ambient ozone in Central and Eastern Europe. Environmental Pollution 130:33-39.<br /> <br /> <br /> Morgan PB, CJ Bernacchi, DR Ort, SP Long. 2004. An in vivo analysis of the effect of season-long open-air elevation of ozone to anticipated 2050 levels on photosynthesis in soybean. Plant Physiology 135:2348-2357.<br /> <br /> <br /> Murray, AK and DA Grantz. 2004. Carbohydrate composition of cotton aphid honeydew. Proceedings of the 2004 Beltwide Cotton Conferences, San Antonio, TX. January 2004. Pp. 1590-1593.<br /> <br /> <br /> Niyogi, D, H-I Chang, VK Saxena, T Holt, K Alapaty, FL Booker, F Chen, KJ Davis, B Holben, T Matsui, T Meyers, WC Oechel, RA Pielke, Sr, R Wells, K Wilson, Y Xue. 2004. Direct observations of the effects of aerosol loading on net ecosystem CO2 exchanges over different landscapes. Geophysical Research Letters 31: L20506, doi: 10.1029/2004GL020915.<br /> <br /> <br /> Percy, K.E., Legge, A.H. and Krupa, S.V. (2004). Tropospheric ozone: A continuing threat to global forests? In Air Pollution, Global Change and Forests in the New Millennium. eds. Karnosky, D.F., Percy, K.E., Simpson, C. and Chappelka, A.H. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. pp 85-118.<br /> <br /> <br /> Robinson, JM, J Lydon, CA Murphy, R Rowland, R Smith. 2004. Effect of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tagetis infection on sunflower leaf photosynthesis and ascorbic acid relations. International Journal of Plant Science. 165:263-271.<br /> <br /> <br /> Robinson, JM, RC Sicher Jr. 2004. Antioxidant levels decline in primary leaves of barley during growth at ambient and elevated carbon dioxide levels. International Journal Of Plant Science. 165:965-972.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sandermann, H. (ed). 2004. Molecular Ecotoxicology of Plants. Berlin: Springer. 241 pp.<br /> <br /> <br /> Sanz, J, RB Muntifering, BS Gimeno, V Bermejo. 2004. Nutritive quality and growth of Trifolium subterrraneum are modulated by ambient ozone concentrations and nitrogen fertilization. In: Garcia Criado, B, Garcia Cuidad, B, Vasquez de Aldana, A, Zabagogeazcoa, I. (eds.). Proceedings Spanish Society for Pasture Studies, Salamanca, Spain. 10-14 May. Pp. 197-201.<br /> <br /> <br /> Schaub, M, JM Skelly, KC Steiner, DD Davis, SP Pennypacker, J.Zhang, JA Ferdinand, JE Savage, RE Stevenson. 2004. Physiological and foliar responses of Prunum serotina, Fraxinus americana and Acer rubrum seedlings to varying soil moisture and ozone. Environmental Pollution 124:307-320.<br /> <br /> <br /> Skelly JM, DD Davis, DR Decoteau. 2004. Development of an air quality learning and demonstration center at the arboretum at Penn State. HortScience 39:810.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wei, C, JM Skelly, SP Pennypacker, JA Ferdinand, JE Savage, RE Stevenson, DD Davis. 2004. Responses of hybrid poplar clones and red maple seedlings to ambient ozone under differing light within a mixed hardwood forest. Environmental Pollution 130:199-214.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wei, C, JM Skelly, SP Pennypacker, JA Ferdinand, JE Savage, RE Stevenson, DD Davis. 2004. Influence of light fleck and low light on foliar injury and physiological responses of two hybrid poplar clones to ozone. Environmental Pollution 130:215-227.<br /> <br /> <br /> 2003<br /> <br /> <br /> Burkey, KO, G Eason, EL Fiscus. 2003. Factors that affect leaf extracellular ascorbic acid content and redox status. Physiologia Plantarum 117:51-57.<br /> <br /> <br /> Bussotti, F, M Schaub, A Cozzi, N Krauchi, M Ferretti, K Novak, JM Skelly. 2003. Assessment of ozone visible symptoms in the field: perspectives of quality control. Environmental Pollution 125:81-89.<br /> <br /> <br /> Bytnerowicz, A, M Arbaugh, R Alonso (eds.). 2003. Ozone Air Pollution in the Sierra Nevada: Distribution and Effects on Forests. Elsevier, Developments in Environmental Science 2, Amsterdam, 402 pp, ISBN 0 08 044193 9.<br /> <br /> <br /> Chappelka, AH, HS Neufeld, AW Davison, GL Somers, JR Renfro. 2003. Ozone injury on cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) and crown-beard (Verbesina occidentalis) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Environmental Pollution 125:53-59.<br /> <br /> <br /> Davison, AW, HS Neufeld, AH Chappelka, K Wolff, PL Finkelstein. 2003. Interpreting spatial variation in ozone symptoms shown by cutleaf coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata L. Environmental Pollution:61-70.<br /> <br /> <br /> Fuhrer, J, FL Booker. 2003. Ecological issues related to ozone: agricultural issues. Environment International 29:141-154.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, DA, JHB Garner, DW Johnson. 2003. Ecological effects of particulate matter. Environment International 29:213-239.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, D.A., V Silva, M Toyota, N Ott. 2003. Ozone increases root respiration but decreases leaf CO2 assimilation in cotton and melon. Journal of Experimental Botany 54:2374-2384.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grünhage, L., Krupa, S. V., Legge, A. H., and Jäger, H.-J. (2003). Ambient flux-based critical values of ozone for protecting vegetation: differing spatial scales and uncertainties in risk assessment. In Proc. UN-ECE Conf. Ozone: Critical Levels II, Gothenburg, Sweden, 19-23 November 2002. IVL, Gothenburg, Sweden. pp 19-34.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grimmig, B, MN Gonzalez-Perez, G Leubner-Metzger, R Vogeli-Lange, F Meins, R Hain, J Penuelas, B Heidenreich, C Langebartels, D Ernst, H Sandermann. 2003. Ozone-induced gene expression occurs via ethylene-dependent and -independent signalling. Plant Molecular Biology 51:599-607.<br /> <br /> <br /> Holmes, W.E., D.R. Zak, K.S. Pregitzer, and J.S. King. 2003. Soil nitrogen transformations under Populus tremuloides, Betula papyrifera, and Acer saccharum following 3 years exposure to elevated CO2 and O3. Global Change Biology 9:1743-1750.<br /> <br /> <br /> Krupa, SV. 2003. Joint effects of elevated levels of ultraviolet-B radiation, carbon dioxide and ozone on plants. Photochemistry and Photobiology 78:535-542.<br /> <br /> <br /> Krupa, SV, M Nosal, JA Ferdinand, RE Stevenson, JM Skelly. 2003. A multi-variate statistical model integrating passive sampler and meteorology data to predict the frequency distributions of hourly ambient ozone (O3) concentrations. Environmental Pollution 124, 173-178.<br /> <br /> <br /> Loya, W.M., K.S. Pregitzer, N.J. Karberg, J.S. King, and C.P.Giardina. 2003. Reduction of soil carbon formation by tropospheric ozone under increased carbon dioxide levels. Nature 425:705-707.<br /> <br /> <br /> Manning, WJ, RB Flagler, MA Frenkel. 2003. Assessing plant response to ambient ozone: growth of ozone-sensitive loblolly pine seedlings treated with ethylenediurea or sodium erythorbate. Environmental Pollution 126:73-81.<br /> <br /> <br /> Manning, WJ. 2003. Detecting plant effects is necessary to give biological significance to ambient ozone monitoring data and predictive ozone standards. Environmental Pollution 126:375-379.<br /> <br /> <br /> Morgan PB, EA Ainsworth, SP Long. 2003. How does elevated ozone impact soybean? A meta-analysis of photosynthesis, growth and yield. Plant, Cell and Environment 26:1317-1328.<br /> <br /> <br /> Novak, K, JM Skelly, M Schaub, N Krauchi, C Hug, W Landolt, P Bleuler. 2003. Ozone air pollution and foliar injury development on native plants of Switzerland. Environmental Pollution 125:41-52.<br /> <br /> <br /> Orendovici, T, JM Skelly, JA Ferdinand, JE Savage, MJ Sanz, GC Smith. 2003. Response of native plants of northeastern United States and southern Spain to ozone exposures; determining exposure/response relationships. Environmental Pollution 125:31-40.<br /> <br /> <br /> Powell, MC, RB Muntifering, JC Lin, AH Chappelka. 2003. Yield and nutritive quality of sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) exposed to ground-level ozone. Environmental Pollution 122:313-322.<br /> <br /> <br /> Radzio, JA, A Lorence, BI Chevone, CL Nessler. 2003. L-Gulono-1,4-lactone oxidase expression rescues vitamin C-deficient Arabidopsis (vtc) mutants. Plant Molecular Biology 53:837-844.<br /> <br /> <br /> Schaub, M, JM Skelly, KC Steiner, DD Davis, SP Pennypacker, J Zhang, JA Ferdinand, JE Savage, RE Stevenson. 2003. Physiological and foliar injury responses of Prunus serotina, Fraxinus americana, and Acer rubrum seedlings to varying soil moisture and ozone. Environmental Pollution 124:307-320.<br /> <br /> <br /> Watkinson, JI, AA Sioson, C Vasquez-Robinet, . . . BI Chevone . . . 2003. Photosynthetic acclimation is reflected in specific patterns of gene expression in drought-stressed loblolly pine. Plant Physiology 133:1702-1716.<br /> <br /> <br /> Yuska, DE, JM Skelly, JA Ferdinand, RE Stevenson, JE Savage, JD Mulik, A Hines. 2003. Use of bioindicators and passive sampling devices to evaluate ambient ozone concentrations in north central Pennsylvania. Environmental Pollution 125:71-80.<br /> <br /> <br /> 2002<br /> <br /> <br /> Barbo, DN, AH Chappelka, GL Somers, MS Miller-Goodman, K Stolte. 2002. Ozone impacts on loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) grown in a competitive environment. Environmental Pollution 116:27-36.<br /> <br /> <br /> Burkey, KO, G Eason. 2002. Ozone tolerance in snap bean is associated with elevated ascorbic acid in the leaf apoplast. Physiologia Plantarum 114: 387-394.<br /> <br /> <br /> Bytnerowicz, A, B Godzik, W Frczek, K Grodziska, M Krywult, O Badea, P Baranok, O Blum, M Cerny, S Godzik, B Mankovska, W Manning, P Moravcik, R Musselman, J Oszlanyi, D Postelnicu, J Szdzuj, M Varsavova, M Zota. 2002. Distribution of ozone and other air pollutants in forests of the Carpathian Mountains in central Europe. Environmental Pollution 116:3-25.<br /> <br /> <br /> Chappelka, AH. 2002. Reproductive development of blackberry (Rubus cuneifolius), as influenced by ozone. New Phytologist 155: 249-255.<br /> Elagoz, V, WJ. Manning. 2002. Bean plants and ozone: morphology matters. Environmental Pollution 120: 521-524.<br /> <br /> <br /> Elagoz, V, WJ. Manning. 2002. Bean plants and ozone: morphology matters. Environmental Pollution 120: 521-524.<br /> <br /> <br /> Fiscus, EL, FL Booker. 2002. Growth of Arabidopsis flavonoid mutant is challenged by radiation longer than the UV-B band. Environmental and Experimental Botany 48:213-224.<br /> <br /> <br /> Fiscus, EL, JE Miller, FL Booker, AS Heagle, CD Reid. 2002. The impact of ozone and other limitations on the crop productivity response to CO2. Technology 8: 181-192.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, D. A., J. H. B. Garner, and D. W. Johnson. 2002. Ecological effects of particulate matter. Environment International 29: 213-239.<br /> <br /> <br /> Heagle, A.S., J.E. Miller, K.O. Burkey, G.P. Eason, and W.A. Pursley. 2002. Growth and yield responses of Phaseolus vulgaris to mixtures of carbon dioxide and ozone. Journal of Environmental Quality 31:2008-2014.<br /> <br /> <br /> Heath, L.S., N. Ramakrishnan, R.R. Sederoff, R.W. Whetten, B.I. Chevone, C.A. Struble, V.Y. Jouenne, D. Chen, L. van-Zyl and R. Grene. 2002. Studying the functional genomics of stress responses in loblolly pine with the Expresso microarray experiment management system. Comparative and Functional Genomics 3:226-243.<br /> <br /> <br /> Krupa, SV. 2002. Sampling and physico-chemical analysis of precipitation. Environmental Pollution 120:565-594.<br /> <br /> <br /> Krupa, S.V. and J.F. Moncrief. 2002. An integrative analysis of the role of atmospheric deposition and land management practices on nitrogen in the US agricultural sector. Environmental Pollution 118:273-283.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lee, JC, KC Steiner, JW Zhang, JM Skelly. 2002. Heritability of ozone sensitivity in open-pollinated families of black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.). Forest Science 48:111-117.<br /> <br /> <br /> Long SP , Naidu SL .2002. Effects of oxidants at the biochemical, cell and physiological levels, with particular reference to ozone. In: Air Pollution and Plant Life (eds Bell JNB ,Treshow M), pp. 69-88. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., West Sussex.<br /> <br /> <br /> Manning, W. J. B. Godzik and R. Musselman. 2002. Potential bioindicator plant species for ambient ozone in forested mountain areas of central Europe. Environmental Pollution 119: 283-290.<br /> <br /> <br /> Novak, K.J. 2002. Ozone air pollution and foliar injury development on native plants of Switzerland. MS Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 92 pp.<br /> <br /> <br /> Orendovici, T. 2002. Response of native plants of northeastern United States of America and southeastern Spain to ozone exposures: Determining exposure/response relationships. MS Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 137 pp.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wei, C. 2002. Influence of sunflecks on hybrid poplar, black cherry, and red maple response to ozone. Doctoral dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 125 pp.<br /> <br /> <br /> West, D.H., A.H. Chappelka, K.M. Tilt, H.G. Ponder and J.D. Williams. 2002. Effect of tree shelters on growth and gas exchange of four tree species under field and nursery conditions. Journal of Environmental Horticulture 20: 96-100.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wohlgemuth, H, K Mittelstrass, S Kschieschan, J Bender, HJ Weigel, K Overmyer, J Kangasjarvi, H Sandermann, C Langebartels. 2002. Activation of an oxidative burst is a general feature of sensitive plants exposed to the air pollutant ozone. Plant, Cell and Environment 25:717-726.<br /> <br /> <br /> Yuska, D.E. 2002. Use of bioindicators and passive sampling devices to evaluate ambient ozone concentrations in north central Pennsylvania. MS Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 70 pp.

Impact Statements

1. Ambient ozone concentrations during the growing season in all locations evaluated in this project strongly suppressed yields of ozone-sensitive snapbean genotypes. This implies that ambient ozone likely suppresses yields of ozone-sensitive crops in many regions of the U.S. This is supported by the findings of ozone-injury within open plots or in the semi-controlled exposures (open-top chambers or FACE systems) during summer seasons and provides further evidence that ozone is the cause of significant losses to many agriculturally important plants.
2. The information generated by this project is especially useful in the formulation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone, although the need is far from fulfilled. During the most recent review of the primary and secondary NAAQS for tropospheric ozone, it was concluded that more information on ozone-induced foliar injury and relationships to crop growth and productivity effects was needed.
3. Results of our studies have also been used by: 1) federal resource managers in developing guidelines for protection of wilderness areas such as the National Parks; 2) federal agencies responsible for environmental impact assessment of expanded coal and oil industries in the Western US; and, 3) state agencies in the Southeastern US involved in transboundary pollution issues. Our findings about decreased nutritive quality and related indirect effects due to ozone are also under consideration for use in revising extant Critical Levels regulations in Europe.
4. Using a multivariate, multipoint statistical model, we demonstrated that ambient air quality contributed to 50% of alfalfa yield losses in an Alberta, Canada locale, and ozone was the most important air pollutant reducing biomass. This study characterized the impacts of ambient ozone on a crop yield under ambient conditions. More importantly, it represents the first attempt to identify and separate the individual effects of ambient ozone on crop productivity in the presence of other air pollutants and climatic variables that affect plant growth under field conditions.
5. Education and outreach activities performed by members of the NE-1013 project include operation of the Air Quality Learning and Demonstration Center (PA), development of a website and web-based teaching modules (PA, NC), site tours (NC, PA, CA, NY), college course instruction (PSU, ASU, U Minn), Master Gardener sessions (NY), presentations to commercial growers and extension agents (CA, NY), and responses to local and national media about ambient ozone impacts on vegetation and ecosystem health.

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Report Information

Participants

Ainsworth, Lisa - USDA-ARS;
Booker, Fitzgerald - USDA-ARS;
Burkey, Kent - USDA-ARS;
Carlson, John - Pennsylvania State University;
Decoteau, Dennis - Pennsylvania State University;
Grantz, David - University of California, Riverside;
Grulke, Nancy - US Forest Service;
Karnosky, David - Michigan Technological University;
King, John - NC State University;
Knighton, Raymond - USDA-CSREES;
Kubiske, Mark - US Forest Service;
Matyssek, Rainer - Technical University of Munich, Germany;
McGrath, Margaret - Cornell University;
Muntifering, Russ - Auburn University;
Nelson, Neil- US Forest Service;
Neufeld, Howard - Appalachian State University;
Percy, Kevin - Canadian Forest Service;
Sandermann, Heinrich - Frieburg, Germany;
Wiese, Cosima - College Misericordia;
Zilinskas, Barbara - Rutgers University;

Brief Summary of Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 21, 2007 by Fitz Booker, Chair of the Technical Committee, who introduced committee members and presented the history, objectives and collaborative projects of NE-1013. Ray Knighton informed the group that the renewal project NE-1030 had been approved for a new 5-year period through September 30, 2012, and presented a number of federal budgetary items and funding opportunities that are pertinent to research and outreach activities of the Technical Committee.

Stations reports were then presented. R. Muntifering (AL) reported that a long-term experiment in a sub-alpine pasture in Switzerland found that with high N input, nutritive quality was 7% lower for elevated O3 treatments, likely due to cell-wall compositional changes. D. Decoteau (PA) reported that development continues on teaching and outreach materials for use by public-school teachers and at the Air Quality Learning and Demonstration Center. M. McGrath (NY) showed that ambient O3 caused severe injury to leaves and defoliation in an ozone-sensitive snap bean cultivar, S156. H. Neufeld (NC) reported that there were no statistically significant short-term O3 effects in leaves of tulip poplar although foliar injury has been observed in the field. Multiple O3-exposure episodes may be required before measurable responses in this species can be detected. N. Grulke (CA) described a new-gas exchange system that directly measures O3 flux into a leaf. D. Grantz (CA) reported that exposure of Pima cotton to O3 led to genotoxic impacts on root tips while application of methyl jasmonate caused a suite of developmental changes reminiscent of O3 exposure. In addition, glyphosate-resistant horseweed was less susceptible to being driven out of the population by the combination of high O3 and glyphosate. F. Booker (NC) showed that elevated CO2 ameliorated O3 effects on soybean yield while treatment effects on biomass production dominated potential impacts on soil C dynamics. L. Ainsworth (IL) reported that tests at SoyFACE of soybean cultivars that have been released over a 50-year period found no relationship between O3 tolerance and year of release. K. Burkey (NC) reported that screening of 30 soybean ancestors for O3-induced foliar injury was not always a good predictor of yield loss in open-top chambers. Cosima Wiese (PA) discussed the role of the leaf apoplast in plant defense responses to oxidative stress. Barbara Zilinskas (NJ) reported that yield reduction due to ambient O3 in the O3-sensitive S156 snapbean line was close to 50% in dry weight of pods and seeds. Barbaras group is also investigating the role of glutathione peroxidase in O3 signal transduction pathways. Heinrich Sandermann (Germany) summarized present knowledge on the mechanisms of O3 phytotoxicity.

Tuesday, May 22:

Dave Karnosky (MI), local host for the meeting and director of the Aspen FACE project, gave an overview of the Aspen FACE research, which is testing how O3 alters the response of
northern forest ecosystems to elevated CO2. John King (NC) reported that northern forests have the capacity for sustained growth stimulation due to elevated CO2, and that concurrent exposure to moderate levels of tropospheric O3 partially or totally compromises growth stimulation from elevated CO2. Mark Kubiske (WI) showed that inter-annual variation in relative aspen growth responses to elevated CO2 and O3 at AspenFACE was highly correlated with average daily solar radiation in July and temperature in October. Rainer Mayssek (Germany) described a free-air O3 fumigation experiment with 60-year-old Norway spruce and European beech at Kranzberg Forest. Ozone induced leaf injury in beech, enhanced soil respiration and fine-root production and turnover, but did not cause consistent damage patterns in beech and spruce foliage across years. Kevin Percy (Canada) showed that elevated CO2 and O3 continue to affect in opposite ways leaf surface characteristics in the five aspen clones at AspenFACE. Leaves expanded under O3 had significantly lower leaf miner egg densities, which was partly attributable to effects on epicuticular wax. John Carlson (PA) presented an overview of research in the Schatz Center for Tree Molecular Genetics at Penn State, which he directs, and described a study using hybrid poplar and black cherry genotypes that differ in O3 sensitivity to determine the role of gene expression in O3 sensitivity.

Percy et al. also used data from Aspen FACE to develop exposure-based metrics for prediction of O3 damage to aspen. Regression techniques using five years of O3, meteorology and growth data showed that the current EPA primary NAAQS should be considered in a slightly altered form (growing season) as a candidate for a new Secondary standard to protect vegetation.

The group adjourned and toured the Aspen FACE site for the remainder of the day.

The following items were addressed during the business meeting:

1. NE-1030 was officially approved on 5/14/07.

2. David Grantz, Chair-Elect, will take over the position of Chair after next years 2008 meeting and will preside over the 2009 and 2010 meetings. A new Chair-Elect will be elected at the 2008 meeting.

3. The US Forest Service has created the Paul Miller Clean Air Award, a national award for Forest Service employees to honor his memory. US Forest Service members on the Technical Committee were encouraged to consider nominating deserving USFS individuals for this recognition.

4. The NE-1013 termination report is due March 31, 2008. Station termination reports should be sent to Fitz by February 15, 2008. The following people agreed to help compile the final report:
Objective 1  M. McGrath, D. Decoteau
Objective 2  R. Muntifering, H. Neufeld
Objective 3  F. Booker, D. Grantz
Objective 4  B. Zilinskas, K. Burkey
Objective 5  S. Krupa

5. K. Burkey provided an update on the snap bean project status. MN, NJ, NC, PA, and NY will continue this research in 2007.

7. M. McGrath was elected Secretary for the 2008 meeting.

8. Next years meeting of the new NE-1030 project will be held at Auburn University, hosted by A. Chappelka and R. Muntifering.

Accomplishments

Objective 1. Describe the spatial  temporal variability of the adverse effects of O3 on crops and forests<br /> <br /> 1. Ambient O3 caused severe injury to leaves and defoliation in the O3-sensitive snap bean cultivar, S156. Total weight of bean pods harvested for fresh-market consumption was 40 to 50% lower for S156 compared with the tolerant genotype (R331) (NY, NC, PA, NJ, MD).<br /> <br /> 2. Testing at SoyFACE of soybean cultivars released over a 50-year period found no relationship between O3 tolerance and year of release. Some of the newest cultivars were found to be as sensitive to O3 as other cultivars released 50 years ago. (IL).<br /> <br /> 3. A potential bio-energy crop, sugarcane, was found to be moderately sensitive to O3. This suggests a further challenge, in addition to chilling and salinity stresses, in introducing these tropical crops into the arid western valleys. It also indicates that conventional wisdom regarding inherent O3 resistance among C4 species may need reexamination. In this case sensitivity was similar to that observed in moderately O3-sensitive cultivars of commercial cotton. (CA).<br /> <br /> Objective 2. Assess the effects of O3 on structure, function and diversity of plant communities<br /> <br /> 1. Results from a five-year experiment with Swiss collaborators in a species-rich, sub-alpine pasture exposed to three concentrations of O3 and five levels of N deposition showed that with high N input, nutritive quality was 7% lower for elevated O3 treatments. Cell-wall compositional changes are likely involved in this response. In addition, altered nutritive quality was associated with shifts in proportions of plant functional groups (grasses, forbs and legumes) due to O3. During the experiment, forbs increased from 23 to 36%, grasses decreased from 68 to 60%, and legumes decreased from 9 to 3% of biomass harvested from the O3-enriched plots. Decreased forage nutritive quality often leads to lower milk and meat production, thus linking air quality with impacts on animal production systems. (AL).<br /> <br /> 2. In controlled environment experiments, there were no statistically significant short-term O3 effects in leaves of tulip poplar although foliar injury has been observed in the field. Multiple O3 episodes during a growing season are probably necessary before measurable responses in this species can be detected. (NC).<br /> <br /> Objective 3. Examine the joint effects of O3 with other growth regulating factors on crop and tree growth and productivity.<br /> <br /> 1. Glyphosate-resistant horseweed, which has almost completely replaced the susceptible biotype in the San Joaquin Valley, was found to be less likely than the susceptible genotype to being driven out of the population by the combination of high O3 and application of glyphosate. Ozone pollution may thus contribute to crop production costs due to a need for increased weed control practices as well as by curtailing yield. (CA).<br /> <br /> 2. An experiment designed to test the effects of elevated CO2 and O3 on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in a soybean-wheat no-till system using open-top chambers showed that elevated CO2 (550 ppm) increased soybean and wheat yield by 10 to 25% while O3 (1.4 × ambient, 68 ppb) suppressed soybean yield by 11 to 27%. In combination, elevated CO2 ameliorated O3 effects on soybean yield. Treatment effects on biomass production dominated potential impacts on soil C dynamics as evidenced by litter levels in the treatment plots and minirhizotron images of root production. (NC).<br /> <br /> 3. The AspenFACE experiment indicated that northern forests have the capacity for sustained growth stimulation due to elevated CO2, and that concurrent exposure to moderate levels of tropospheric O3 partially or totally compromises growth stimulation from elevated CO2. Also, elevated CO2 and O3 have small effects on litter chemistry and specific rates of decomposition, while changes in litter inputs under elevated CO2 and O3 will likely have large effects on soil organic matter. (NC). <br /> <br /> Objective 4. Examine the molecular and physiological basis of O3 toxicity and tolerance in plants<br /> <br /> 1. Application of methyl jasmonate, a phytohormone, to Pima cotton caused a suite of changes reminiscent of O3 exposure, including reduced root/shoot biomass allocation, reduced plant biomass production, and leaf lesions. However, applications of methyl jasmonate did not alter plant responses to O3. Further experiments are underway to investigate potential interactions between methyl jasmonate and O3 in plants. (CA). <br /> <br /> 2. In an old commercial cultivar of Pima cotton (S-6), exposure of the shoots to O3 led to genetic damage in root tips. An alkaline single cell electrophoretic assay of isolated root tip cells was used to visualize damaged DNA strands. A significant dose response of comet length, indicating damage, was found with increasing O3 exposure. These data clearly indicate that O3 impacts are systemic, and suggest that translocated products of ozonation are involved in reducing root proliferation following shoot exposure to O3. (CA).<br /> <br /> 3. Screening of 30 soybean ancestors for O3-induced foliar injury in the greenhouse was a good predictor of injury in the field using open-top chambers. However, foliar injury was not a good predictor of seed yield loss in open-top chamber studies. Specific ancestors exhibited low foliar injury with 25-30% yield loss whereas others were extensively injured with only 10% yield loss. Ozone effects on seed yield components were complex and included combinations of reduced seed size and reduced pod/seed number. These results suggest that screening of germplasm for O3-tolerance based on foliar injury alone may not take into account the full range of O3 effects on yield. (NC).<br /> <br /> Outreach<br /> <br /> 1. A picture archive of foliar O3 injury was developed at the Air Quality Learning and Demonstration Center using common milkweed as the representative plant. Concurrent with the documentation of foliar injury, air pollution levels and other meteorological data were recorded. These data enable us to train teachers and students about the progression of O3 injury development and attempt to associate O3 levels and weather patterns during symptom development. (PA)<br />

Publications

Bender, J., R. Muntifering, J. Lin and H. Weigel. 2006. Growth and nutritive quality of Poa pratensis as influenced by ozone and competition. Environmental Pollution 142: 109-115.<br /> <br /> <br /> Burkey, K.O., H.S. Neufeld, L. Souza, A.H. Chappelka, and A.W. Davison. 2006. Seasonal profiles of leaf ascorbic acid in ozone-sensitive wildflowers. Environmental Pollution. 143:427-434.<br /> <br /> <br /> Decoteau, DR., J Ferdinand, J Savage, D Stevenson, and D Davis. 2006. Outreach efforts at the Penn State Air Quality Learning and Demonstration Center. 2006 National Air Quality Conferences: Air Quality Forecasting, Mapping, and Monitoring and Communicating Air Quality and Communities in Motion. San Antonio, TX.<br /> <br /> <br /> Decoteau, DR. 2006. Ozone effects on crops and PSU Air Quality Learning Center. USDA Agricultural Air Quality Task Force. Harrisburg, PA. (minutes published at http://www.airquality.nrcs.usda.gov/AAQTF/Documents/index.html and presentation published athttp://www.airquality.nrcs.usda.gov/AAQTF/Documents/Harrisburg_August_2006/PSU_Air.pdf)<br /> <br /> <br /> Decoteau, DR., J Ferdinand, J Savage, D Stevenson, and D Davis. 2006. Advanced teacher training on air pollution effects on plants at the Air Quality Learning and Demonstration Center at the Arboretum at Penn State. HortScience 41:1003.<br /> <br /> <br /> Elagoz, V, S Han and WJ Manning. 2006. Acquired changes in stomatal characteristics in response to ozone during plant growth and leaf development of bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) indicate phenotypic plasticity. Environmental Pollution 140:395-405.<br /> <br /> <br /> Farber, RJ et. al. (Grantz is 15th out of 19 randomly ordered authors). 2006. Zapping the dust in the Antelope Valley. Paper Number 109, Proceedings, Annual Meeting and Proceedings, Air and Waste Management Association.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grulke, NE, HS Neufeld, AW Davison, M Roberts, AH Chappelka. 2006. Stomatal behavior of ozone-sensitive and -insensitive coneflowers (Rudbeckia laciniata var. digitata) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. New Phytologist 173:100-109.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, D. and A. Shrestha. 2006. Tropospheric ozone and interspecific competition between yellow nutsedge and Pima cotton. Crop Science 46:1879-1889.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, D., S. Gunn and H.-B. Vu. 2006. O3 impacts on plant development: a meta-analysis of root/shoot allocation and growth. Plant, Cell and Environment 29:1193-1209.<br /> <br /> <br /> Grantz, DA and A Shrestha. 2006. Vegetation management in future ozone climates.<br /> Proceedings of the International Workshop on Agricultural Air Quality: State of the Science. June 5-8, 2006, Bolger Center, Potomac, Maryland, US.<br /> <br /> <br /> Jones-Held S, R Dapsis and BA Zilinskas. 2006. Genetic manipulation of ascorbate biosynthesis. Plant Biology 2006, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists. Boston, MA. Final Program:314-315 <br /> <br /> <br /> Krupa, S, Booker, F Bowersox, V and Grantz, D. 2006. Uncertainties in the current knowledge of trace gas emissions from cropping systems in the US. Proceedings of the International Workshop on Agricultural Air Quality: State of the Science. June 5-8, 2006, Bolger Center, Potomac, Maryland, US.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lewis, J., S. Ditchkoff, J. Lin, R. Muntifering and A.H. Chappelka. 2006. Nutritive quality of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) exposed to tropospheric ozone. Rangeland Ecol. Mgmt. 59:267-274. <br /> <br /> <br /> Long, S.P., E.A. Ainsworth, A.D.B. Leakey, A.D.B., J. Nosberger and D.R. Ort. 2006. Food for thought: Lower-than-expected crop yield stimulation with rising CO2 concentrations. Science 312:1918-1921.<br /> <br /> <br /> Muntifering, R.B., A.H. Chappelka, J.C. Lin, D.F. Karnosky and G.L. Somers. 2006. Chemical composition and digestibility of Trifolium exposed to elevated ozone and carbon dioxide in a free-air (FACE) fumigation system. Functional Ecology 20: 269-275.<br /> <br /> <br /> Muntifering, R.B., W.J. Manning, J.C. Lin and G.B. Robinson. 2006. Short-term exposure to ozone altered nutritive quality of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) under controlled exposure conditions. Environmental Pollution 140: 1-3.<br /> <br /> <br /> Neufeld, H.S., A.H. Chappelka, K.O. Burkey, and A.W. Davison. 2006. Reduced ability of the SPAD meter to measure chlorophyll concentrations in cutleaf coneflower leaves exhibiting visible foliar injury from ozone. Photosynthesis Research 87: 281-286.<br /> <br /> <br /> Rea, MA, Rodriguez-Munoz, ME, Rico-Rodriguez, MA, Anaya-Alonso, AL and Grantz, D. 2006. Brickmaking in agricultural communities in Mexico: Distribution, fuels inventory, emissions and effects on animals and plants. Proceedings of the International Workshop on Agricultural Air Quality: State of the Science. June 5-8, 2006, Bolger Center, Potomac, Maryland, US.<br /> <br /> <br /> Souza, L., H.S. Neufeld, A.H. Chappelka, K.O. Burkey, and A.W. Davison. 2006. Seasonal development of ozone-induced foliar injury on tall milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Environmental Pollution. 141:175-183.<br /> <br /> <br /> Tu, C., F.L. Booker, D.M. Watson, X. Chen, T.W. Rufty, W. Shi and S. Hu. 2006. Mycorrhizal mediation of plant N acquisition and residue decomposition: impact of mineral N inputs. Global Change Biology 12:793-803.<br /> <br /> <br /> Weiser, G, WJ Manning, M Tausz and A Bytnerowicz. 2006. Evidence for potential effects of ozone on Pinus cembra L. at mountain sites in Europe: an overview. Environmental Pollution 139:53-58.

Impact Statements

1. Ambient O3 concentrations during the 2006 growing season strongly suppressed yields of O3-sensitive snapbean genotypes. This implies that ambient O3 likely suppresses yields of O3-sensitive crops in many regions of the U.S. (MN, NC, NY, NJ, PA)
2. Testing at SoyFACE (IL) found that O3 sensitivity of recently-released soybean lines were similar to older lines. This suggests that NAAQS standards based on experiment with older soybean lines remain valid for new varieties. However, it also indicates that plant breeders may not be considering the influence of ambient O3 in soybean production trials. (IL).
3. Results from a long-term experiment in a Swiss sub-alpine pasture found that forage nutritive quality declined due to O3. Decreased nutritive quality of forages can lead to lower milk and meat production from grazing animals, thus linking air quality with impacts on animal production systems. (AL)
4. Studies suggest that O3 may be having a significant effect on the population structure of horseweed, an economically important weed. The additive effect of O3 is sufficient to drive the glyphosate-sensitive population to extinction, even though responses to O3 are similar in glyphosate-sensitive and -resistant lines. The glyphosate-sensitive individuals are sufficiently inhibited by glyphosate that the further stress of O3 exposure further reduces growth to a non-recoverable level. We hypothesize that this may be contributing to the rapid and widespread conversion of horseweed populations in this O3 non-attainment area from glyphosate-susceptible to tolerant biotypes. Thus tropospheric ozone may be a contributory factor in development of a serious agricultural pest through altered population structure. (CA).
5. Experimental data clearly indicate that O3 impacts are systemic, and suggest that translocated products of ozonation are involved in reducing root proliferation following shoot exposure to O3. (CA).
6. Screening of 30 soybean ancestors for O3-induced foliar injury showed that foliar injury was not a good predictor of seed yield loss in open-top chamber studies. One implication of these results is that development of O3 tolerant germplasm based on foliar injury alone may not take into account the full range of ozone effects. (NC).
7. Results from experiments with northern hardwoods and soybean-wheat systems indicate that long-term effects of elevated CO2 and O3 on soil organic matter content will be mediated changes in biomass input rather than litter chemistry. (NC).

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