Ozone Effect on Plants

When we talk about ozone, the image that most often springs to mind is the ozone layer in the stratosphere that protects us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. The depletion of this ozone layer increases surface UV levels, making its protection vital. However, ozone pollution can also be detrimental to the health of plants. Among various air pollutants, surface ozone primarily produced photochemically from anthropogenic precursor gases such as nitrous oxide from vehicles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from solvents is of particular concern due to the significant harm it can pose to both human and ecosystem health. The phytotoxicity of ozone has been shown to impair photosynthesis, reduce gas exchange, induce early leaf senescence (ageing) and hamper growth in both natural vegetation and crops. According to the business-as-usual emission scenario, ozone concentration would be expected to increase in developing countries, causing a negative impact to crop yield and ecosystem health. In this volume of Advanced Botanical Research, we will holistically explore the impact of ozone from micro and macro levels and from local to global levels. We invited researchers from developing countries who could contribute their first-hand research results, especially the impact of ozone on agriculture, which has a real impact on their daily lives. This volume shows that crop production is impacted by O3-induced foliar damage, premature leaf senescence, reduction in photosynthesis, and yield triggered by ROS and phytohormones signalling under O3 stress This volume demonstrates that under future climate change scenarios, regions with high ozone concentrations, such as China and India, suffer the most from ozone damage. Soybean is more sensitive to O3 than other crops, and maize is not sensitive to O3 damage This volume explores the use of nanotechnology to reduce abiotic stresses (salinity and ozone) on some of the most important crops