Has the sensitivity of soybean cultivars to ozone pollution increased with time? An analysis of published dose–response data

Stephanie Osborne, Gina Mills, Felicity Hayes, Elizabeth A. Ainsworth, Patrick Bueker, Lisa Dianne Emberson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The rising trend in concentrations of ground-level ozone (O3) – a common air pollutant and phytotoxin – currently being experienced in some world regions represents a threat to agricultural yield. Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is
an O3-sensitive crop species and is experiencing increasing global demand as a dietary protein source and constituent of livestock feed. In this study, we collate O3 exposure-yield data for 49 soybean cultivars, from 28 experimental studies
published between 1982 and 2014, to produce an updated dose–response function for soybean. Different cultivars were seen to vary considerably in their sensitivity to O3, with estimated yield loss due to O3 ranging from 13.3% for
the least sensitive cultivar to 37.9% for the most sensitive, at a 7-h mean O3 concentration (M7) of 55 ppb – a level frequently observed in regions of the USA, India and China in recent years. The year of cultivar release, country of data
collection and type of O3 exposure used were all important explanatory variables in a multivariate regression model describing soybean yield response to O3. The data show that the O3 sensitivity of soybean cultivars increased by an
average of 32.5% between 1960 and 2000, suggesting that selective breeding strategies targeting high yield and high stomatal conductance may have inadvertently selected for greater O3 sensitivity over time. Higher sensitivity was
observed in data from India and China compared to the USA, although it is difficult to determine whether this effect is the result of differential cultivar physiology, or related to local environmental factors such as co-occurring pollutants. Gaining further understanding of the underlying mechanisms that govern the sensitivity of soybean cultivars to O3 will be important in shaping future strategies for breeding O3-tolerant cultivars.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3097-3111
Number of pages15
JournalGlobal Change Biology
Volume22
Issue number9
Early online date30 May 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2016

Bibliographical note

© 2016 The Authors

Keywords

  • China
  • Glycine max
  • India
  • crops
  • cultivar
  • food security
  • response functions
  • yield

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