Tropospheric ozone (O3) is well known to reducing the yield of ozone-sensitive crop varieties. The present study aimed to detect the impact of O3 pollution in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka on the grain yield of a local variety of mung bean [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek], using the antiozonant ethylenediurea (EDU) protocol. Mung bean plants grown in pots were exposed to ambient O3 and O3 free conditions (by adding recommended doses of EDU) in a complete randomized experimental design. Ozone sensitivity was assessed by recording the number of pods and seeds, the dry weight of pods and seeds and the shoot dry weight. The same experiment was repeated on the same site to verify the results. Tropospheric O3 concentration, daily rainfall, relative humidity (RH) and air temperature in the study location were recorded for the both study periods. The tested local mung bean variety appears to be sensitive to ambient O3 levels. Further, the O3 impact on crop yield loss appeared to be varying with the prevailing climatic conditions, especially the distribution of rainfall. Under rather dry climatic conditions that occurred towards the flowering and fruiting periods seemed causing a reduction in the number of pods and seeds of the crop with a yield loss of about 21%. This study further proved that the EDU protocol can be used to demonstrate yield loss of mung bean due to O3 pollution. As O3 impacts are better envisaged under dry climatic conditions, we suggest using the EDU protocol to identify O3 pollution in dry agro-climatic regions of the intermediate and dry zones of the country and to detect O3 sensitive crop species that grow in these dry regions.
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