Tropospheric ozone pollution in India: effects on crop yield and product quality

Abstract

Ozone (O) in troposphere is the most critical secondary air pollutant, and being phytotoxic causes substantial losses to agricultural productivity. Its increasing concentration in India particularly in Indo-Gangetic plains is an issue of major concern as it is posing a threat to agriculture. In view of the issue of rising surface level of O in India, the aim of this compilation is to present the past and the prevailing concentrations of O and its important precursor (oxides of nitrogen) over the Indian region. The resulting magnitude of reductions in crop productivity as well as alteration in the quality of the product attributable to tropospheric O has also been taken up. Studies in relation to yield measurements have been conducted predominantly in open top chambers (OTCs) and also assessed by using antiozonant ethylene diurea (EDU). There is a substantial spatial difference in O distribution at different places displaying variable O concentrations due to seasonal and geographical variations. This review further recognizes the major information lacuna and also highlights future perspectives to get the grips with rising trend of ground level O pollution and also to formulate the policies to check the emissions of O precursors in India.

Growth, Yield and Quality of Maize under Ozone and Carbon Dioxide Interaction in North West India

“…Due to the declining ground water tables and poor soil fertility in the rice growing areas of Indo-Gangetic Plains, maize has been suggested as an alternate crop to diversify from rice for improving soil quality and reducing the global warming potential of soils in this region. However, increasing concentration of tropospheric O3 in India, especially in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) is of major concern as it poses a threat to the quality and productivity of crops (Singh and Agrawal, 2017) and may reach 70 ppb by 2050 in South Asia (IPCC, 2014). Apart from this most of the studies on the impact of…”

Tropospheric ozone pollution reduces the yield of African crops

“…However, the majority of current information on crop sensitivity to ozone is based on studies from Europe and the USA, with some additional more recent studies in India and China (Chen et al, 2008;Feng, Hu, Wang, Jiang, & Liu, 2015;Feng, Tang, & Kobayashi, 2017;Singh & Agrawal, 2017;Tomer et al, 2015). There is very little information on responses to ozone of tropical crop species, particularly those relied on by subsistence farmers, such as pearl and finger millet.…”

“…Experimental investigations have shown impacts of ambient ozone concentrations on a wide range of crop species in Europe and the USA by comparing responses of plants in filtered air to those in non‐filtered air (De Temmerman, Legrand, & Vandermeiren, ; Marzuoli, Finco, Chiesa, & Gerosa, ; Pleijel, Broberg, Uddling, & Mills, ). However, the majority of current information on crop sensitivity to ozone is based on studies from Europe and the USA, with some additional more recent studies in India and China (Chen et al, ; Feng, Hu, Wang, Jiang, & Liu, ; Feng, Tang, & Kobayashi, ; Singh & Agrawal, ; Tomer et al, ). There is very little information on responses to ozone of tropical crop species, particularly those relied on by subsistence farmers, such as pearl and finger millet.…”

Interactive effects of changing stratospheric ozone and climate on tropospheric composition and air quality, and the consequences for human and ecosystem health

“…Similar conclusions were drawn in an extensive survey of concentrations of NOx (a precursor of O3) in India and their potential effects on yields of wheat and rice. 163 Overall, there is compelling evidence that many species of plants can be adversely affected by O3 and that this results in economically significant losses in yields. These points need to be considered in decision-making in response to future changes that are expected to result from changes in stratospheric O3, tropospheric air pollutants and climate change.…”