Effects of tropospheric ozone on the yield and grain protein content of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the Nordic countries

Abstract

Eight Nordic open-top chamber experiments with field-grown spring wheat were combined to obtain relationships between ozone exposure and yield loss. Two exposure indices, AOT30 and AOT40 (AOT = accumulated exposure over threshold), were tested. Strongly significant linear regressions between relative yield and exposure were obtained with both indices. The coefficient of determination (r2) was higher and the model assumptions of linear regression were satisfied to a larger extent with AOT30 than with AOT40. The exclusion of charcoal-filtered treatments from the analysis made little difference to the regressions. The AOT30 regression model predicted larger yield loss than the AOT40 regression model, especially for the range of exposures, which is likely to occur in the Nordic countries. The protein content of the grain increased with increasing ozone exposure in all eight experiments, but to a varying degree. © 1997 Scandinavian University Press.