Effects of simulated acid rain on Asian crops and garden plants

Abstract

Most results with simulated acid-rain exposure experiments have suggested that rain acidity below pH 3.0 could induce direct or indirect deleterious effects on crops and other herbaceous plants, with visible injury development and reductions in growth and yield; however, plants show different sensitivities to acidity below pH 3.0 in terms of visible acute injury or reductions in growth and yield. Current rain acidity, which is regarded as over pH 4.0, may not induce direct adverse effects on field-grown plants. However, acidic precipitation may have a potential threat to induce increasing availability and toxicity of rare earth and heavy metals in plants.