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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #299039
Title: Screening of Bangladeshi winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars for sensitivity to ozone

Author
item SAITANIS, C - Agricultural University Of Athens
item BARI, S - Bangladesh Agricultural University
item Burkey, Kent
item STAMATELOPOULOS, D - Agricultural University Of Athens
item AGATHOKLEOUS, E - Agricultural University Of Athens

Submitted to: Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/3/2014
Publication Date: 12/1/2014
Citation: Saitanis, C.J., Bari, S.M., Burkey, K.O., Stamatelopoulos, D., Agathokleous, E. 2014. Screening of Bangladeshi winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars for sensitivity to ozone. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 21:13560-13571.

Interpretive Summary: Crop losses from ozone pollution are a problem faced by farmers throughout the world. In the absence of international agreements to control air pollution, development of ozone tolerant cultivars using genetics and breeding is the most viable solution to this problem. A first step is to evaluate cultivars being used in different regions and countries for ozone tolerance. In this study, a group of scientists from Greece, Bangladesh, and the USA evaluated wheat cultivars from Bangladesh for ozone tolerance. While a range of injury response was found, all cultivars tested were considered to be impacted negatively by ozone. The study concluded that wheat breeding programs in Bangladesh have not incorporated ozone tolerance using current germplasm and breeding objectives. This paper speculates that recent yield declines in Bangladesh wheat production may be explained by increasing ambient ozone concentrations.

Technical Abstract: The sensitivity to ozone of ten Bangladeshi wheat cultivars was tested by exposing plants to eight ozone exposure regimes in controlled environment chambers. Visible leaf injury, dry weight, chlorophyll, carotenoid content, leaf greenness (SPAD value), quantum yield of photochemistry and stomatal resistance were measured to evaluate response. The order of sensitivity to ozone was: Akbar >> Sufi = Bijoy = Shatabdi > Bari-26 = Gourab >Bari-25 = Prodip = Sourav >> Kanchan. Shoot biomass, total chlorophyll, leaf greenness and carotenoid content were reduced in ozone exposed plants. Cultivar differences in stomatal resistance were not significant. The most important parameters to discriminate cultivars were visible injury and the chlorophyll b/a ratio while quantum yield of photochemistry was less important. After regressing the cultivar response to ozone (in terms of principal component analysis scores) against year of release, no trend was found, suggesting that ozone tolerance was not incorporated during cultivar development.