Sub-acute ozone exposures (doses below the threshold for visible injury) have been found to affect plant growth, stomatal behavior, and the extent of visible injury in response to subsequent acute exposures (doses above the threshold for visible injury). The interrelationships of these effects varied according to the magnitude and timing of the pretreatment dose and the particular species and cultivar tested. When seedlings of bush bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv Pure Gold Wax) were raised from seed in filtered air and then pretreated with 0.02 parts per million (ppm) ozone for six days (six hours per day), beginning at eight days after sowing, susceptibility to acute injury (the extent of visible injury after an acute exposure) was greater than that of controls maintained throughout in filtered air. Seedlings exposed to this low ozone treatment for an additional seven days became less susceptible to acute injury than controls maintained in filtered air. Treatment differences in acute susceptibility were found to correspond to differences in stomatal behavior. At the early stage of increased susceptibility, ozone-p're-treated plants and controls maintained in filtered air had the same stomatal resistance when measured in filtered air, but ozone-pretreated stomata had a reduced tendency, to close in response to an acute ozone exposure (0.4 ppm). At the later stage of decreased acute susceptibility, ozone-pretreated stomata still had this reduced sensitivity to ozone-induced closure, but ozone pretreatment also resulted in an overall increase in stomatal resistance in filtered air, prior to acute exposures. Stomatal entry of ozone may thus provide, in part, an explanation for the differences in susceptibility resulting from these treatments in bean. Exposure of mint cuttings (Mentha arvensis L.) to 0.02 ppm ozone increased their acute susceptibility slightly. The ozone tolerance of mint was approximately six times greater than that of bean seedlings raised in filtered air (based on the dosage required for equivalent degrees of visible injury). In experiments with potted grapevines (Vitis labruscana, Bailey) in open-top field chambers exposed to ambient air (containing "naturally ocurring" ozone) or charcoal-filtered air (containing reduced ozone levels) for an entire growing season, growth was found to be greater in ambient air in two of three cultivars tested. This growth stimulation was greatest in leaves, but occurred also in trunks and roots (both dry weight and fresh weight). Within the three cultivars ('Ives', 'Concord', and 'Delaware') the growth stimulation was directly related to the sensitivity of field-grown vines to ozone injury; the most sensitive cultivar, 'Ives', showed the greatest growth increase in ambient air as compared to filtered air. Only one of the grapevine cultivars. showed any statistically significant effect of chronic exposure to ambient ozone on acute susceptibility. In that case, 'Delaware', the cultivar most resistant to ozone injury in the field, was predisposed to acute injury by chronic pretreatment with low ozone. With grapevines, there were no statistically significant effects of low ozone pretreatment on stomatal behavior, but trends in the data indicated that ozone pretreatment tended to decrease both stomatal resistance when measured in filtered air and closure in response to acute ozone exposures (0.75 ppm). In experiments with grapevines, unlike those with beans, decreased susceptibility appeared to be more closely related to an increase in overall vigor, associated with a lower stomatal resistance in filtered air, rather than to a stomatal mechanism regulating ozone entry into the leaf. Although there were differences between species in the role that stomata play in the response to pretreatment with sub-acute ozone doses, there was the suggestion of a general pattern of increased tendencies toward a protective effect of ozone pretreatment in more ozone-sensitive species (bean versus mint) or cultivars ('Ives' and 'Concord' versus 'Delaware'). / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Most air pollutant investigations in controlled environments have utilized the conventional "steady state" exposure, yet air pollutant concentrations are rarely static in ambient conditions. Peak concentrations in air pollutant exposures vary in magnitude and occurrence despite equivalent doses and are likely to result in different degrees of injury to plants. The results of experiments involving 5 treatment regimes with a single peak concentration that varied in magnitude and occurrence while treatment doses remained equivalent, confirm this hypothesis and demonstrate that the levels of injury to bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)and radish (Raphanus sativus) may vary from 15 to 85% of the leaf area. An absolute injury assessment technique was developed for determining percent necrosis in the 5 treatments, with the same two crop species responding in a similar manner to the various constant dosage regimes. A simple workable model is presented that incorporates stomatal diffusive resistance along with the various exposure components, including cumulative dose, maximum concentration, and the interval of time during which the peak concentration was administered. Preliminary investigations failed to confirm an interaction between ozone and greenhouse whitefly in bush beans. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Environmental policy makers are required to make decisions under uncertainty regarding the benefits and costs of specific regulatory action. Uncertainty is a phenomenon that cannot be avoided in the assessment of environmental impacts, due to the inherent stochasticity of environmental systems, as well as a lack of adequate empirical data related to specific cause and effect relationships. A primary constraint associated with generation of adequate data from experiments is that environmental research is expensive, and conclusive results may take several years to obtain. In the meantime, significant impacts could be occurring, virtually undetected. A high degree of uncertainty exists in the assessment of the potential effects of ozone (O₃) pollution on agricultural crop yield. Thus, the purpose of this research was to provide information related to the potential impacts of O₃ pollution on crops in the Fraser Valley east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Two alternate methods were utilized: (i) biomonitoring with Bel W-3 tobacco, a plant variety that is very sensitive to O₃, and (ii) expert judgments of the risks of crop losses from O₃. The biomonitor survey was conducted over three growing seasons (1985 - 1987), in which ambient O₃ pollution conditions were atypically low, limiting the injury response data obtained. However, a correlation was established between biomonitor injury response and ambient O₃ levels, demonstrating that phytotoxic pollution conditions occurred during these years. Calibration of biomonitor injury response with crop yield losses revealed the following: (i) yield losses due to O₃ exposure are likely in the event that biomonitor plants exhibit O₃-induced injury symptoms, and (ii) the absence of biomonitor injury does not preclude the possibility of crop loss, since the O₃ exposure threshold for biomonitor injury may exceed that for loss of certain crops. Although experts are commonly used to provide judgments of potential impacts under uncertainty, there is a paucity of information regarding the desirable attributes of expertise. Selection of experts is largely an ambiguous task, and choices of experts by different persons are likely to be inconsistent. Prior to selection of experts for this project, a comprehensive survey was conducted of over 200 environmental professionals to determine the characteristics of an expert in O₃ effects on crops. It was shown that expertise in this area involves a considerable number of attributes. These were grouped, using factor analysis, into seven independent dimensions: education, type of career experience, length of career experience, cognitive skills, personal qualities related to credibility, scientific recognition and involvement in the scientific community. In general, there was agreement between different groups (e.g., research scientists and members of conservation groups) regarding the relative importance of the various dimensions of expertise. Nine crop loss experts were selected, based on nomination by a large group (166) of their scientific peers. It was demonstrated with regression analysis that nominated experts exhibited the attributes identified in the survey. Logit models were estimated that predict an individual's degree of expertise in O₃ effects on crops, based on specific attributes possessed by that individual. Independent judgments were then obtained from the nine experts regarding probable crop losses under typical O₃ pollution conditions in the Fraser Valley. Probabilistic judgments of crop losses were generally similar among experts and approximated the level of crop losses predicted from the biomonitor survey. Limited empirical exposure-response information for Fraser Valley crops indicated that some cultivars may be more sensitive than assumed by the experts. Additional exposure-response experiments will be required to determine the source of this inconsistency. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate

Graduation date: 1991

Grafts were made using 2-0 rootstock and scion from 12 ortets of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) growing at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RAAP). The 12 ortets represented 4 symptom severity classes (3 ortets/class) ranging from trees with > 25% of their crowns exhibiting necrotic tipburn (Class I) to those with healthy crowns (Class IV). Grafts were made in spring 1976 and ramets were grown in a greenhouse drawing charcoal filtered air. Each treatment was performed twice, on separate days for a total of 10 ramets/clone/ treatment. Five ramets/clone were used in each 6 hour treatment. The current years growth was 7-10 weeks old when treated. The treatments were as follows: 1) 0₃-10 pphm, 2) 0₃-30 pphm, 3) NO₂-10 pphm, 4) NO₂-30 pphm, 5) 0₃-10+NO₂ -10 pphm, 6) 0₃-10+NO₂ -30 pphm, 7) no pollutant. The fumigation chamber was a modified open-top field chamber located indoors. Environmental conditions during the 14 treatments averaged: 26 C, 64% RH, and 16 Klux. The ramets were evaluated prior to fumigation and then 2, 7, and 14 days thereafter for visible symptoms. The overall injury was generally light with only 11% of the clone treatment combinations exhibiting injury on > 25% of the needle fascicles. Clones I-1 and I-2 were the most sensitive clones while clones III-1, IV-2 and to a lesser degree clones III-3 and IV-1 were tolerant. These results agree with field ratings of eastern white pine sensitivity at the RAAP and provide the first step in the development of an air pollution bioindicator system at the installation. / Master of Science

Radish plants (Raphanus sativus L. cv Cherry Belle) were exposed to 0.10 μl l⁻¹ ozone (O₃) or 0.50 μl l⁻¹ sulfur dioxide (SO2) for 4 h d⁻¹, 3 d wk⁻¹ for 3 weeks. From these fumigated plants, individuals were selected that were resistant or sensitive to these pollutants. The selected plants were used as parental material in a breeding program to produce lines differing in resistance to O₃ and SO₂. Non-selected (NS) plants from the original populations served as controls. F₁ populations were raised and exposed to O₃ or SO₂ with the same fumigation regime used for the parents. The plants were harvested 30 days after emergence and dry weights were determined. Plants selected for O₃ resistance (O3R) weighed significantly more than either plants selected for sensitivity to O₃ (O₃S) or NS plants when exposed to either O₃ or SO₂. The hypocotyl was most affected by pollutant exposure, leading to reduced root/shoot ratios. Plants selected for resistance or sensitivity to SO₂ generally had biomass production similar to that of NS plants. Growth analysis at early stages of growth indicated that both O₃R and O₃S plants had less growth under O₃ fumigated conditions; however, by maturity O₃R plants had similar amounts of growth under fumigated or non-fumigated conditions. Ozone fumigations tended to decrease free sugar concentrations in leaves at early stages of growth in both O₃R and O₃S plants, and caused some accumulations of carbohydrates during late stages of growth in O₃S plants. Allocation of Mc was significantly lower to hypocotyls and roots of O₃ fumigated O₃S plants. Allocation to hypocotyls of O₃R plants was not affected, although both O₃R and O₃S plant groups had lower photosynthetic rates due to O₃ fumigation. Ozone did not significantly affect chlorophyll concentrations in leaves of either sensitive or resistant plants, nor was the time of new leaf production affected by fumigation. These experiments demonstrated the potential of O₃ to influence the composition of sensitive plant populations. However, SO₂ was a much less powerful influence on the composition of these populations. / Ph. D.

The main purpose of this thesis is to empirically calculate the welfare changes which might be expected to result from potato yield reductions caused by ambient ozone loadings in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. The objectives of the research are: (1) to review the scientific literature pertaining to the effects of ozone loadings on agricultural crops; (2) to review the methodologies employed in previous regional economic assessments of ozone damages; and (3) to apply an economically defensible technique to the analysis of welfare losses due to ozone. Ozone in the Lower Mainland may be pictured as being restricted laterally by the mountain ranges surrounding Vancouver, and vertically by stagnant high pressure systems. Land/sea breezes aid in transporting ozone and its precursors from Vancouver up the Fraser Valley towards important crop growing regions. The highest levels of ozone occur during spring and summer coinciding with the most active season for many crops. Seasonal ambient ozone dose, measured as hours-ppm>0.10ppm was found to be high in rural areas, especially Abbotsford, during the late 1970's and early 1980's, dropping to low levels in more recent years. Potatoes are one of the economically important crops in the Lower Mainland known to be sensitive to ozone. Potato tuber weight reductions are estimated to have reached 16.5 percent in the Abbotsford region in 1981 at seasonal ambient ozone loadings. An aggregate supply/demand model is set up for potato production in B.C. based upon prior estimates of supply and demand elasticities. This model assumes the price in the B.C. market is set exogeneously by U.S. imports. Thus, all policy relevent welfare changes affect producers' quasi-rent alone. Sensitivity of the model to import price, and the price elasticity of supply is tested. A range of welfare estimates is reported for a variety of ambient ozone loadings. The total damages to potato producers, assuming all regions of B.C. are affected by the same seasonal dose as Abbotsford, are calculated to be around one million dollars at ambient ozone loadings in four out of eight years. A peak occurred in 1981 at 2.4-2.9 million dollars total damages. Damages may be overestimated because 20-30 percent of potato production takes place outside the Lower Mainland, Abbotsford often appears to receive higher ambient ozone loadings than other regions, and not all potato cultivars grown in the Lower Mainland are as sensitive to ozone as that employed here. However, there are also reasons to be cautious over discounting these estimates as too large. Potato response to ozone is restricted to tuber weight reductions while other important effects may include increased plant stress and damage to crop quality. In addition, missing air quality information for some years and stations, suggests that actual ozone dose could be higher than calculated. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate

Nine-week-old yellow-poplar and green and white ash were exposed to various concentrations of O₃ (0.00 to 0.15 ppm) and/or SO₂ (0.08 ppm), 4 hr/d, 5d/wk in combination with simulated rain (pHs 5.6, 4.3, 3.0), 1 hr/d, 2 d/wk, for 5 or 6 wk under controlled laboratory conditions. Pollutant exposures resulted in alterations in seedling biomass accumulation, growth rates, changes in carbon allocation among plant parts and modification in physiological processes associated with gas exchange. Ozone (0.010 ppm) and SO₂ together caused a significant decrease in height growth and biomass and an increase in leaf area ratio (LAR) in yellow-poplar. Ozone and SO₂ exposures resulted in linear decreases and increases, respectively, in root dry weight, leaf area increase, relative growth rates of all yellow-poplar plant parts and unit leaf rate with decreasing rain pH. Chlorophyll content increased in both O₃ and SO₂ treatments with increasing rain acidity. In green and white ash experiments height growth was inhibited by O₃, SO₂ and O₃ + SO₂ for green ash, whereas only leaf dry weight was decreased by O₃ exposure in white ash. Decreasing rain pH resulted in linear decreases in root/shoot ratio (RSR) and LAR, for white ash. In green ash, a quadratic response to rain pH occurred with these growth variables. Ozone and O₃ + SO₂-treated green ash exhibited a significant quadratic response in leaf weight ratio with increasing rain acidity. Leaf area ratio and RSR exhibited linear increases and decreases, respectively, for O₃ and rain acidity. In SO₂-treated white ash with increasing white ash and yellow-poplar seedlings exposed to various O₃ concentrations and simulated rain for 5 and 6 weeks, respectively, increasing O₃ concentrations caused linear decreases in height and biomass of white ash. Linear decreases in root growth rate and biomass and RSR occurred with decreasing rain pH, across O₃ treatments. Ozone (0.05 or 0.10 ppm) caused linear decreases in these variables in combination with increasing rain acidity. For yellow-poplar, increasing O₃ concentrations caused linear increases in RSR and specific leaf area. At 0.05 and 0.10 ppm O₃, stem and leaf biomass, their relative growth rates and leaf area all decreased with decreasing rain pH. Ozone (0.10 ppm) exposure caused a decrease in stomatal conductance, and decreasing variable. rain pH resulted in a linear decrease in this A linear decrease in net photosynthesis also occurred with increasing rain acidity in O₃-treated (0.10 ppm) plants. These results demonstrate that gaseous pollutants in combination with simulated acid rain can have detrimental effects on growth of three forest tree species, under controlled laboratory conditions. / Ph. D.