Ozone Pollution and Plant Health: Understanding the Impacts and Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture

Advances in Botanical Research Volume 108: Ozone Pollution and Plant Health: Understanding the Impacts and Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture provides a comprehensive overview of the harmful effects of tropospheric ozone (O3) pollution on crop productivity, with a focus on how it is measured and modeled under climate change scenarios. The book discusses the sources of O3 pollution, including anthropogenic precursor gases, and how O3 exposure can impair photosynthesis, reduce gas exchange, induce early leaf senescence, and hamper growth in natural vegetation and crops. The book highlights how O3 interacts with plant physiology and metabolism, including through the activation of signal transduction pathways, changes in phytohormone signaling, and modulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and signaling. The book also explores the experimental and modeling methods used to assess the effects of O3 on crops, with a focus on studies conducted in Asia. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding the implications of ozone pollution for ensuring food security and protecting human and environmental health and suggests strategies such as using ozone-resistant cultivars of plants and crops. Additionally, the book discusses the broader context of air pollution and its impact on crop productivity, including the effects of other air pollutants on plants and crops and the need for mitigation strategies and policies to address agricultural losses. This book is essential reading for early-career researchers, sustainable agriculture practitioners, and policymakers interested in understanding the complex interactions between ozone pollution and plant productivity and finding solutions to mitigate the detrimental effects of ozone pollution on crops in a changing climate.