The role of elevated ozone on growth, yield and seed quality amongst six cultivars of mung bean

Tropospheric ozone (O-3) can be deleterious to plants by decreasing crop yield and quality. Present study was conducted on six cultivars of mung bean (HUM-I, HUM-2, HUM-6, HUM-23, HUM-24 and HUM-26) grown under ambient O-3 (NFC) and elevated O-3 levels (ambient+10 ppb; NFC+) in open top chambers (OTCs) for two consecutive years. Ozone monitoring data showed high mean ambient concentration of O-3 at the experimental site, which was above the threshold value of 40 ppb. Ozone exposure induced symptoms of foliar injury and also depicted accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which led to increased membrane damage vis-a-vis solute leakage. Root/shoot allometric coefficient (k), yield and seed quality showed negative response to O-3. Differential response of mung bean cultivars against elevated O-3 was assessed by comparing the levels of antioxidants, metabolites, growth, total biomass and yield. Cultivar HUM-1 showed maximum sensitivity towards O-3 as compared to other cultivars. Findings of present study emphasized the possibility of selection of suitable O-3 resistant cultivars for the areas experiencing high concentrations of O-3. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.