Impacts of ethylenediurea (EDU) soil drench and foliar spray in Salix sachalinensis protection against O3-induced injury.
It is widely accepted that elevated levels of surface ozone (O3) negatively affect plants. Ethylenediurea (EDU) is a synthetic substance which effectively protects plants against O3-caused phytotoxicity. Among other questions, the one still open is: which EDU application method is more appropriate for treating fast-growing tree species. The main aims of this study were: (i) to test if chronic exposure of Salix sachalinensis plants to 200-400mgEDUL-1, the usually applied range for protection against O3phytotoxicity, is beneficial to plants; (ii) to evaluate the effects of chronic exposure to elevated O3on S. sachalinensis; (iii) to assess the efficacy of two methods (i.e. soil drench and foliar spray) of EDU application to plants; (iv) to investigate the appropriate concentration of EDU to protect against elevated O3-induced damage in S. sachalinensis; and (v) to compare the two methods of EDU application in terms of effectiveness and EDU consumption. Current-year cuttings grown in infertile soil free from organic matter were exposed either to low ambient O3(AOZ, 10-h≈28.3nmolmol-1) or to elevated O3(EOZ, 10-h≈65.8nmolmol-1) levels during daylight hours. Over the growing season, plants were treated every nine days with 200mL soil drench of 0, 200 or 400mgEDUL-1or with foliar spray of 0, 200 or 400mgEDUL-1(in two separate experiments). We found that EDU per se had no effects on plants exposed to AOZ. EOZ practically significantly injured S. sachalinensis plants, and the impact was indifferent between the experiments. EDU did not protect plants against EOZ impact when applied as soil drench but it did protect them when applied as 200-400mgL-1foliar spray. We conclude that EDU may be more effective against O3phytotoxicity to fast-growing species when applied as a spray than when applied as a drench. Keymessage: Soil-drenched EDU was ineffective in protecting willow plants against O3-induced injury, whereas foliar-sprayed EDU was effective even at the concentration of 200mgL-1.
Silviculture and Forest Ecological Studies, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8589, Japan. Electronic address: evgenios_ag@hotmail.com.
Evgenios
E
Agathokleous
National Council of Research, Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence 50019, Italy.
Elena
E
Paoletti
Lab of Ecology and Environmental Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, Athens 11855, Greece.
Costas J
CJ
Saitanis
Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
William J
WJ
Manning
Silviculture and Forest Ecological Studies, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8589, Japan.
Tetsuto
T
Sugai
Silviculture and Forest Ecological Studies, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8589, Japan.
Takayoshi
T
Koike
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D010126:Ozone / Q000633:toxicity*; D010671:Phenylurea Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects; D032108:Salix / Q000187:drug effects*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D010671:Phenylurea Compounds; D012987:Soil; C032766:ethylene diurea; D010126:Ozone
Air pollution; Antiozonant; Effect size; Ethylenediurea; Tropospheric ozone