Effects of ozone, drought and heat stress on wheat yield and grain quality

Abstract

Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a gaseous phytotoxic plant stressor known to reduce wheat (Triticum aestivum) crop yields at current concentrations. O3 is predicted to increase in many crop-growing regions, together with higher frequencies of heatwaves and droughts. In this study, wheat crops were exposed to two levels of O3 (ambient and ∼70 ppb) in combination with ambient or elevated temperature (+8 °C) and two watering regimes (well-watered and 50% reduced water supply) during the grain-filling period. With this experimental setup, we assessed the interactive effects between O3, temperature and water supply on wheat yield and grain quality, and measured leaf gas exchange to explore the underlying mechanisms. Overall, O3, warming and drought all decreased grain yield and average grain mass but increased grain concentration of N and other nutrient elements. Increasing daytime O3 from 25 to 73 ppb resulted in a 25% yield reduction in treatments with ambient temperature and well-watered soil. Drought reduced the impact of O3 on light-saturated photosynthesis, grain mass, total aboveground biomass and grain concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, Mo. In contrast, concentrations of K and Ca increased to a larger extent when O3 stress was combined with elevated temperature. Grain concentrations of N, Ca and Zn were closely and negatively related to grain yield regardless of O3, heat and drought stress, likely explained by the reduction in grain filling period, with starch accumulation reduced to a larger extent than that of these elements. P, K, Mg, Mn, Mo concentrations were weakly related to grain yield, but were clearly altered by environmental stress. The modifying effect of water availability is crucial to include in assessments of O3 impacts on global food production in relation to climate change, considering effects on wheat yield variables and grain nutrient concentrations.