Leaf injury on wheat plants exposed in the field in winter to SO2

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The combined stresses of air pollution and low temperatures have been suspected as a cause of difficulty in establishing grasses1 and trees2 in upland areas of northern England. Davison and Bailey3 recently showed in controlled environment studies that exposure to SO2 predisposed grasses to frost injury, and Keller4 has established that exposure to SO2 of young spruce trees kept in cabinets outdoors over winter enhanced their sensitivity to frost injury the following spring. We report here the first observations of injury of winter wheat exposed in the field to controlled concentrations of SO2 during the severe winter weather of December 1981 to January 1982. We conclude that the injury was probably caused by cold-stress after SO2 exposure had rendered the plants cold-sensitive.