Responses of loblolly pine to ozone and simulated acidic rain

Abstract

Acidic rain and ozone (O3) may have serious consequences on the growth and development of loblolly pine (Pinustaeda L.), a tree species of major economic importance in the southeastern United States. In two independent studies, seedlings of open-pollinated families of loblolly pine were exposed to five concentrations of O3 (0, 80, 160, 240, or 320 nL•L−1) and three simulated rain acidities (pH 5.3, 4.3, or 3.3). Following 23 weeks of growth (12 weeks in charcoal-filtered air and 11 weeks of O3 and simulated acidic rain exposures), stem height, secondary needle dry weight, top and total seedling dry weight, and root/shoot dry weight ratio all were related negatively and linearly with O3 concentration. Stem diameter and root dry weight were also suppressed by O3. Suppression of the growth parameters ranged from 14 to 35% for the greatest O3 concentration. Acidity of simulated rain did not affect seedlings, nor did it affect seedling responses to O3. Results indicate that acid rain probably has little effect on growth of loblolly pine seedlings, but O3 can suppress growth to varying degrees depending on family.