Weight Changes of Radish and Marigold Exposed at Three Ages to NO2, SO2, and O3 Alone and in Mixture1

Abstract

Abstract Radish (Raphanus sativus L. cv. Cherry Belle) and marigold (Tagetes patula L. cv. King Tut) were exposed 3 times (every other day), for 3 hours each time to NO2, SO2, and O3, alone and in mixture at 0.3 ppm of each pollutant. Plants were exposed to the pollutant treatments at 3 ages. Radish was most sensitive to O3 at 19–23 days from seeding. The response of marigold to the individual pollutants was not dependent on plant age. Pollutant treatments containing O3 reduced radish root (hypocotyl) dry weight 48% per plant compared with plants exposed to treatments without O3. Interactions of NO2, SO2, and O3 on weight changes in marigold were significant. Sulfur dioxide, alone, reduced the dry weight of the marigold flower and roots, but the inhibitory effect of SO2 was reversed in the presence of NO2 or O3.