Ozone Biomonitoring with Bel-W3 Tobacco Plants in the City of Valencia (Spain)

Authors: Calatayud, Vicent; Sanz, María; Calvo, Esperanza; Cerveró, Júlia; Ansel, Wolfgang; Klumpp, Andreas

Source: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, Volume 183, Numbers 1-4, July 2007 , pp. 283-291(9)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

A biomonitoring study using the ozone-sensitive bioindicator plant Nicotiana tabacum cv. Bel-W3 was conducted in the city of Valencia (eastern Spain) and surrounding areas in 2002. Plants were exposed to ambient air at seven sites, including four traffic-exposed urban sites, a large urban garden and a suburban and a rural station, for six consecutive 2-week periods using highly standardised methods. Foliar injury was registered at all stations in at least one of the exposure periods. The urban stations submitted to intense traffic showed lower ozone injury than the less traffic-exposed stations. Strong changes in the intensity of ozone injury were observed for the different exposure periods. Leaf injury was significantly related to both mean ozone values (24 and 12 h means) and cumulative exposure indices (AOT20, AOT40). However, correlation strength was moderate (r _s = 0.39 to 0.58), suggesting that the plant response to ozone was modified by environmental factors. The use of sensitive bioindicators like tobacco Bel-W3 in cities provides complementary information to that of continuously operating air quality monitors, as the impact of ambient ozone levels is directly measured.

Keywords: Air quality; Bioindicators; Tobacco Bel-W3; Urban air pollution

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11270-007-9376-2

Affiliations: 1: Email: vicent@ceam.es

Publication date: 2007-07-01