Effects of open-top chamber fumigations with ozone on three fungal leaf diseases of wheat and the mycoflora of the phyllosphere

Abstract

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Turbo) was exposed in open-top chambers to six different ozone levels (8-h daily means from 12·4 to 122 μg m−3), to non-filtered air and to chamberless field conditions for 31 days from seedling stage through ear emergence. Powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis DC. f.sp. tritici Marchal) which developed during the exposure period was significantly enhanced from 0·3/0·6% (two chamber replicates), 1·2/2·1%, 0·9/2·2% in charcoal-filtered air (CF) to 1·5/1·6%, 3·7/4·3%, 4·4/4·6% at the highest level of ozone, on the flag leaf, second and third leaf position, respectively. Post-exposure inoculation with Septoria nodorum Berk. led to increases of disease severity on the flag leaf from 40·9/43·6% in CF to 66·3/70·6% at the highest ozone concentration and on the ears from 15·7/16·5% to 26·3/26·6%. In the same comparison, severity of spot blotch following inoculation with Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoem. (syn. Helminthosporium sativum Pamm., King et Bakke) was increased on the flag leaf from 3·6/8·9% to 12·3/23·4%. The three diseases examined correlated significantly with the ozone treatments in fumigated chambers. Disease severity was enhanced even on undamaged plant tissue (flag leaves). Infections of the two facultative pathogens on lower leaf positions started only in part from visible ozone lesions, mildew did not start from such lesions. No significant effects of ozone in the chambers on the saprobial colonization of the phyllosphere were detected, whereas there were marked differences in this respect between plants from the field and the chambers. At the highest ozone treatment, contents of chlorophyll a and carotenoids on the second leaf position declined significantly, which was associated with symptoms of premature senescence. Senescing effects of ozone are therefore assumed to be one major factor in predisposing wheat for necrotrophic leaf pathogens. Surprisingly, injurious and predisposing effects of ozone were completely absent in chambers supplied with non-filtered air containing ambient ozone at doses equivalent to those in CF + ozone chambers. Evidently, biological effects of ozone in pure air and in ambient air may differ markedly.