Psidium guajava 'Paluma' (the guava plant) as a new bio-indicator of ozone in the tropics.

Psidium guajava 'Paluma' saplings were exposed to carbon filtered air (CF), ambient non-filtered air (NF), and ambient non-filtered air+40ppb ozone (NF+O(3)) 8h per day during two months. The AOT40 values at the end of the experiment were 48, 910 and 12 895ppbh(-1), respectively for the three treatments. After 5 days of exposure (AOT40=1497ppbh(-1)), interveinal red stippling appeared in plants in the NF+O(3) chamber. In the NF chamber, symptoms were observed only after 40 days of exposure (AOT40=880ppbh(-1)). After 60 days, injured leaves per plant corresponded to 86% in NF+O(3) and 25% in the NF treatment, and the average leaf area injured was 45% in NF+O(3) and 5% in the NF treatment. The extent of leaf area injured (leaf injury index) was explained mainly by the accumulated exposure of ozone (r(2)=0.91; p<0.05).

Assessment of the ozone tolerance of two soybean cultivars (Glycine max cv. Sambaíba and Tracajá) cultivated in Amazonian areas.

Brazilian soybean cultivars (Glycine max Sambaíba and Tracajá) routinely grown in Amazonian areas were exposed to filtered air (FA) and filtered air enriched with ozone (40 and 80 ppb, 6 h/day for 5 days) to assess their level of tolerance to this pollutant by measuring changes in key biochemical, physiological, and morphological indicators of injury and in enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Sambaíba plants were more sensitive to ozone than Tracajá plants, as revealed by comparing indicator injury responses and antioxidant stimulations. Sambaíba exhibited higher visible leaf injury, higher stomatal conductance, and a severe decrease in the carbon assimilation rate. Higher ozone level (80 ppb) caused an increase in cell death in both cultivars. Levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide also increased in Tracajá exposed under 80 ppb. Sambaíba plants exhibited decreases in ascorbate and glutathione levels and in enzymatic activities associated with these antioxidants. The higher tolerance of the Tracajá soybean appeared to be indicated by reduced physiological injuries and lower stomatal conductance, which might decrease the influx of ozone and enhance oxidation-reduction reactions involving catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, ascorbate, and glutathione, most likely stimulated by higher hydrogen peroxide.