Wood Distillate Mitigates Ozone-Induced Visible and Photosynthetic Plant Damage: Evidence from Ozone-Sensitive Tobacco (<em>Nicotiana tabacum</em> L.) BelW3

The use of wood distillate (WD) is emerging as a valuable strategy for protecting horticultural crops from the oxidizing effects of ozone (O<sub>3</sub>). To fully understand its effectiveness, extensive testing on different plant species is needed. As a viable interim measure, an assess...

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Main Authors: Andrea Vannini, Alessandro Petraglia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-05-01
Series:Horticulturae
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/10/5/480
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author Andrea Vannini
Alessandro Petraglia
author_facet Andrea Vannini
Alessandro Petraglia
author_sort Andrea Vannini
collection DOAJ
description The use of wood distillate (WD) is emerging as a valuable strategy for protecting horticultural crops from the oxidizing effects of ozone (O<sub>3</sub>). To fully understand its effectiveness, extensive testing on different plant species is needed. As a viable interim measure, an assessment of WD efficacy in model plants can be made until species-specific results become available. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ability of WD to protect the ozone-sensitive tobacco plant (<i>Nicotiana tabacum</i> L.) BelW3 from the oxidizing effects of O<sub>3</sub>, using the ozone-resistant tobacco plant BelB as a benchmark. The protective effect was evaluated during treatment applications and three weeks after these were completed. Ten BelW3 and five BelB plants were grown just outside Parma from June to October 2023, a period when average maximum O<sub>3</sub> concentrations were approximately 61 ppb. Starting from July, five BelW3 plants were sprayed weekly with WD at 0.2% for two months. Morphometric and photosynthetic measurements were then taken after six and 11 weeks from the beginning of treatments and three weeks after the end to assess protection persistence (if any). BelW3 showed a significant effect of O<sub>3</sub> compared to BelB plants for both morphometric and photosynthetic measurements, exhibiting increased necrotic areas on the leaf blade, reduced number of viable leaves, reduced average plant height, together with reduced chlorophyll content and impaired photosynthetic system functionality. BelW3 plants also showed a significant decrease in the efficiency of parameters related to PSII and PSI when compared to BelB. Wood distillate application, however, successfully mitigated O<sub>3</sub> effects on BelW3, as revealed by morphometric and photosynthetic values, which were in line with those observed in BelB. Notably, WD protective effect persisted 3 weeks after treatment cessation, highlighting the short-term protective capacity of the distillate against the oxidative action of O<sub>3</sub>.
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spelling doaj-art-c7fc9cbd00e848e39f800dccea73a8c02025-08-20T03:53:39ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242024-05-0110548010.3390/horticulturae10050480Wood Distillate Mitigates Ozone-Induced Visible and Photosynthetic Plant Damage: Evidence from Ozone-Sensitive Tobacco (<em>Nicotiana tabacum</em> L.) BelW3Andrea Vannini0Alessandro Petraglia1Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, ItalyDepartment of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, ItalyThe use of wood distillate (WD) is emerging as a valuable strategy for protecting horticultural crops from the oxidizing effects of ozone (O<sub>3</sub>). To fully understand its effectiveness, extensive testing on different plant species is needed. As a viable interim measure, an assessment of WD efficacy in model plants can be made until species-specific results become available. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ability of WD to protect the ozone-sensitive tobacco plant (<i>Nicotiana tabacum</i> L.) BelW3 from the oxidizing effects of O<sub>3</sub>, using the ozone-resistant tobacco plant BelB as a benchmark. The protective effect was evaluated during treatment applications and three weeks after these were completed. Ten BelW3 and five BelB plants were grown just outside Parma from June to October 2023, a period when average maximum O<sub>3</sub> concentrations were approximately 61 ppb. Starting from July, five BelW3 plants were sprayed weekly with WD at 0.2% for two months. Morphometric and photosynthetic measurements were then taken after six and 11 weeks from the beginning of treatments and three weeks after the end to assess protection persistence (if any). BelW3 showed a significant effect of O<sub>3</sub> compared to BelB plants for both morphometric and photosynthetic measurements, exhibiting increased necrotic areas on the leaf blade, reduced number of viable leaves, reduced average plant height, together with reduced chlorophyll content and impaired photosynthetic system functionality. BelW3 plants also showed a significant decrease in the efficiency of parameters related to PSII and PSI when compared to BelB. Wood distillate application, however, successfully mitigated O<sub>3</sub> effects on BelW3, as revealed by morphometric and photosynthetic values, which were in line with those observed in BelB. Notably, WD protective effect persisted 3 weeks after treatment cessation, highlighting the short-term protective capacity of the distillate against the oxidative action of O<sub>3</sub>.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/10/5/480leaf injuryleaves numbermodel speciesozone-sensitive plantsphotosynthesisplant height
spellingShingle Andrea Vannini
Alessandro Petraglia
Wood Distillate Mitigates Ozone-Induced Visible and Photosynthetic Plant Damage: Evidence from Ozone-Sensitive Tobacco (<em>Nicotiana tabacum</em> L.) BelW3
Horticulturae
leaf injury
leaves number
model species
ozone-sensitive plants
photosynthesis
plant height
title Wood Distillate Mitigates Ozone-Induced Visible and Photosynthetic Plant Damage: Evidence from Ozone-Sensitive Tobacco (<em>Nicotiana tabacum</em> L.) BelW3
title_full Wood Distillate Mitigates Ozone-Induced Visible and Photosynthetic Plant Damage: Evidence from Ozone-Sensitive Tobacco (<em>Nicotiana tabacum</em> L.) BelW3
title_fullStr Wood Distillate Mitigates Ozone-Induced Visible and Photosynthetic Plant Damage: Evidence from Ozone-Sensitive Tobacco (<em>Nicotiana tabacum</em> L.) BelW3
title_full_unstemmed Wood Distillate Mitigates Ozone-Induced Visible and Photosynthetic Plant Damage: Evidence from Ozone-Sensitive Tobacco (<em>Nicotiana tabacum</em> L.) BelW3
title_short Wood Distillate Mitigates Ozone-Induced Visible and Photosynthetic Plant Damage: Evidence from Ozone-Sensitive Tobacco (<em>Nicotiana tabacum</em> L.) BelW3
title_sort wood distillate mitigates ozone induced visible and photosynthetic plant damage evidence from ozone sensitive tobacco em nicotiana tabacum em l belw3
topic leaf injury
leaves number
model species
ozone-sensitive plants
photosynthesis
plant height
url https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/10/5/480
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