Agronomy (Sep 2024)

Effects of Increasing Ozone Levels on Leaf Biochemistry and Flower Development in Petunia Varieties with Different Floral Pigmentation

  • Ning Yang,
  • Xiaoke Wang,
  • Lorenzo Cotrozzi,
  • Cristina Nali,
  • Elisa Pellegrini,
  • Gemma Bianchi,
  • Claudia Pisuttu,
  • Feixiang Zheng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14092027
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 9
p. 2027

Abstract

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In this work, we assessed the effects of increasing ozone (O3) on four petunia varieties with different floral pigmentation (pink, red, rose-red, and white). Plants were exposed, in open-top chambers located in China, to three O3 concentrations, i.e., (i) ambient air (AA), (ii) AA + 60 ppb O3 (AA + 60), and (iii) AA + 120 ppb O3 (AA + 120), for 85 days (9 h day−1). Flower diameter and duration were assessed, together with leaf chlorophyll and flavonoid contents. White petunia showed a reduced flower diameter and longevity under AA + 60 (−7 and −6%, respectively, in comparison to AA), whereas pink and red petunias only showed this under AA + 120 (−8 and −7%, on average, respectively). Chlorophyll loss occurred in all varieties under AA + 60 (−30%, on average), and at AA + 120 in white and red petunias (−54%, on average). The total flavonoid content in the pink and white varieties increased only under AA + 120 (around +85%), while it grew at both AA + 60 and AA + 120 (+92% and two-fold higher, respectively) in the red variety. Increasing O3 concentrations did not affect particularly the red-rose variety. The white variety showed the strongest correlations among flower and leaf properties, confirming a variety-related O3 response, as well as demonstrating that it had the highest O3 sensitivity.

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