Elevated Ozone Reduces the Quality of Tea Leaves but May Improve the Resistance of Tea Plants
Nuo Wang,
Yuxi Wang,
Xinyang Zhang,
Yiqi Wu,
Lan Zhang,
Guanhua Liu,
Jianyu Fu,
Xin Li,
Dan Mu,
Zhengzhen Li
Affiliations
Nuo Wang
Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Biodiversity Study and Ecology Conservation in Southwest Anhui, School of Life Sciences, Anqing Normal University, Anqing 246133, China
Yuxi Wang
Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Biodiversity Study and Ecology Conservation in Southwest Anhui, School of Life Sciences, Anqing Normal University, Anqing 246133, China
Xinyang Zhang
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Yiqi Wu
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Lan Zhang
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Guanhua Liu
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Jianyu Fu
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Xin Li
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Dan Mu
Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Biodiversity Study and Ecology Conservation in Southwest Anhui, School of Life Sciences, Anqing Normal University, Anqing 246133, China
Zhengzhen Li
Key Laboratory of Tea Quality and Safety Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China
Tropospheric ozone (O3) pollution can affect plant nutritional quality and secondary metabolites by altering plant biochemistry and physiology, which may lead to unpredictable effects on crop quality and resistance to pests and diseases. Here, we investigated the effects of O3 (ambient air, Am; ambient air +80 ppb of O3, EO3) on the quality compounds and chemical defenses of a widely cultivated tea variety in China (Camellia sinensis cv. ‘Baiye 1 Hao’) using open-top chamber (OTC). We found that elevated O3 increased the ratio of total polyphenols to free amino acids while decreasing the value of the catechin quality index, indicating a reduction in leaf quality for green tea. Specifically, elevated O3 reduced concentrations of amino acids and caffeine but shows no impact on the concentrations of total polyphenols in tea leaves. Within individual catechins, elevated O3 increased the concentrations of ester catechins but not non-ester catechins, resulting in a slight increase in total catechins. Moreover, elevated O3 increased the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds involved in plant defense against herbivores and parasites, including green leaf volatiles, aromatics, and terpenes. Additionally, concentrations of main chemical defenses, represented as condensed tannins and lignin, in tea leaves also increased in response to elevated O3. In conclusion, our results suggest that elevated ground-level O3 may reduce the quality of tea leaves but could potentially enhance the resistance of tea plants to biotic stresses.
