Impacts of ozone on physiology and yield of African crops – Sunrise Work Package 3.2

Ground-level concentrations of ozone are high in many crop growing regions of the world and increasing rapidly in developing countries. Ozone reduces productivity of sensitive crops by reducing photosynthesis and causing cell damage within leaves, following uptake through the leaf stomatal pores. Currently, little is known about effects on crops growing in African countries where ozone precursor emissions are rising rapidly. We worked with African scientists to select the most appropriate food crops and cultivars, and exposed them to realistic current and potential future ozone regimes in the climate controlled UK CEH Bangor solardomes to quantify the impacts on plant physiology and the negative effects of ozone on yield.