RESUMEN
Tropospheric ozone is a major air pollutant that significantly damages crop production. Crop metabolic responses to rising chronic ozone stress have not been well studied in the field, especially in C4 crops. In this study, we investigated the metabolomic profile of leaves from two diverse maize (Zea mays) inbred lines and the hybrid cross during exposure to season-long elevated ozone (~100 nl L-1) in the field using free air concentration enrichment (FACE) to identify key biochemical responses of maize to elevated ozone. Senescence, measured by loss of chlorophyll content, was accelerated in the hybrid line, B73 × Mo17, but not in either inbred line (B73 or Mo17). Untargeted metabolomic profiling further revealed that inbred and hybrid lines of maize differed in metabolic responses to ozone. A significant difference in the metabolite profile of hybrid leaves exposed to elevated ozone occurred as leaves aged, but no age-dependent difference in leaf metabolite profiles between ozone conditions was measured in the inbred lines. Phytosterols and α-tocopherol levels increased in B73 × Mo17 leaves as they aged, and to a significantly greater degree in elevated ozone stress. These metabolites are involved in membrane stabilization and chloroplast reactive oxygen species (ROS) quenching. The hybrid line also showed significant yield loss at elevated ozone, which the inbred lines did not. This suggests that the hybrid maize line was more sensitive to ozone exposure than the inbred lines, and up-regulated metabolic pathways to stabilize membranes and quench ROS in response to chronic ozone stress.
RESUMEN
Heat waves already have a large impact on crops and are predicted to become more intense and more frequent in the future. In this study, heat waves were imposed on soybean using infrared heating technology in a fully open-air field experiment. Five separate heat waves were applied to field-grown soybean (Glycine max) in central Illinois, three in 2010 and two in 2011. Thirty years of historical weather data from Illinois were analyzed to determine the length and intensity of a regionally realistic heat wave resulting in experimental heat wave treatments during which day and night canopy temperatures were elevated 6 °C above ambient for 3 days. Heat waves were applied during early or late reproductive stages to determine whether and when heat waves had an impact on carbon metabolism and seed yield. By the third day of each heat wave, net photosynthesis (A), specific leaf weight (SLW), and leaf total nonstructural carbohydrate concentration (TNC) were decreased, while leaf oxidative stress was increased. However, A, SLW, TNC, and measures of oxidative stress were no different than the control ca. 12 h after the heat waves ended, indicating rapid physiological recovery from the high-temperature stress. That end of season seed yield was reduced (~10%) only when heat waves were applied during early pod developmental stages indicates the yield loss had more to do with direct impacts of the heat waves on reproductive process than on photosynthesis. Soybean was unable to mitigate yield loss after heat waves given during late reproductive stages. This study shows that short high-temperature stress events that reduce photosynthesis and increase oxidative stress resulted in significant losses to soybean production in the Midwest, U.S. The study also suggests that to mitigate heat wave-induced yield loss, soybean needs improved reproductive and photosynthetic tolerance to high but increasingly common temperatures.