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The microbiome in silage may vary substantially from the onset to the completion of fermentation. Improved additives and inoculants are being developed to accelerate the ensiling process, to enhance fermentation quality, and to delay spoilage during feed-out. However, current methods for preselecting and characterizing these amendments are time-consuming and costly. Here, we have developed a multi-sensor mini-bioreactor (MSMB) to track microbial fermentation in situ and additionally presented a mathematical model for the optimal assessment among candidate inoculants based on the Bolza equation, a fundamental formula in optimal control theory. Three sensors [pH, CO2, and ethanol (EtOH)] provided data for assessment, with four additional sensors (O2, gas pressure, temperature, and atmospheric pressure) to monitor/control the fermentation environment. This advanced MSMB is demonstrated with an experimental method for evaluating three typical species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Lentilactobacillus buchneri (LB) alone, and LB mixed with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (LBLP) or with Enterococcus faecium (LBEF), all cultured in De Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) broth. The fermentation process was monitored in situ over 48 h with these candidate microbial strains using the MSMB. The experimental results combine acidification characteristics with production of CO2 and EtOH, optimal assessment of the microbes, analysis of the metabolic sensitivity to pH, and partitioning of the contribution of each species to fermentation. These new data demonstrate that the MSMB associated with the novel rapid data-processing method may expedite development of microbial amendments for silage additives.

Origins of abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated metabolic control of stomatal conductance have been suggested to be recent, based on a gradualistic model of stomatal evolution. In ferns, steady-state stomatal conductance (gs ) was unresponsive to ABA in some studies, supporting this model. Stomatal kinetic responses to ABA have not been considered. We used dynamic gas exchange methods to characterise half times of stomatal opening and closing in response to step changes in light, across a range of ABA exposures in three diverse taxa. All taxa had asymmetric kinetics, with closure slower than opening in fern and cedar, but faster than opening in soybean. Closing was fastest in soybean but opening was slowest. Stomatal kinetics, particularly for closure, responded to ABA in all three taxa. Steady-state gs did not respond significantly to ABA in fern or cedar but responded strongly in soybean. Stomatal kinetics were responsive to ABA in fern. This finding supports a contrasting, single origin model, with ABA-mediated regulation of stomata arising early, in conjunction with stomata themselves. Stomatal kinetics are underutilised. Differential responses of opening and closing rates to environmental and hormonal stimuli may provide insights into phylogeny and stomatal regulatory strategies with potential application to selection for crop improvement.

Stem water content (StWC) of plants is an important parameter for assessing plant response to drought stress in arid and semi-arid areas and for irrigation scheduling. The measurement accuracies of in-situ non-invasive approaches are degraded by plant growth and by diurnal changes in stem diameter associated with water content. Here we develop a frequency-domain (FD) dielectric sensor operating at 100 MHz with an innovative interdigitated-electrodes (IE) probe design for measuring StWC. We characterize the performance of the IE sensor and compare it with a previously described pair-strap-ring-electrodes (2RE) FD sensor. Simulations and experimental measurements were conducted to assess the electric field distribution and volume of sensitivity (VOS) of each probe, the sensitivity of each probe to stem diameter and the accuracy of each sensor for determining StWC of three apple trees in a greenhouse environment. The simulation analysis and the measurement showed that the IE probe has a smaller but denser VOS than the 2RE probe. The sensitivity test showed that the new IE probe (0.85 mV mm−1, R2 = 0.7108) was less susceptible to stem diameter variation in comparison with the 2RE probe (32.83 mV mm−1, R2 = 0.9977). The observations in the greenhouse showed that the three apple trees (AT-1, AT-2 and AT-3) experienced a daily dehydration-rehydration cycle and the averaged midnight-to-predawn StWC gradually decreased without irrigation. According to the reference values of the maximum daily trunk shrinkage (MDS) reported by a previous study, both AT-2 and AT-3 may experience water deficit before the irrigation. Besides, the stem diameter variation decreased the measurement accuracy of 2RE sensor to be ~0.0410 cm3 cm−3 mm−1. The stronger electric field intensity of the IE probe and its less susceptible to stem diameter variation make the new IE dielectric sensor an improved method for accurate in-situ measurement of diurnal stem water content.

The degree to which ozone (O3) exposure and drought affect stomatal control of water loss and respond to environmental stimuli such as varying light is poorly characterized. To that end, we exposed Pima cotton to chronic O3 exposure (month-long daytime exposures) with and without sufficient water, as well as short term acute O3 exposure and varying light levels to understand stomatal kinetics. Chronic, month-long exposure to moderately high O3 (~114 ppb) reduced daytime steady state stomatal conductance (gs), as did water deficit. Both stomatal opening and closing displayed dose specific, “sluggish” responses to step-changes in illumination with acute, 1-day, O3 exposures of 0, 50, 100, and 125 ppb. At higher concentration (150 ppb), stomatal control of both opening and closing was degraded. Altered steady state and dynamic stomatal function suggest that elevated ambient O3, expected to increase in the future, may increasingly influence field water management and appropriate crop choices.

Agricultural production in the hot and arid low desert systems of southern California relies heavily on irrigation. A better understanding of how much and to what extent irrigated water is transpired by crops relative to being lost through evaporation would improve the management of increasingly limited water resources. In this study, we examined the partitioning of evapotranspiration (ET) over a field of forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), which was under evaluation as a potential biofuel feedstock, based on isotope measurements of three irrigation cycles at the vegetative stage. This study employed customized transparent chambers coupled with a laser-based isotope analyzer to continuously measure near-surface variations in the stable isotopic composition of evaporation (E, δE), transpiration (T, δT) and ET (δET) to partition the total water flux. Due to the extreme heat and aridity, δE and δT were very similar, which makes this system highly unusual. Contrary to an expectation that the isotopic signatures of T, E, and ET would become increasingly enriched as soils became drier, our results showed an interesting pattern that δE, δT, and δET increased initially as soil water was depleted following irrigation, but decreased with further soil drying in mid to late irrigation cycle. These changes are likely caused by root water transport from deeper to shallower soil layers. Results indicate that about 46% of the irrigated water delivered to the crop was used as transpiration, with 54% lost as direct evaporation. This implies that 28 − 39% of the total source water was used by the crop, considering the typical 60 − 85% efficiency of flood irrigation. The stable isotope technique provided an effective means of determining surface partitioning of irrigation water in this unusually harsh production environment. The results suggest the potential to further minimize unproductive water losses in these production systems.

Stomatal pore area is heterogeneous across leaf surfaces. This has been considered as “patchy stomatal conductance,” and may have substantial implications for photosynthetic efficiency. Aerosols have always been important elements of plant environments, but their effects on stomatal control of plant water relations, and stomatal heterogeneity specifically, have not been considered. Here we evaluate the spatial coordination of pore area in the glabrous and homobaric leaves of Vicia faba grown under two aerosol treatments and measured at four levels of VPD. We construct a large dataset (n > 88,000 discrete comparisons) of paired pore areas and distances between the pores. Plants were grown in ambient urban air and in filtered air (FA) to determine the effect of ambient aerosol on stomatal properties. Pore area exhibited spatial organization, as well as considerable variability among closely co-located pores. The difference between pore areas was positively correlated with the distance between the pores, in both aerosol treatments and at all VPDs. However, aerosol deposition reduced both the magnitude of variability between pores and the rate at which this variability increased with pore separation distance. These data support previous conclusions that deposition of hygroscopic aerosol may create a thin aqueous film across the leaf surface that connects neighboring stomata to each other and to the leaf interior. Aerosol impacts on stomatal heterogeneity and gas exchange are not adequately considered in current assessments of stomatal control.

Ozone (O3) is a secondary atmospheric pollutant that causes widespread damage to vegetation, including cotton. The high temperatures and abundant sunlight that lead to good cotton yields also lead to production of O3. The early crop loss experiments of the 1970s identified upland cotton as particularly sensitive to O3. Exposure to ambient concentrations of O3 resulted in a 10 to >15% loss in economic yield. More recent experiments with modern cultivars have confirmed damage to upland and Pima cultivars but have not assessed yield loss under agronomic conditions. It is likely that selection for yield in high O3 environments has led to inadvertent selection for tolerance to O3. Ozone reduces yield and fiber quality, mediated by O3-induced changes in gross photosynthesis, respiration, and translocation of current photosynthate out of source leaves. Ozone typically reduces root development and the root-to-shoot biomass ratio, which has secondary effects on plant growth and development and on water relations. Ozone also reduces stomatal conductance as a primary defense against entry of O3 into the plant, but this also restricts entry of CO2 and therefore photosynthesis. Ozone is clearly phytotoxic and impacts cotton as well as other species. Recent research has led to understanding many aspects of the mechanism of O3 damage and could lead to targeted approaches to improving O3 tolerance, and therefore, yield in O3-impacted production areas.

Aerosols are important components of the global plant environment, with beneficial and deleterious impacts. The direct effects of aerosol deposition on plant-water relationships remain poorly characterized but potentially important. Vicia faba was grown in ambient urban air and in the same air with aerosol excluded, in a moderately polluted environment using two exposure protocols. Simultaneous measurement of gas exchange and stomatal pore aperture was combined with leaf dehydration kinetics and microscopic evaluation of leaf wetness formation and aerosol deposition patterns. The ambient aerosol was shown to be hygroscopic. Aerosol exposure increased minimum leaf conductance, shown by dehydration kinetics, and nocturnal water vapor flux, shown by dark-adapted gas exchange. Aerosol exposure decreased stomatal apertures at each level of vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and increased stomatal conductance at comparable levels of aperture. Overall, these effects were modest, and largest when stomata were wide open. The uncoupling of conductance (flux-based) from aperture (directly measured microscopically) implies that aerosol-induced water loss is not fully under stomatal control. This reduces drought tolerance and may provide a mechanism by which deposited aerosol plays a direct role in stomatal response to VPD.

Silage is a critical global feedstock, but is prone to aerobic deterioration. The dominant mechanism of O2 transport into silage remains unresolved. Here, multiple sensors tracked O2 and CO2, gas pressure (ΔP) between internal silage and ambient air, pH and silage temperature (Tsi) during the ensilage of maize and ryegrass. We report the first observation that CO2 produced from microbial respiration was partially dissolved in silage water, with evidence of negative or positive ΔP depending on the changing balance between CO2 production and dissolution. The ΔP 2 production was much greater in anaerobic fermentation stage than in initial aerobic phase or later aerobic feed-out phase. O2 transport into silage is intimately linked to the dynamics of net CO2, ΔP, microbial activity, pH and Tsi. These results suggested that both gas diffusion (based on Fick’s law) and advective transfer (Darcy’s law) play equally important roles in governing the complex temporal progression of inward and outward gas fluxes to and from the silage interior. Even though low pH suppressed microbial activity and supported aerobic stability, the negative ΔP increased the risk of O2 entry and aerobic deterioration during feed-out phase.

Plant sensitivity to ozone (O 3 ) is critical to modeling impacts of air pollution on vegetation. A diel timecourse of sensitivity ( S ) was recently determined in Pima cotton (Grantz et al., 2013). The sensitivity parameter serves as a weighting factor for stomatal uptake (ozone flux, F ), or cumulative F (dose, D ). Previous approaches used various weighting schemes to modify ozone concentration ([O 3 ]) or cumulative [O 3 ] (exposure, E ). Use of the S parameter allows calculation of effective flux ( F eff ) and effective dose ( D eff ). Though theoretically sound, the practical significance of S has not been evaluated due to the previous lack of available data. Here, the newly available S parameter is used to explore the relationships between exposure- and flux-based O 3 metrics in response to scenarios of contrasting stomatal conductance ( g s ) and ambient [O 3 ]. The O 3 scenarios were similar but differed in timing of peak [O 3 ]. E varied by up to 13.7%, D by up to 15.4%, and D eff , which factors in sensitivity, by up to 19.0%. The g s scenarios differed in midday magnitude and nocturnal closure. Cumulative g s varied by 65.2%, which was attenuated in D to 49.2% and in D eff to 51.1%. A simulation of hourly [O 3 ], F , and F eff was run using Monte Carlo techniques with a full month of ambient [O 3 ] data. Resulting diel timecourses of [O 3 ], F , and F eff were realistic, with the principal sources of uncertainty in the physiological parameters, g s and S . Analysis of hourly values from the scenarios and the simulation output demonstrated significant correlation among the O 3 metrics. However, the uncertainty in both F and F eff predicted from [O 3 ] was large and proportional to [O 3 ], yielding greatest uncertainty under conditions of high [O 3 ] and potential phytotoxicity. In contrast, F eff was significantly correlated with F , with low variability that was not proportional to F . As a result, uncertainty was low and prediction potentially useful under conditions of likely injury. These results suggest that F, which incorporates g s , represents a substantial improvement over ambient [O 3 ], which does not. F eff , which incorporates S, was closely related to F , which does not use S. The substantial effort required to measure or model S and F eff may not be justified under some conditions. Further research to obtain additional timecourses of S and to explore additional [O 3 ] and g s scenarios is urgently required.

Perchlorate (ClO4(-)) interferes with uptake of iodide in humans. Emission inventories do not explain observed distributions. Ozone (O3) is implicated in the natural origin of ClO4(-), and has increased since pre-industrial times. O3 produces ClO4(-)in vitro from Cl(-), and plant tissues contain Cl(-) and redox reactions. We hypothesize that O3 exposure may induce plant synthesis of ClO4(-). We exposed contrasting crop species to environmentally relevant O3 concentrations. In the absence of O3 exposure, species exhibited a large range of ClO4(-) accumulation but there was no relationship between leaf ClO4(-) and O3, whether expressed as exposure or cumulative flux (dose). Older, senescing leaves accumulated more ClO4(-) than younger leaves. O3 exposed vegetation is not a source of environmental ClO4(-). There was evidence of enhanced ClO4(-) content in the soil surface at the highest O3 exposure, which could be a significant contributor to environmental ClO4(-).

Plant injury by ozone (O3) occurs in three stages, O3 entrance through stomata, overcoming defences, and attack on bioreceptors. Concentration, deposition, and uptake of O3 are accessible by observation and modelling, while injury can be assessed visually or through remote sensing. However, the relationship between O3 metrics and injury is confounded by variation in sensitivity to O3. Sensitivity weighting parameters have previously been assigned to different plant functional types and growth stages, or by differentially weighting O3 concentrations, but diel and seasonal variability have not been addressed. Here a plant sensitivity parameter (S) is introduced, relating injury to O3 dose (uptake) using three independent injury endpoints in the crop species, Pima cotton (Gossypium barbadense). The diel variability of S was determined by assessment at 2h intervals. Pulses of O3 (15 min) were used to assess passive (constitutive) defence mechanisms and dose was used rather than concentration to avoid genetic or environmental effects on stomatal regulation. A clear diel trend in S was apparent, with maximal sensitivity in mid-afternoon, not closely related to gas exchange, whole leaf ascorbate, or total antioxidant capacity. This physiologically based sensitivity parameter provides a novel weighting factor to improve modelled relationships between either flux or exposure to O3, and O3 impacts. This represents a substantial improvement over concentration- or phenology-based weighting factors currently in use. Future research will be required to characterize the variability and metabolic drivers of diel changes in S, and the performance of this parameter in prediction of O3 injury.

Natural perchlorate (ClO4−) in soil and groundwater exhibits a wide range in stable isotopic compositions (δ37Cl, δ18O, and Δ17O), indicating that ClO4− may be formed through more than one pathway and/or undergoes post-depositional isotopic alteration. Plants are known to accumulate ClO4−, but little is known about their ability to alter its isotopic composition. We examined the potential for plants to alter the isotopic composition of ClO4− in hydroponic and field experiments conducted with snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). In hydroponic studies, anion ratios indicated that ClO4− was transported from solutions into plants similarly to NO3− but preferentially to Cl− (4-fold). The ClO4− isotopic compositions of initial ClO4− reagents, final growth solutions, and aqueous extracts from plant tissues were essentially indistinguishable, indicating no significant isotope effects during ClO4− uptake or accumulation. The ClO4− isotopic composition of field-grown snap beans was also consistent with that of ClO4− in varying proportions from irrigation water and precipitation. NO3− uptake had little or no effect on NO3− isotopic compositions in hydroponic solutions. However, a large fractionation effect with an apparent e (15N/18O) ratio of 1.05 was observed between NO3− in hydroponic solutions and leaf extracts, consistent with partial NO3− reduction during assimilation within plant tissue. We also explored the feasibility of evaluating sources of ClO4− in commercial produce, as illustrated by spinach, for which the ClO4− isotopic composition was similar to that of indigenous natural ClO4−. Our results indicate that some types of plants can accumulate and (presumably) release ClO4− to soil and groundwater without altering its isotopic characteristics. Concentrations and isotopic compositions of ClO4− and NO3− in plants may be useful for determining sources of fertilizers and sources of ClO4− in their growth environments and consequently in food supplies.

The available literature is conflicting on the potential protection of plants against ozone (O(3)) injury by exogenous jasmonates, including methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Protective antagonistic interactions of O(3) and MeJA have been observed in some systems and purely additive effects in others. Here it is shown that chronic exposure to low to moderate O(3) concentrations (4-114 ppb; 12 h mean) and to MeJA induced additive reductions in carbon assimilation (A (n)) and root respiration (R (r)), and in calculated whole plant carbon balance. Neither this chronic O(3) regime nor MeJA induced emission of ethylene (ET) from the youngest fully expanded leaves. ET emission was induced by acute 3 h pulse exposure to much higher O(3) concentrations (685 ppb). ET emission was further enhanced in plants treated with MeJA. Responses of growth, allocation, photosynthesis, and respiration to moderate O(3) concentrations and to MeJA appear to be independent and additive, and not associated with emission of ET. These results suggest that responses of Pima cotton to environmentally relevant O(3) are not mediated by signalling pathways associated with ET and MeJA, though these pathways are inducible in this species and exhibit a synergistic O(3)×MeJA interaction at very high O(3) concentrations.

The productivity, product quality and competitive ability of important agricultural and horticultural plants in many regions of the world may be adversely affected by current and anticipated concentrations of ground-level ozone (O3). Exposure to elevated O3 typically results in suppressed photosynthesis, accelerated senescence, decreased growth and lower yields. Various approaches used to evaluate O3 effects generally concur that current yield losses range from 5% to 15% among sensitive plants. There is, however, considerable genetic variability in plant responses to O3. To illustrate this, we show that ambient O3 concentrations in the eastern United States cause substantially different levels of damage to otherwise similar snap bean cultivars. Largely undesirable effects of O3 can also occur in seed and fruit chemistry as well as in forage nutritive value, with consequences for animal production. Ozone may alter herbicide efficacy and foster establishment of some invasive species. We conclude that current and projected levels of O3 in many regions worldwide are toxic to sensitive plants of agricultural and horticultural significance. Plant breeding that incorporates O3 sensitivity into selection strategies will be increasingly necessary to achieve sustainable production with changing atmospheric composition, while reductions in O3 precursor emissions will likely benefit world food production and reduce atmospheric concentrations of an important greenhouse gas.

Horseweed has become increasingly difficult to control in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California. Resistance to glyphosate may not fully explain the quasi-invasive behavior of this native species. We contrast glyphosate-resistant (GR) and glyphosate-susceptible (GS) horseweed biotypes for vigor during the vegetative stage and for resistance to ozone (O3). The SJV is impacted by O3 air pollution, which could be a factor in competitiveness of GR vs. GS. Both biotypes were exposed during the seedling and vegetative stages of rosette development to a range of O3 concentrations in greenhouse exposure chambers. Leaf injury was evaluated visually and biomass production and allocation destructively. In O3-free air, the GR biotype exhibited fewer foliar lesions, more vigorous growth, and 40% greater biomass than the GS biotype. The slope of the response to O3 was greater in the GR than in the GS biotype, implying greater relative sensitivity to O3. This was due to greater vigor at low O3, as the bioty...

Fertilized soils have large potential for production of soil nitrogen oxide (NOx=NO+NO2), however these emissions are difficult to predict in high-temperature environments. Understanding these emissions may improve air quality modelling as NOx contributes to formation of tropospheric ozone (O3), a powerful air pollutant. Here we identify the environmental and management factors that regulate soil NOx emissions in a high-temperature agricultural region of California. We also investigate whether soil NOx emissions are capable of influencing regional air quality. We report some of the highest soil NOx emissions ever observed. Emissions vary nonlinearly with fertilization, temperature and soil moisture. We find that a regional air chemistry model often underestimates soil NOx emissions and NOx at the surface and in the troposphere. Adjusting the model to match NOx observations leads to elevated tropospheric O3. Our results suggest management can greatly reduce soil NOx emissions, thereby improving air quality., Soil NOx emissions can significantly impact air quality in agricultural regions, particularly high temperature fertilized systems. Here, the authors investigate NOx emissions in one such system in California and suggest that the NOx emissions are the highest ever observed, with implications for air quality.

The mechanism of O 3 action on plants remains poorly characterized. Symptoms include visible lesions on the leaf surface, reduced growth and a hypothesized reduction in allocation of carbohydrate to roots. The generality of this latter phenomenon has not been demonstrated. Here, a meta-analysis is performed of all available experimental data, to test the hypotheses that O 3 exposure of the shoot inhibits biomass allocation below ground (the root/shoot allometric coefficient, k) and inhibits whole-plant growth rate [relative growth rate (RGR)]. Both k and RGR were significantly reduced by O 3 (5.6 and 8.2%, respectively). Variability in k was greater than in RGR, and both exhibited some positive as well as mostly negative responses. The effects on k were distinct from the effects on RGR. In some cases, k was reduced while RGR was unaffected. Slow-growing plants (small RGR) exhibited the largest declines in k. These observations may have mechanistic implications regarding O 3 phytotoxicity. There were no effects of type of exposure chamber on sensitivity to O 3 . The analyses indicate that the O 3 inhibition of allocation to roots is real and general, but variable. Further experiments are needed for under-represented plant groups, to characterize exceptions to this generalization and to evaluate O 3 -environment interactions.

In recent decades, air quality has improved near most cities but not in rural areas such as the San Joaquin Valley. Many studies using diverse exposure techniques have shown that ground-level ozone air pollution reduces plant growth and yield, from negligible impacts in some species to over 30% losses in others. We studied the interaction of ozone with weed competition from yellow nutsedge in Pima cotton and tomato in open-top field-exposure chambers at the UC Kearney Research and Extension Center in Fresno County. Ozone impacts on cotton (which is relatively sensitive) were compounded by weed competition, whereas tomato (which is less sensitive) competed well at all ozone concentrations. Our data suggests that crop-loss estimates obtained in single-factor experiments accurately reflect the serious risk of ozone to agriculture, but that more accurate yield predictions will require the consideration of interactions between the components of complex crop production systems, including weed competition.

It is well established that exposure of plant foliage to tropospheric ozone (O3) inhibits photosynthetic gas exchange in leaves and the translocation of current photosynthate to sink tissues. It is less clear what impact O3-reduced source strength has on the physiological responses of sink tissue such as fine roots. The responses were investigated of carbon acquisition in leaves and carbon utilization in the respiration of fine roots, following chronic (weeks) and acute (hours) exposures to O3 in open top chambers. Previous reports indicate increased, decreased, and unchanged rates of root respiration following exposure to O3. A decline in source activity is confirmed, but an increase in sink respiration is reported in fine roots of Pima cotton (cv. S-6) and muskmelon (cv. Ambrosia hybrid). Leaf source strength and root sink activity changed in opposing directions, thus there was no positive correlation that might indicate direct substrate control of root function. Additional linkages between shoot and root following exposure to O3 may be involved.

O(3)could reduce growth and carbohydrate allocation to roots by direct inhibition of photosynthesis and source strength. Alternatively, O(3) could reduce growth indirectly by inhibition of root hydraulic development through a primary lesion in carbohydrate translocation. Another alternative is that O(3) could slow the rate of plant development, only apparently altering carbohydrate allocation at a given plant age. Pima cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) is used to address these possibilities, and four hypotheses were tested/ (1) O(3) exposure reduces leaf pools of soluble sugars; (2) pruning leaf area and reducing source strength to match that of O(3)-treated plants reproduces O(3)-effects; (3) pruning lower leaf area more closely reproduces O(3) effects than pruning upper leaf area; and (4) manipulating plant age and thereby plant size to match O(3)-treated plants reproduces O(3)-effects. All were falsified. Soluble sugars did not decline. Pruning upper and lower leaves and manipulating plant age all reduced biomass and leaf area similarly to O(3)-exposure, but neither reproduced O(3) effects on biomass allocation nor root function. It is concluded that O(3) induces an allometric shift in carbohydrate allocation that is not mediated by photosynthetic inhibition nor by alteration of developmental age. Effects of O(3) could be mediated by direct effects on phloem loading, with consequent inhibition of translocation to roots and root system development.

Ozone (O 3 ) inhibits plant gas exchange and productivity. Vapour phase (g s ) and liquid or hydraulic phase (K) conductances to water flux are often correlated as both change with environmental parameters. Exposure of cotton plants to tropospheric O 3 reduces g s through reversible short-term mechanisms and by irreversible long-term disruption of biomass allocation to roots which reduces K. We hypothesize that chronic effects of O 3 on gas exchange can be mediated by effects on K without a direct effect of O 3 on g s or carbon assimilation (A). Experimental observations from diverse field and exposure chamber studies, and simulations with a model of mass and energy transport, support this hypothesis. O 3 inhibition of K leads to realistic simulated diurnal courses of g s that reproduce observations at low ambient O 3 concentration and maintain the positive correlation between midday g s and K observed experimentally at higher O 3 concentrations. Effects mediated by reduced K may interact with more rapid responses of g s and A to yield the observed suite of oxidant impacts on vegetation. The model extends these physiological impacts to the extensive canopy scale. Simulated magnitudes and diurnal time courses of canopy-scale fluxes of H 2 O and O 3 match observations under low ambient concentrations of O 3 . With greater simulated concentrations of O 3 during plant development, the model suggests potential reductions of canopy-scale water fluxes and O 3 deposition. This could represent a potentially unfavourable positive feedback on tropospheric O 3 concentrations associated with biosphere-atmosphere exchange.

Tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) causes significant disruption of growth and yield in upland and Pima cottons. Pima cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) was exposed to brief pulses (0.75 h) of a range of O 3 concentrations (nominally 0.0, 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 μl l -1 ) to investigate effects on phloem translocation of 14 C-labelled recent photo-assimilate. The initial phase of rapid efflux from source leaves was monitored with a Geiger-Muller Tube as activity remaining in the leaf as a function of time. Visual inspection of unprocessed efflux curves revealed disruption of efflux by O 3 . Single exponential decay functions were fitted to these efflux curves to extract first order rate constants for phloem loading and longitudinal transport of labelled carbohydrates. A single compartment model was applied, with and without an asymptote of non-transported carbohydrate, to calculate leaf sugar contents. The effect of O 3 in retarding efflux of label, decreasing the rate constant, and increasing calculated soluble sugar pools, was consistent regardless of the method of analysis. Following incorporation of the asymptote, calculated rate constants and sugar pools were similar to values from the literature and to preliminary measurements of sugar contents in O 3 -treated cotton leaves. Total carbohydrate transported from source leaves was reduced both by O 3 effects on assimilation (up to 20%) and by O 3 effects on efflux (up to 70%), but was clearly dominated by the impact on phloem translocation. These rapid efflux kinetics likely reflect oxidant damage at the plasmalemma or plasmodesmata of mesophyll or phloem companion cells. Evaluation of effects of O 3 on tonoplast function and consequences for carbohydrate translocation await a more complete compartmental efflux analysis.

Aerodynamic variables are required to apply Monin–Obukhov similarity theory in the bulk formulation of surface fluxes. In the literature, these aerodynamic variables are commonly misinterpreted. In this paper, we review the concept of the aerodynamic variable, its connection to surface-layer similarity theory and how and why the aerodynamic variable is replaced with other variables. Observed mean variables below the surface layer, such as the surface radiation temperature, or the air temperature at canopy height, are often used in place of the extrapolated aerodynamic variables in the bulk formula, requiring empirical relationships between aerodynamic and observed variables, or requiring empirical adjustments of bulk resistances. The present study examines the validity of these relationshi Experiment (CODE). The results indicate that using a measured substitute for an aerodynamic variable can lead to significant errors in estimates of turbulent surface fluxes.

Wind-blown fugitive dust is a widespread problem in the arid west resulting from land disturbance or abandonment and increasingly limited water supplies. Soil-derived particles obstruct visibility, cause property damage and contribute to violations of health-based air quality standards for fine particles (PM-10). These dry lands are often difficult to revegetate, yet they may require immediate stabilization. We evaluated the effectiveness of three types of mechanical wind barriers, which can be Installed more rapidly and more reliably than revegetation, in suppressing dust emissions. Wind fences, furrows and scattered roughness elements, such as plastic cones, are shown to reduce fugitive dust emissions in areas of the Mojave Desert that resisted revegetation.

Surface disturbance in arid regions — whether it results from abandoned agriculture, overgrazing or recreational activities — often sets the stage for windblown fugitive dust. Revegetation provides the most sustainable soil stabilization but is difficult to achieve in any given year. Widely varying environmental conditions and soil factors make direct seeding unreliable, and transplanting of nursery-grown shrubs does not assure plant establishment, even with supplemental irrigation. In occasional years plants can be successfully established, particularly Atriplex canescens, in the western Mojave Desert. Once vegetation becomes established, it successfully stabilizes the soil surface and reduces blowing dust. However, because successful establishment is infrequent, reliable mitigation of fugitive dust requires that other techniques be used as well.

UC ’s Kearney Research and Extension Center (KREC) lies at the heart of one of the most productive and diverse agricultural regions in the world. Also an area of environmental challenges, Kearney’s fi eld sites have supported decades of landmark research, addressing issues as diverse as air pollution effects, the development of exotic specialty crops, and the rapid molecular diagnosis of plant disease. First dedicated as the Kearney Horticultural Field Station in 1965, KREC is one of nine UC Research and Extension Centers (RECs). All are strategically located in key agricultural regions of the state, but Kearney is unique among them in its size and scope. Functioning as a small research campus, KREC encompasses 33 specialized laboratories and hosts the UC Kearney Agricultural Center (KAC), with 24 permanent resident faculty. In addition, 20 to 25 faculty from UC campuses and county UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) offi ces conduct research at KREC each year. The center currently supports 90 research and extension projects in 130 different fi eld and laboratory locations. KREC also houses the UCCE Central Valley regional offi ce. The cutting-edge and practical research conducted at Kearney has helped San Joaquin Valley agriculture become a $16 billion industry, yielding roughly half of California’s farm production. This issue of California Agriculture commemorates the 40th anniversary of KREC with reviews and reports on recently completed research, much of which has immediate relevance to farmers, packers and shippers. Kearney has seen steady expansion, modernization and diversifi cation over its 40-year history. Its laboratories and greenhouse facilities rival those found on the UC campuses, and its postharvest facility is state-of-the-art. The center encompasses a variety of alluvial soil types, and more than 50 different crops are cultivated under commercial growing conditions. This combination of land, laboratories and greenhouses enables UC scientists to conduct studies in a carefully managed setting. Professional staff monitor cultivated crops and continually check the operation of sophisticated laboratory facilities. Collaborative environment. Located in the center of a remarkable agricultural region, Kearney fosters interactions with industry, government agencies, environmental and public policy groups, and university scientists. Whether on small research plots, in laboratories or on-site conference facilities, growers and scientists meet here daily in the collaborative spirit envisioned by the creators of the land-grant university system. Collaboration fosters Kearney scientifi c achievements

Surface deposition is an important sink that removes ozone from polluted air basins, and leads to crop damage and ecosystem decline. Physiological and physical processes controlling deposition to vegetated surfaces are incompletely understood. We investigate the relationship between ozone flux to trellised grape, F, and canopy stomatal conductance to ozone, gc, under dew-wetted and dry conditions. Empirically measured stomatal conductance was scaled to gc using empirical measurements of leaf area index, L, single leaf stomatal response to photon flux density, I, and bulk canopy radiation extinction coefficient, K. Leaf wetness was determined with surrogate leaves covered with electrical impedance grids. Deposition velocity, Vd, and surface conductance, gsurf, were positively and highly significantly related to gc. Surface wetness substantially increased Vd and gsurf. Under all conditions, gc < gsurf, suggesting a significant non-stomatal (residual) pathway for ozone deposition, gr. This residual term, gr, was increased under wet conditions by a constant amount over the full range of gc. Expected errors of ± 20% in the single leaf model, in L, or in K, did not influence these conclusions. We conclude that Vd and gsurf were dominated by c, which may be used effectively to predict ozone deposition to physiologically active vegetated surfaces. Dew formation enhanced ozone deposition to the hypostomatous leaves of this grape canopy by a non-stomatal pathway.

The California Ozone Deposition Experiment, using Instruments mounted In an airplane and on the ground, shows that agricultural land in the San Joaquin Vailey removes large amounts of ozone from valley air. The most active pathway Is uptake through sto-mata In plant leaves, the process leading to crop yield losses. Other pathways, Including ozone destruction on leaf, stem and soil surfaces, are slower but very important on a valley-wide basis. Ozone deposition to crops may have a slgnlflcant Impact on air qualify, and should be considered when farmland Is converted to urban uses that contribute more to ozone production and less to ozone removal.

Genotypic variability in vulnerability of leaf xylem to water-stress-induced cavitation was determined in four sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) clones using detached leaf segments in a hydraulic conductivity apparatus. Vulnerability curves were constructed by plotting the percentage of maximum conductivity versus leaf water potential (psi(I)) and fitting curves using a Weibull function. The psi(I) at which each clone lost 10, 50, and 80% of maximum conductivity was determined. Maximum conductivity per unit of leaf width was positively associated with metaxylem vessel diameter. The commercial clone H65-7052 exhibited the highest and the nondomesticated S. spontaneum exhibited the lowest conductivity. All four clones lost substantial conductivity at values of psi(I) less negative than -1.4 MPa, but H65-7052 was able to maintain 50% conductivity to lower psi(I) than the other clones. S. spontaneum sustained the most negative psi(I) (-1.99 MPa) before reaching the 80% conductivity loss point. Clone H69-8235 was consistently the most vulnerable to initial loss of conductivity. These vulnerability functions were used in conjunction with field measurements of psi(I) to estimate diurnal losses in leaf hydraulic conductivity under irrigated and droughted conditions. H69-8235 lost up to 50% of its conductivity during the day, even when well irrigated, and more than 80% when subjected to drought. The other clones exhibited lower conductivity losses. These losses are apparently reversed overnight by root pressure. Despite their close genetic relationships, these clones exhibited large differences in conductivity, in the vulnerability of their xylem to cavitation, and in gas exchange behavior. The potential for altering water relations by selecting for particular hydraulic characteristics is discussed.

The effect of leaf-air vapor pressure difference (VPD) on the magnitude of the stomatal response to blue light was investigated in soybean (Glycine max) by administering blue light pulses (22 seconds by 120 micromoles per square meter per second) at different levels of VPD and temperature. At 20 °C and 25 °C, the magnitude of the integrated conductance response decreased with increasing VPD (0.4 to 2.6 kiloPascals), due to an earlier onset of stomatal closure that terminated the pulse response. In contrast, at 30 °C this magnitude increased with rising VPD (0.9 to 3.5 kiloPascals), due to an increasing maximum excursion of the conductance response despite the accelerated onset of stomatal closure. When the feedforward response of stomata to humidity caused steady state transpiration to decrease with increasing VPD, the magnitude of the pulse-induced conductance response correlated with VPD rather than with transpiration. This suggests that water relations or metabolite movements within epidermal rather than bulk leaf tissue interacted with guard cell photobiological properties in regulating the magnitude of the blue light response. VPD modulation of pulse magnitude could reduce water loss during stomatal responses to transient illumination in natural light environments.

Photosynthetic gas exchange, plant-water relations characteristics, and stable carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) were evaluated for five Coffea arabica L. genotypes growing under two soil moisture regimes in the field. The Δ of leaf tissue was strongly correlated (r = −0.95) with inherent water use efficiency (ratio of assimilation to stomatal conductance; A/g). The variation in inherent water use efficiency (WUE) among genotypes was 30% for plants irrigated weekly. The higher WUE exhibited by some of these plants resulted from reduced g rather than increased photosynthetic capacity at a given g. Withholding irrigation for 1 month caused Δ to decline substantially in expanding leaf tissue of all genotypes. A strong correlation (r = 0.92) was found between Δ and plant hydraulic efficiency estimated as the ratio of g to the diurnal range in leaf water potential (Ψl). The Δ values for plants irrigated weekly adequately predicted drought-induced changes in Δ (r = 0.99) and midday Ψl (r = 0.95). The results indicated that Δ might be used to evaluate several aspects of plant performance and response to specific environmental conditions, once suitable background physiological data have been gathered.

Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) interactions contribute to uncertainty in current biogeochemical models that aim to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG, including CO2 and N2O) emissions from soil to atmosphere. In this study, we quantified CO2 and N2O flux patterns and their relationship along with increasing C additions only, N additions only, a C gradient combined with excess N, and an N gradient with excess C via laboratory incubations. Conventional trends, where labile C or N addition results in higher CO2 or N2O fluxes, were observed. However, at low levels of C availability, saturating N amendments reduced soil CO2 flux while with high C availability N amendments enhanced it. At saturating C conditions increasing N amendments first reduced and then increased CO2 fluxes. Similarly, N2O fluxes were initially reduced by adding labile C under N limited conditions, but additional C enhanced N2O fluxes by more than two orders of magnitude in the saturating N environment. Changes in C or N use efficiency could explain the altered gas flux patterns and imply a critical level in the interactions between N and C availability that regulate soil trace gas emissions and biogeochemical cycling. Compared to either N or C amendment alone, the interaction of N and C caused ~60 and ~5 times the total GHG emission, respectively. Our findings suggested that the response of CO2 and N2O fluxes along stoichiometric gradients in C and N availability should be accounted for interpreting or modeling the biogeochemistry of GHG emissions.

Vegetation removes tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) mainly through uptake by stomata. O 3 reduces growth, photosynthesis, and carbohydrate allocation. Effects on mesophyll photosynthesis, may reducing carbohydrate source strength and, indirectly, carbohydrate translocation. Alternatively direct translocation, itself, could explain all of these observations. O 3 -reduced root proliferation inhibits exploitation of soil resources and interferes with underground carbon sequestration. Simulations with cotton suggest O 3 -disrupted root development could indirectly reduce shoot photosynthesis. Strong evidence for O 3 impacts on both carbon assimilation and carbon translocation exists, but data determining the primacy of direct or indirect O 3 effects on either or both processes remain inconclusive. Pholoem loading may be particularly sensitive to O 3 . Further research on metabolic feedback control of carbon assimilation and phloem loading activity as affected by O 3 exposure is required.

Leaf area development and canopy structure are important characteristics affecting yield and fruit quality of grapevines. Trellising systems and wide row spacing are common viticultural practices that violate key assumptions of currently available indirect methods of leaf area determination. We have developed a protocol for using a commercially available instrument to determine leaf area index (LAI) indirectly in a trellised vineyard. From knowledge of plant spacing, leaf area per vine can be calculated as required. A derived calibration equation resulted in a near 1:1 relationship (y = 0.00 + 1.00 X; r2 = 0.998) between actual and indirectly determined LAI over a range of LAI induced by irrigation treatments. The protocol involved covering 75% of the sensor with a manufacturer-supplied field of view delimiter and masking data from the outer three (of five) concentric radiation sensors. The protocol could form the basis for a general measurement technique, but may require local calibration.

Plant water status, leaf tissue pressure-volume relationships, and photosynthetic gas exchange were monitored in five coffee (Coffea arabica L.) cultivars growing in drying soil in the field. There were large differences among cultivars in the rates at which leaf water potential (Psi(L)) and gas exchange activity declined when irrigation was discontinued. Pressure-volume curve analysis indicated that increased leaf water deficits in droughted plants led to reductions in bulk leaf elasticity, osmotic potential, and in the Psi(L) at which turgor loss occurred. Adjustments in Psi(L) at zero turgor were not sufficient to prevent loss or near loss of turgor in three of five cultivars at the lowest values of midday Psi(L) attained. Maintenance of protoplasmic volume was more pronounced than maintenance of turgor as soil drying progressed. Changes in assimilation and stomatal conductance were largely independent of changes in bulk leaf turgor, but were associated with changes in relative symplast volume. It is suggested that osmotic and elastic adjustment contributed to maintenance of gas exchange in droughted coffee leaves probably through their effects on symplast volume rather than turgor.

Metabolism of abscisic acid (ABA) was investigated in isolated guard cells and in mesophyll tissue of Vicia faba L. and Commelina communis L. After incubation in buffer containing [G- 3 H]±ABA, the tissue was extracted by grinding and the metabolites separated by thin layer chromatography. Guard cells of Commelina metabolized ABA to phaseic acid (PA), dihydrophaseic acid (DPA), and alkali labile conjugates. Guard cells of Vicia formed only the conjugates. Mesophyll cells of Commelina accumulated DPA while mesophyll cells of Vicia accumulated PA. Controls showed that the observed metabolism was not due to extracellular enzyme contaminants nor to bacterial action. Metabolism of ABA in guard cells suggests a mechanism for removal of ABA, which causes stomatal closure of both species, from the stomatal complex. Conversion to metabolites which are inactive in stomatal regulation, within the cells controlling stomatal opening, might precede detectable changes in levels of ABA in bulk leaf tissue. The differences observed between Commelina and Vicia in metabolism of ABA in guard cells, and in the accumulation product in the mesophyll, may be related to differences in stomatal sensitivity to PA which have been reported for these species.

We investigated the hypothesis that stomatal aperture is regulated by epidermal water status. Detached epidermal peels of Commelina communis L. or leaf disks with epidermis attached were incubated in graded solutions of mannitol (0-1.2 M) containing KCl. In isolated epidermis, guard-cell solute content of open stomata did not decrease in response to desiccation. Guard cells of closed stomata accumulated solutes to the same extent in all levels of mannitol tested. There was no evidence of stress-induced hydroactive closure nor of inhibition of hydroactive opening, even when guard cells of closed stomata were initially plasmolyzed. Hydropassive, osmometer-like, changes in stomatal aperture in the isolated epidermis were induced by addition or removal of mannitol, but these did not involve changes in guard-cell solute content. In leaf disks, stomata exhibited clear hydroactive stomatal responses. Steady-state guard-cell solute content of initially open and initially closed stomata decreased substantially with increasing mannitol. Stomata were completely closed above approx. 0.4 M mannitol, near the turgor-loss point for the bulk leaf tissue. Stomata of Commelina did not exhibit direct hydroactive responses to environmental or epidermal water status. Stomatal responses to water deficit and low humidity may be indirect, mediated by abscisic acid or other signal metabolite(s) from the mesophyll.

Stomatal conductance is coupled to leaf photosynthetic rate over a broad range of environmental conditions. We have investigated the extent to which chloroplasts in guard cells may contribute to this coupling through their photosynthetic activity. Guard cells were isolated by sonication of abaxial epidermal peels of Vicia faba. The electrochromic band shift of isolated guard cells was probed in vivo as a means of studying the electric field that is generated across the thylakoid membranes by photosynthetic electron transport and dissipated by photophosphorylation. Both guard cells and mesophyll cells exhibited fast and slow components in the formation of the flash-induced electrochromic change. The spectrum of electrochromic absorbance changes in guard cells was the same as in the leaf mesophyll and was typical of that observed in isolated chloroplasts. This observation indicates that electron transport and photophosphorylation occur in guard cell chloroplasts. Neither the fast nor the slow component of the absorbance change was observed in the presence of the uncoupler carbonylcyanide p-trifluoromethoxy-phenylhydrazone which confirms that the absorbance change was caused by the electric field across the thylakoid membranes. The magnitude of the fast rise was reduced by half in the presence of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea. Therefore, photosystem II is functional and roughly equal in concentration to photosystem I in guard cell chloroplasts. The slow rise was abolished by 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-1,4-benzoquinone indicating the involvement of the cytochrome b6/f complex in electron transport between the two photosystems. Relaxation of the absorbance change was irreversibly retarded in cells treated with the energy transfer inhibitor, N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The slowing of the rapid decay kinetics by N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide confirms that the electrical potential across the thyalkoid membrane is dissipated by photophosphorylation. These results show that guard cell chloroplasts conduct photosynthetic electron transport in a manner similar to that in mesophyll cells and provide the first evidence that photophosphorylation occurs in guard cells in vivo.

Stomatal movements depend on both ion influx and efflux; attainment of steady state apertures reflects modulation of either or both processes. The role of Ca2+ in those two processes was investigated in isolated epidermal strips of Commelina communis, using the Ca2+ chelator EGTA to reduce apoplastic [Ca2+]. The results suggest that a certain concentration of Ca2+ is an absolute requirement for salt efflux and stomatal closure. EGTA (2 millimolar) increased KCl-dependent stomatal opening in darkness and completely inhibited the dark-induced closure of initially open stomata. Closure was inhibited even in a KCl-free medium. Thus, maintenance of stomata in the open state does not necessarily depend on continued K+ influx but on the inhibition of salt efflux. Opening in the dark was stimulated by IAA in a concentration-dependent manner, up to 15.4 micrometer without reaching saturation, while the response to EGTA leveled off at 9.2 micrometer. IAA did not inhibit stomatal closure to the extent it stimulated opening. The response to IAA is thus consistent with a primary stimulation of opening, while EGTA can be considered a specific inhibitor of stomatal closing since it inhibits closure to a much larger degree than it stimulates opening. CO2 causes concentration-dependent reduction in the steady state stomatal aperture. EGTA completely reversed CO2-induced closing of open stomata but only partially prevented the inhibition of opening.

Stomatal responses to light and humidity (vapor pressure difference, VPD) are important determinants of stomatal conductance. Stomatal movements induced by light are the result of a transduction of the light stimulus into modulated ion fluxes in guard cells and concomitant osmotic adjustments and turgor changes. It is generally assumed that this transduction process is a general stomatal property, with different environmental stimuli integrated into guard cell metabolism through their modulation of ion fluxes. In contrast with this notion, the VPD response, which is unique because both its triggering signal and the turgor changes required for aperture modulations involve water molecules, has been considered to be hydropassive and thus independent of guard cell metabolism. We used a kinetic approach to compare the light and VPD responses in order to test the hypothesis that hydropassive changes in guard cell turgor could be faster than the metabolism-dependent light responses. Changes in stomatal conductance in intact leaves of sugarcane and soybean were measured after application of step changes in VPD and in light. In spite of a 5-fold difference in overall rates between the two species, the response rates following light or VPD steps were similar. Although a coincidental kinetic similarity between two mechanistically different responses cannot be ruled out, the data suggest a common mechanism controlling stomatal movements, with the VPD stimulus inducing metabolic modulations of ion fluxes analogous to other stomatal responses.

The effects of cations and abscisic acid on chloroplast activity in guard cells of Vicia faba were investigated by analysis of the transient of chlorophyll a fluorescence. When epidermal strips containing guard cells as the only living cells were incubated in water and illuminated with strong light, chlorophyll a fluorescence rose rapidly to a high intensity and then declined slowly to a stationary level. The rate of this decline was enhanced by K(+) or Na(+), and the effect of these cations was greater when added with phosphate than with chloride as the anion. Ca(2+) suppressed the enhancement by Na(+) and, to a lesser extent, that by K(+). Abscisic acid also suppressed the enhancement by K(+) and Na(+). Since the fluorescence decline reflects the increase of intrathylakoid H(+) concentration necessary for photophosphorylation, the acceleration of the decline by K(+) (or Na(+) in the absence of Ca(2+)) implicates chloroplast activity in ion accumulation by guard cells in the light. The differential effects of phosphate and chloride suggest that chloroplast activity may be involved in malate formation in guard cells in the light.