Effects of ground-level ozone (O3) pollution on the yields of rice and winter wheat in the Yangtze River Delta

Effects of elevated O3 on the yields of rice and winter wheat were studied by using open-top chambers (OTCs). Results showed that compared to the control treatment, 200 ppb, 100 ppb, 50 ppb treatments caused a 80.4%, 58.6% and 10.5% decrease in grain yields per winter wheat plant and a 49.1%, 26.1% and 8.2% decrease in grain yield per rice plant, respectively. According to the dose-response relation educed from OTCs experiment and the monitor data of O3 concentrations in spots, it was estimated that the yield losses of rice and winter wheat resulted by O3 pollution in the Yangtze River Delta region in 1999 were 0.599 million ton and 0.669 million ton, economic losses were 0.539 billion RMB Yuan and 0.936 billion RMB Yuan, respectively.