Closing the global ozone yield gap: Quantification and cobenefits for multistress tolerance

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science
• Plant Science

Background:

• Global food security is threatened by climate change, requiring increased crop productivity and stress tolerance.
• Tropospheric ozone is an emerging abiotic stressor impacting crop yields worldwide.
• Understanding ozone's impact relative to other stresses is vital for effective mitigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and compare the global yield losses caused by tropospheric ozone across major crops.
• To identify geographical regions most affected by ozone-induced yield gaps.
• To propose integrated strategies for mitigating ozone's negative effects on crops.

Main Methods:

• Modeling crop yield losses based on stomatal ozone uptake.
• Comparing ozone stress impacts with those of pests, diseases, heat, aridity, and nutrient stress.
• Analyzing genotypic variation in crop sensitivity to ozone.

Main Results:

• Ozone reduces global annual yields by 12.4% for soybean, 7.1% for wheat, 4.4% for rice, and 6.1% for maize.
• Soybean exhibits the highest sensitivity to ozone, followed by wheat, maize, and rice.
• Regions with high ozone-induced losses often face concurrent risks from other major crop stresses.

Conclusions:

• Addressing the ozone yield gap is essential for enhancing global food security.
• Developing crop ideotypes tolerant to multiple stresses, including ozone, is recommended.
• Integrating ozone mitigation into crop breeding and management practices can reduce yield losses.