Abstract
East Asia is a hotspot of surface ozone (O3) pollution, which hinders crop growth and reduces yields. Here, we assess the relative yield loss in rice, wheat and maize due to O3 by combining O3 elevation experiments across Asia and air monitoring at about 3,000 locations in China, Japan and Korea. China shows the highest relative yield loss at 33%, 23% and 9% for wheat, rice and maize, respectively. The relative yield loss is much greater in hybrid than inbred rice, being close to that for wheat. Total O3-induced annual loss of crop production is estimated at US$63 billion. The large impact of O3 on crop production urges us to take mitigation action for O3 emission control and adaptive agronomic measures against the rising surface O3 levels across East Asia.
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Acknowledgements
This study received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 42130714 and M-0105) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) for Senior Scientists (grant no. 2018VCA0026; 2016VBA057). E.P. acknowledges the LIFE15 project MOTTLES and V.C. project ELEMENTAL (CGL 2017-83538-C3-3-R, MINECO-FEDER).
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Z.F., E.P. and X.Y. initially designed the study. Z.F. had a leading role, served as the hub of communication among the authors and supervised the production of the manuscript. Y.X. checked the O3 observation data and calculated AOT40. L.D. collected the O3 dose and yield of crops and EDU studies. L.D. and K.K. estimated the O3 dose–response functions and made Figs. 2 and 3. T.Z. estimated the regional yield loss and made Figs. 1 and 4. R.P. and Y.O. provided the O3 data in South Korea. Z.F., E.A., V.C., X.Y. and K.K. drafted the paper. A.M., E.P. and all other coauthors reviewed the integrated manuscript, substantially contributed intellectual inputs and approved the final version for publication.
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Raw data of the crop yields in ozone exposure experiments conducted in Asia.
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Feng, Z., Xu, Y., Kobayashi, K. et al. Ozone pollution threatens the production of major staple crops in East Asia. Nat Food 3, 47–56 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00422-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00422-6
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