Repercussions of Long-term Ozone Exposure on Biomass, Carbon Sequestration, Carbon Credit and Carbon Trading of Two Hybrid Indian Mango Varieties
摘要
The effect of chronic O3 exposure on two hybrid Indian mango varieties was assessed in terms of growth allometries, biomass accumulation, dynamics of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) storage, carbon sequestration and trading. The exposure study was conducted using open-top chambers under ambient (AO3) and ambient + 20 ppb (EO3) O3 concentrations for 21 months. Growth allometries showed variable responses under EO3 in both varieties where specific leaf area (SLA) and root shoot ratio (RSR) were decreased, while increments were found in leaf area ratio (LAR) and specific leaf weight (SLW). Elevated O3 induced an increase in leaf biomass whereas stem, fruit, coarse and fine root biomass reduced significantly in both varieties compared to AO3. Increments in NSCs in the stem and leaves of both varieties under EO3 helped to maintain continued growth and development. The total biomass, carbon stock and carbon sequestration potential of the plants decreased significantly under EO3 in both varieties, but the effects were more detrimental in Mallika. Furthermore, a varietal difference was observed in the preferential allocation of fractional biomass where Amrapali explicitly allocated a higher fraction of biomass to coarse root enhancing its long-term carbon sequestration. Consequently, the total carbon price was reduced by 2.6% in Amrapali and 9.8% in Mallika. The reductions in total biomass, carbon stock, carbon sequestration and carbon price induced by EO3 of two economically important mango varieties denote the negative impact of rising O3 concentrations on the carbon trading market of India concomitantly challenging the effort to achieve net zero carbon emission.