Relationship between ozone, meteorological conditions, gas exchange and leaf injury in Nicotiana tabacum Bel-W3 in a sub-tropical region

Abstract The city of Sao Paulo is located in a subtropical region whose climate exhibits few defined seasons as well as frequent oscillations in temperature and rainfall throughout the year. In addition to interfering with physiological processes, these peculiar climatic dynamics influence the formation of O 3 and its influx into leaves, causing species used as bioindicators in temperate climates to be ineffective here. This study evaluated gas exchange variations in CO 2 and H 2 O and leaf injuries induced by O 3 in Nicotiana tabacum Bel-W3 in relation to oscillations in environmental conditions. Plants were exposed to an O 3 -polluted environment for fifteen periods of fourteen days each throughout 2008. Gas exchange and O 3 were higher during the summer and winter but were highly variable in all seasons. Severe injuries occurred during the winter and spring, with significant variation in this parameter being observed throughout the year. An analysis of biotic and abiotic variables revealed complex relationships among them, with great importance of meteorological factors in plant responses. We conclude that under unstable climatic conditions, the relationship between O 3 flux and injury is weak, and the qualitative character of biomonitoring is further confirmed.