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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Contrasting effects of elevated CO2 and O3 on physiology, growth and yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.14148
Submitted
18 February 2026
Published
05-05-2026

Abstract

Rising ambient levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, with 421 ppm average concentration of tropospheric ozone with levels of 25–60 ppb, have raised concerns about food security globally. Of the food grains consumed globally, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is under threat due to the rapid increase in tropospheric ozone levels and the crop’s relative ozone sensitivity. In South India, rice is the most consumed food grain and in this regard, this study systematically evaluated the responses of the widely cultivated, high-yielding rice cultivar ASD-16 to elevated concentrations of CO2 (550 ± 15 ppm) and O3 (100 ± 10 ppb), administered daily from 10:00 to 17:00 hr over 30 days spanning the critical reproductive stage. Elevated CO2 exerted significant positive effects, enhancing net photosynthetic rates by 22, 56 and 99 % at 60, 70 and 80 days after sowing (DAS), respectively, relative to elevated O3 exposure. Concurrently, stomatal conductance and transpiration rates exhibited significant suppression under elevated CO2 conditions, reflecting CO2-mediated stomatal regulation, while relative chlorophyll content mirrored photosynthetic enhancements, indicating improved physiological performance. Comprehensive assessments of plant physiological, growth and yield parameters and their interrelationships, revealed strong correlations between metabolic functions and plant productivity and showed that leaf injury percentage, a key O3 damage metric, has strong predictive power for reductions in photosynthetic performance. These findings demonstrate the contrasting physiological and agronomic impacts of elevated CO2 and O3, emphasising the need to consider their interactive effects when projecting future climate change scenarios for rice production.

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