Wood Distillate Mitigates Ozone-Induced Visible and Photosynthetic Plant Damage: Evidence from Ozone-Sensitive Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) BelW3

Abstract

The use of wood distillate (WD) is emerging as a valuable strategy for protecting horticultural crops from the oxidizing effects of ozone (O3). To fully understand its effectiveness, extensive testing on different plant species is needed. As a viable interim measure, an assessment of WD efficacy in model plants can be made until species-specific results become available. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ability of WD derived from chestnut wood (Castanea sativa Mill.) to protect the ozone-sensitive tobacco plant (Nicotiana tabacum L.) BelW3 from the oxidizing effects of O3, using the ozone-resistant tobacco plant BelB as benchmark. The protective effect was evaluated during treatment applications and three weeks after these were completed. Ten BelW3 and five BelB plants were grown just outside Parma from June to October 2023, a period when average maximum O3 concentrations were at least 120 ppb. Starting from July, five BelW3 plants were sprayed weekly with WD at 0.2% for two months. Morphometric and photosynthetic measurements were then taken after six and 11 weeks from the beginning of treatments and three weeks after the end to assess protection persistence (if any). BelW3 showed a significant effect of O3 compared to BelB plants for both morphometric and photosynthetic measurements, exhibiting increased necrotic areas on the leaf blade, reduced number of viable leaves, reduced average plant height, together with reduced chlorophyll content and impaired photosynthetic system functionality. BelW3 plants also showed a significant decrease in the efficiency of parameters related to PSII and PSI when compared to BelB. Wood distillate application, however, successfully mitigated O3 effects on BelW3, as revealed by morphometric and photosynthetic values, which were in line with those observed in BelB. Notably, WD protective effect persisted 3 weeks after treatment cessation, highlighting the short-term protective capacity of the distillate against the oxidative action of O3.