Effects of Ozone on Nucleic Acid and Protein in Woody Plant Leaves

Abstract

Ozone causes peculiar injury symptoms to plant leaves, especially for the leaves of woody plants it causes them to change into yellow or red in color at reletivly early date and to fall before their normal maturity. In this report the effect of ozone on nucleic acid and protein, phisologically important components in living cell, was discussed. With the period of ozone exposure increasing nucleic acid and protein began to decompose, and at the time when visible symptom appeared, the rapid loss ofnucleic acid and protein was observed. The quantitative comparison between the nucleic acid, protein, and chlorophyll in senecent leaves and ones damaged by ozone indicated that both resultants were of a similar pattern, that is, a decrease in the contents of nucleic acid, protein, and chlorophyll.
Ozone may affect normal metabolisms and cause a variety of injuries, but as a final result the decomposition was the same as changes generally observes in senecent leaves. In conclusion the author deduced that ozone, a highly active oxidizing compound produced photochemically, causes very rapid the the senecence of the leaves of woody plants.