How does air affect agricultural production and does air pollution affect agriculture in India and effect of air pollution on plants and ecosystem?
Agricultural crops can be injured when exposed to high concentrations of various air pollutants. Injury ranges from visible markings on the foliage, to reduced growth and yield, to premature death of the plant. Air pollution causes yellowing, cell injury, irregular spots, bronzing and reddening that affects the flowering and growth of crops, reducing their yield. These gases can directly damage crop cells and indirectly affect them through their role as precursors to formation of ozone, an airborne toxin known to reduce crop yields, and particulate matter aerosols that can absorb and scatter sunlight away from crops. Air pollutants have a negative impact on plant growth, primarily through interfering with resource accumulation. Once leaves are in close contact with the atmosphere, many air pollutants, such as O3 and NOx, affect the metabolic function of the leaves and interfere with net carbon fixation by the plant canopy. Air pollution can directly contaminate the surface of bodies of water and soil. This can kill crops or reduce their yield. It can kill young trees and other plants. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide particles in the air, can create acid rain when they mix with water and oxygen in the atmosphere. Air pollution has an adverse effect on crops and plants. They reduce the growth and yield of crops by increasing the rate of premature plant death. This decreases the overall productivity of an ecosystem.
In fact agricultural pollution has many different sources. Nitrogen-based fertilizers produce potent greenhouse gases and can overload waterways with dangerous pollutants; chemical pesticides with varying toxicological effects can contaminate our air and water or reside directly on our food. Air pollution can damage crops and trees in a variety of ways. Ground-level ozone can lead to reductions in agricultural crop and commercial forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and increased plant susceptibility to disease, pests and other environmental stresses. The effects of pollution on plants include mottled foliage, “burning” at leaf tips or margins, twig dieback, stunted growth, premature leaf drop, delayed maturity, abortion or early drop of blossoms, and reduced yield or quality. Polluted soil, which leads to a loss of fertile land for agriculture and a reduction in the availability of food. Climate change, which causes an onslaught of disastrous problems, including flash floods and irregular rainfalls. Farms are responsible for more than 90 percent of airborne ammonia pollution, mostly from fertilizers and livestock manure. Agricultural pollution has many different sources. Nitrogen-based fertilizers produce potent greenhouse gases and can overload waterways with dangerous pollutants; chemical pesticides with varying toxicological effects can contaminate our air and water or reside directly on our food. While air pollution from agriculture includes emissions from tractors and farm vehicles, the greatest agricultural contributors to air pollution stem from animal-raising operations. Cattle, pig, and chicken operations release methane, nitrous oxide, and ammonia into the air. In nutrient management, soil aeration influences the availability of many nutrients. Particularly, soil air is needed by many of the microorganisms that release plant nutrients to the soil. An appropriate balance between soil air and soil water must be maintained since soil air is displaced by soil water.
One aspect may be the wind-blown fly ash covering crops adjacent areas to thermal power plants.
At the ecological level, pollution can alter the competitive balance among the species present. This results in changes in the plant species composition. Reduced economic yield may be a result of these changes in the agro ecosystems. Air pollutants have a negative impact on plant growth, primarily through interfering with resource accumulation. Once leaves are in close contact with the atmosphere, many air pollutants, such as O3 and NOx, affect the metabolic function of the leaves and interfere with net carbon fixation by the plant canopy. Air pollutants have a negative impact on plant growth, primarily through interfering with resource accumulation. Once leaves are in close contact with the atmosphere, many air pollutants, such as O3 and NOx, affect the metabolic function of the leaves and interfere with net carbon fixation by the plant canopy. Air pollution can damage crops and trees in a variety of ways. Ground-level ozone can lead to reductions in agricultural crop and commercial forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and increased plant susceptibility to disease, pests and other environmental stresses. This causes yellowing, cell injury, irregular spots, bronzing and reddening that affects the flowering and growth of crops, reducing their yield. They can poison organisms and cause rapid and harmful changes in the environment. These changes may stress certain species, making them more vulnerable to disease and seasonal conditions like drought and cold, and may reduce their ability to respond and survive. The effects of air pollution on plants and animals may be measured by the factors: (1) interference with enzyme systems; (2) change in cellular chemical constituents and physical structure; (3) retardation of growth and reduced production because of metabolic changes; (4) acute, immediate tissue degeneration. Agricultural crops can be injured when exposed to high concentrations of various air pollutants. Injury ranges from visible markings on the foliage, to reduced growth and yield, to premature death of the plant.
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