Examining ozone susceptibility in the genus Musa (bananas)

<p>Tropospheric ozone (O₃) is a global air pollutant that adversely affects plant growth and productivity. <span>While the </span>impacts of <span>O₃ </span>have previously been examined for some tropical commodity crops, no information is available for the pantropical crop,<span> banana (<em>Musa</em> spp.). In this study, we exposed Australia's major banana cultivar, Williams, to a range of </span>[O₃] <span>in open-top chambers. In addition</span>, we examined 46 diverse <em>Musa</em> lines growing in a common garden for variation in traits that are hypothesized to shape responses to O₃: leaf mass per area, intrinsic water-use-efficiency, and total antioxidant capacity. <span>Banana cv. Williams </span>showed substantial susceptibility to O₃. Combined our results from <span>open-top chambers and common garden conditions</span> suggest a substantial risk of O₃ to banana production and food security throughout the tropics.</p>