Severity of SO2-lnduced Leaf Necrosis on Caribbean, Scots, and Virginia Pine Seedlings

Abstract

Caribbean pine, an economically important tree of tropical lowlands, is at risk of SO2 exposure in certain locales. Twenty-week old seedlings of Caribbean, Scots, and Virginia pine were exposed to 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 ppm SO2 (1300, 2600, and 5200 μm−3, respectively) for 1, 2, 4, and 8 h in modified controlled-environment chambers. Severity of SO2-induced leaf necrosis for each species was related to SO2 concentration and exposure duration using a regression model. The three dose-response relationships differed in detail, but Caribbean pine seedlings were generally as sensitive to SO2 as seedlings of the two highly sensitive temperate species. In addition, 173 4-wk-old Caribbean pine seedlings were exposed to 0.5 ppm SO2 for 4 h. Over one-half of these seedlings exhibited some necrosis and over one-sixth had more than 5 percent of leaf surface necrotic. It is concluded that Caribbean pine seedlings are highly sensitive to acute doses of SO2.