Daylength influences the response of three clover species (Trifolium spp.) to short-term ozone stress

Long photoperiods characteristic of summers at high latitudes can increase ozone-induced foliar injury in subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum). This study compared the effects of long photoperiods on ozone injury in red and white clover cultivars adapted to shorter or longer daylengths of southern or northern Fennoscandia. Plants were exposed to 70 ppb ozone for six hours during the daytime for three consecutive days. Simultaneously, the daylength in the growth rooms was altered to long-day (10 h light; 14 h dim light) and short-day (10 h light; 14 h darkness) conditions. Thermal imaging showed that ozone disrupted leaf temperature and stomatal function, particularly in sensitive species, in which leaf temperature deviations persisted for several days after ozone exposure. Long-day conditions increased visible foliar injury (30%–70%), characterized by chlorotic and necrotic areas, relative to short day conditions in all species and cultivars independently of the photoperiod in the region they were adapted to.