Wheat Cultivar Growth, Biochemical, Physiological and Yield Attributes Response to Combined Exposure to Tropospheric Ozone, Particulate Matter Deposition and Ascorbic Acid Application.

In the present study wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivar HD 2967 was exposed to ambient and elevated levels of O and PM deposition, with and without exogenous application of ascorbic acid (AA). Cultivar HD 2967 exposed to eight treatments in free air O enrichment facility and the assessed results showed that wheat cultivar, growth, biochemical, physiological and yield attributes were variably but adversely affected by combined exposure to O and PM deposition. PM deposition clogged stomata and enhanced leaf temperature.

Importance of aerosol non-sphericity in estimating aerosol radiative forcing in Indo-Gangetic Basin.

Aerosols are usually presumed spherical in shape while estimating the direct radiative forcing (DRF) using observations or in the models. In the Indo-Gangetic Basin (IGB), a regional aerosol hotspot where dust is a major aerosol species and has been observed to be non-spherical in shape, it is important to test the validity of this assumption. We address this issue using measured chemical composition at megacity Delhi, a representative site of the western IGB.