Assessment of six Indian cultivars of mung bean against ozone by using foliar injury index and changes in carbon assimilation, gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic pigments.

Six Indian cultivars of Vigna radiata L. (HUM-1, HUM-2, HUM-6, HUM-23, HUM-24 and HUM-26) were exposed with ambient and elevated (ambient + 10 ppb ozone (O3) for 6 h day(-1)) level of O3 in open top chambers. Ozone sensitivity was assessed by recording the magnitude of foliar visible injury and changes in various physiological parameters. All the six cultivars showed visible foliar symptoms due to O3, ranging 7.4 to 55.7 % injured leaf area. O3 significantly depressed total chlorophyll, photosynthetic rate (Ps), quantum yield (F(v)/F(m)) and total biomass although the extent of variation was cultivar specific. Cultivar HUM-1 showed maximum reduction in Ps and stomatal conductance. The fluorescence parameters also indicated maximum damage to PSII reaction centres of HUM-1. Injury percentage, chlorophyll loss, Ps, F(v)/F(m) and total biomass reduced least in HUM-23 depicting highest O3 resistance (R%).