Correlation between environmental parameters and leaf injury in Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. 'Bel-W 3'.

Tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. 'Bel-W3') were exposed to ambient air for 25 weeks during the 1987 growing season next to an air pollution monitoring station in Brera (Milan, Italy). The research objective was to study the influence of selected environmental parameters on leaf damage in this plant, which is widely used as an ozone indicator. A multiple linear correlation model was estimated between leaf damage and available meteorological and air pollution data. Leaf injury was positively correlated with ozone integrated exposure and temperature, but negatively with vapour pressure deficit. A linear correlation model was used to estimate ozone integrated exposure from the leaf injury index.