Impact of Ground Level Ozone on Agricultural Crops

Exposure to high ozone (O₃) levels results in a significant reduction in crop yields in most crops. With the release of O₃ precursors rising in many parts of the world in the next few decades, declining yields from O₃ exposure appear to be likely to increase the challenges of feeding the global population predicted to grow and fulfill the need of population from 6 to 9 billion between 2000 and 2050. Ozone is not released directly into space. Instead, it was produced due to a complex chain reaction in the atmosphere, which involved the release of both nitrogen oxide and certain active hydrocarbons.