Skip to main content

Evaluating Risks to Agricultural Production from Acid Deposition

  • Chapter
New Risks: Issues and Management

Part of the book series: Advances in Risk Analysis ((AIRA,volume 6))

  • 230 Accesses

Abstract

Although it has been established that agricultural yields can be affected adversely by ozone and other air pollutants, effects of existing levels of acid deposition on crops are less well understood. Evaluations of potential effects from growth chamber, greenhouse and field experiments have not identified any single crop as being consistently sensitive to acid deposition. Quantitative analysis of one crop (soybeans), which has demonstrated some sensitivity to acid deposition treatments in field settings, suggest that if current acid deposition levels were reduced by 50%, then U.S. soybean production would increase by approximately 1%. These estimates are based on the fundamental assumption that estimated dose-response functions are homogeneous across biologic, geographic and temporal space; an assumption not supported by recently developed experimental data. As a result, confidence in this conclusion is weak.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Banwart, W. L., 1984, Simulated Acid Rain Effects on Yield and Growth of Corn and Soybeans and on Soil Parameters, in Proc. of Peer Review Meeting, sponsored by the EPA Acid Precipitation/Agriculture Program, March 1984, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banwart, W. L., 1985, Sensitivity of Soybean Varieties to Simulated Acid Rain, in Agriculture Effects Task Group F Peer Review Meeting, Brookhaven National Laboratory, February 4–7, 1985, North Carolina State University Acid Deposition Program, Raleigh, NC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banwart, W. L., 1986, Personal communication.

    Google Scholar 

  • DuBay, D. T., Heagle, A. S., Heck, W. W., and Elson, J. D., The Effects of Simulated Acidic Rainfall and Ambient Rainfall Exclusion on the Growth and Yield of Field-Grown Soybean (Glycine Max, c.v. Forrest), in preparation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, L. S., Lewin, K. F., and Patti, M. J., 1984. Effects of Simulated Acid Rain on Yields of Field-Grown Soybeans, New Phytol. 96: 207–213.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, L. S., 1984, Effects of Simulated Acidic Rain on Yields of Field-Grown Soybeans, in Proc. of Peer Review Meeting, sponsored by the EPA Acid Precipitation/Agriculture Program, March 1984, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, L.S., Hendrey, G.R., and Lewin, K. F., 1985, Comparison of Yields of Several Varieties of Field-Grown Soybeans Exposed to Simulated Acidic Rainfalls, in Agriculture Effects Task Group F Peer Review Meeting, Brookhaven National Laboratory, February 4–7, 1985, North Carolina State University Acid Deposition Program, Raleigh, NC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, L. S., 1986, Personal communication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moskowitz, P. D., Medeiros, W. H., Oden, N. L., Thode, Jr., H. C., Coveney, E. A., and Rosenthal, R.H., An Assessment of Risks to U.S. Soybean Yields from 1982 Acid Deposition Levels, Risk Analysis (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Moskowitz, P. D., Oden, N. L., Thode, Jr., H. C., Medeiros, W. H., and Coveney, E. A., 1985, Response to Comments on Crops Research Projects IA and 1B, The American Statistican 39(4),Pt. 1: 261–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oden, N., Moskowitz, P. D., and Medeiros, W. H., Soybeans and Acid Deposition: An Analysis of Dose-Response Data from Field Experiments, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (in preparation)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shriner, D. S., Johnston, Jr., J. W., Taylor, Jr., G. E., Luxmoore, R.J., McConathy, R. K., McLaughlin, S. B., Heagle, A. S., Norby, R. J., Takemoto, B. K., DuBay, D. T., Abner, C. H., and Richter, D. D., 1985, Acid Deposition: Effects on Agricultural Crops, Final Report to the Electric Power Research Institute (Project PR 1908–2 ) Oak Ridge National Laboratory, May 1985.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1990 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Moskowitz, P.D., Oden, N.L., Medeiros, W.H., Coveney, E.A. (1990). Evaluating Risks to Agricultural Production from Acid Deposition. In: Cox, L.A., Ricci, P.F. (eds) New Risks: Issues and Management. Advances in Risk Analysis, vol 6. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0759-2_21

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0759-2_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0761-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0759-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics