Institute of Experimental Botany AS CR
We are Discovering the Plant World

Coufal, D.; Matucha, Miroslav; Uhlířová, H.; Lomský, B.; Forczek, Sándor
NEURAL NETWORK WORLD 13: 89-102, 2003

Keywords: Forest decline; polyfactorial problem; dose/response relationship
Abstract: Trichloroacetic acid (TCA), a secondary air pollutant (SAP) and a product of photooxidation of volatile chlorinated C2-hydrocarbons has phytotoxic properties and negatively influences on the state of forest health in general. The present knowledge shows the uptake of TCA by the spruce from the atmosphere by precipitation over soil, roots, and transpiration stream up into needles, where it affects the photosynthetic apparatus of the plant. To judge the role of TCA in forest ecosystems its effects along with other stressors must be followed. Those include, above all, emmissions of sulphur oxides and fluoride from burning energetic coal. From monitoring the selected stressors – the content of total sulphur, fluorine and chlorine besides TCA – in spruce needles on selected spruce stands, a positive correlation between the needle loss (as a measure of the spruce forest damage) and the content of S, F, and TCA was found. In this way the negative effect of TCA was confirmed. IEB authors: Sándor Forczek