The phytotoxicity to tobacco plants of short-chain carboxylic acids at atmospheric concentration levels in urban areas

In this paper, we describe the influence of monocarboxylic acids (formic ac id and acetic acid) and dicarboxylic acids (succinic acid and adipic acid), which are usually contained in aerosol particles and fog water, on the gro wth of tobacco plant. Their influence was examined by spraying the acid sol utions on intact plants and by administering than in a culture medium for s uspension-cultured cells. Their growth rates suggest that the influence of short-chain monocarboxylic acids was not significant in both the intact pla nt experiment and the cell culture experiment. In contrast, dicarboxylic ac ids exhibited significant influence on the growth of intact plants and no i nfluence on culture cells, indicating that their toxicity is exerted mainly on the tissue of leaf surface. Phytotoxicity of dicarboxylic adds is highe r than that of monocarboxylic acids.