Although UV radiation is a minor fraction of solar energy that reaches the earth’s surface, it significantly affects plants. UV-B radiation affects important biomolecules directly, including nucleic acids and proteins; these molecules absorb UV radiation easily when presenting π electrons, and this absorption can lead to metabolic, biochemical, and morphological alterations, as well as alterations in the genetic material [5, 6].

Ultraviolet Radiation and Its Effects on Plants

WRITTEN BY

María del Socorro Sánchez Correa, María el Rocío Reyero Saavedra, Edgar Antonio Estrella Parra, Erick Nolasco Ontiveros, José del Carmen Benítez Flores, Juan Gerardo Ortiz Montiel, Jorge Eduardo Campos Contreras, Eduardo López Urrutia, José Guillermo Ávila Acevedo, Gladys Edith Jiménez Nopala and Adriana Montserrat Espinosa González

UV-A radiation produces similar effects, although they are part of the constitutive regulation of plant metabolic and morphological processes, such as photosynthesis, biomass production, and synthesis of pigments and antioxidant compounds [7].

Since the discovery of the thinning of the ozone layer, the consequent penetration of UV-B radiation into the atmosphere and its undisputable contribution to global warming of the planet, the effects of UV radiation on plants have been closely studied. Plants can use sunlight not only as a source of energy to produce carbon compounds but also as a source of environmental information; that is, they can detect it as a signal and trigger different systemic responses related to photosynthesis, phototropism, photoperiodicity, and photomorphogenesis. These same processes can be affected by the abnormal incidence of UV radiation in the atmosphere; therefore, the impact of its damage has been studied in recent decades [8]. This assessment has led to the creation of initiatives such as the Montreal Protocol, which aims at mitigating the negative effects of climate change-derived increased UV exposure through international policies [9].

In addition, the analysis of the causes of the morphological alterations shown by plants under UV light stress is difficult because they can be affected simultaneously by other environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, or drought, which together can modify development at the cellular level. The objective of this chapter is to describe the effects of UV radiation on different biochemical, morphological, and genetic processes in plants.

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https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/85608

I AM NOT THE ONLY "GARDENER" WHO HAS RECENTLY WITNESSED PLANTS THAT ARE USUALLY RESISTANT TO HEAT AND VARIOUS WEATHER VAGARIES, TO NOW WILT OR "BURN" WITHOUT APPARENT REASON... MY GUESS IS THAT CERTAIN FREQUENCIES OF ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT HAVE BECOME MORE INTENSE AT GROUND LEVEL, PROBABLY DUE TO EXTRA NITROUS OXYDE IN THE ATMOSPHERE DUE TO HUMAN ACTIVITIES. THE NITROUS OXIDE DEGENERATES IN VARIOUS NITROUS GASES THAT DEPLEAT THE OZONE LAYER A TAD, ENOUGH TO LET MORE ULTRA-VIOLET RAYS THROUGH...

GUS PICTURE AT TOP: FAKE ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT ADDED TO A PICTURE OF DAMAGED PLANT...

THIS IS GOING TO GET WORSE WITH "GLOBAL WARMING" IN CERTAIN REGIONS OF THE GLOBE WHERE THE OZONE LAYER IS FRAGILE...

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