Air pollution injury to crops: Injurious components of smog identified as derivatives of petroleum products while annual crop damage increases

Middleton, J; Kendrick, J; Darley, E

Air pollution injury to crops: Injurious components of smog identified as derivatives of petroleum products while annual crop damage increases

Authors

John T. Middleton
J. B. Kendrick
E. F. Darley

Authors Affiliations

John T. Middleton is Associate Plant Pathologist, University of California, Riverside; J. B. Kendrick, Jr., is Assistant Plant Pathologist, University of California, Riverside; E. F. Darley is Assistant Plant Pathologist, University of California, Riverside.

Publication Information

Hilgardia 7(11):11-12. DOI:10.3733/ca.v007n11p11. November 1953.

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Abstract

Air pollutants that cause typical smog damage—the silvering, bronzing, and spotting on many agricultural crops— are certain olefinic peroxides, formed when ozone reacts with the vapors of unsaturated hydrocarbons derived from gasoline and other petroleum products. In Los Angeles County alone, annual crop losses have exceeded $500,000 since 1949 when they were estimated to be $479,495.

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