Activation of an oxidative burst is a general feature of sensitive plants exposed to the air pollutant ozone

Abstract Ozone exposure stimulates an oxidative burst in leaves of sensitive plants, resulting in the generation and accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in tobacco and tomato, and superoxide (O 2 –• ) together with H 2 O 2 in Arabidopsis accessions. Accumulation of these reactive oxygen species (ROS) preceded the induction of cell death, and both responses co‐occurred spatially in the periveinal regions of the leaves. Re‐current ozone exposure of the sensitive tobacco cv. Bel W3 in closed chambers or in the field led to an enlargement of existing lesions by priming the border cells for H 2 O 2 accumulation. Open top chamber experiments with native herbaceous plants in the field showed that Malva sylvestris L. accumulates O 2 –• at those sites that later exhibit plant cell death. Blocking of ROS accumulation markedly reduced ozone‐induced cell death in tomato, Arabidopsis and M. sylvestris. It is concluded that ozone triggers an in planta generation and accumulation of H 2 O 2 and/or O 2 –• depending on the species, accession and cultivar, and that both these reactive oxygen species are involved in the induction of cell death in sensitive crop and native plants.