Effects of Enhanced Solar UV-B Radiation on the Effective Photosynthetic Leaf Area and Milking Phase of Oat under Natural Field Condition in Qing Tibetan Plateau

Stratospheric ozone depletion occurs mainly over polar regions during the spring when the solar ultraviolet B-band (280-315 nm, UV-B) radiation is most intense in a year, but over the Qing Tibetan Plateau region, the intensity is highest from June to September when the amount of UV-B radiation reaching the regions is more than that in the adjacent areas lying in the same latitude by 10%. From June to September is just the time of plant's germination development, and reproduction in the alpine region. The enhanced UV-B radiation may alter the rate of senescence in the forage plant, oats (Avena sativa), which plays the vital role in developing indigenous herdsman's animal husbandry industry. In the trial the authors enhanced the UV-B radiation by using lamp bank of florescent lights to increase the ambient levels of UV-B radiation in the field, we treated 3 groups under nature solar radiation, solar+0.50 W . m(2), and solar+1.00 W . m(2) respectively, and surveyed the rate of senescence by measuring the rate of lessening in the effective photosynthetic leaf area, the concentration of the chlorophyll, and the milking phase of oat phenology. The results proved that the effect of the enhanced UV-B radiation on the rate of senescence of oats is caused by reducing the effective photosynthetic leaf area per plant by 21.5%, accelerating the rate of the loss of the chlorophyll compared with that of the controlled by an average of 7.6% and shortening the milking phase by an average of 2 days in the treated groups compared with the rate in the controlled, but there were not statistically significant differences from those of the non-treated group in these index of oat's senescence. All the results evidenced that the enhanced solar UV-B radiation has no significantly ominous consequence on the oat ecological characteristics concerning annual plant reproduction in Qing Tibetan plateau.