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Evolution of sulphur dioxide tolerance in perennial ryegrass

Abstract

THE combustion of fossil fuels for domestic and industrial purposes, coupled with rapid industrial growth over the past 150 years, has resulted in sulphur dioxide becoming an integral part of the environment. Extensive research into the effects of sulphur dioxide on vegetation began in the 1920s, but the possibility of evolution of tolerance has only recently received attention, in spite of the implications of this for the overall effect of SO2 in the field. We present here data that provide strong evidence for the evolution of SO2 tolerance in a perennial ryegrass population from an urban area of Merseyside, UK.

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HORSMAN, D., ROBERTS, T. & BRADSHAW, A. Evolution of sulphur dioxide tolerance in perennial ryegrass. Nature 276, 493–494 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/276493a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/276493a0

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