Particle size, leaf pubescence and condition of humidity at leaf surfaces are key factors determining the retention of volcanic ash on crop foliage.
(2022) Cities on volcanoes 11 — Location: Heraklion, Crete, Greece (2022.June.12AD)
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- Authors
Ligot, Noa 
- Abstract
- Crops in volcanically-active regions is frequently exposed to widespread ash fall from volcanic eruptions, endangering harvest quality and quantity and compromising the livelihood of farmers. A constantly growing population in the vicinity of volcanoes exacerbates the problem, and adequate strategies to reduce volcanic risks and impacts are increasingly needed. However, existing relationships for anticipating crop damage from ash exposure are unsatisfactory as they rely solely on ash thickness (or loading) and ignore the complex interplay of other volcanic and non-volcanic factors that drive crop vulnerability. We also lack an adequate crop impact metric. Here, we performed controlled experiments to assess how ash particle size, leaf pubescence and humidity conditions at leaf surfaces affect ash retention (i.e. percentage of vertical leaf surface area covered by ash) in tomato and chilli pepper plants, two crop types commonly grown in volcanic areas. For a fixed ash mass load (~570 g m-2), we found that ash retention decreases exponentially with increasing particle size and is also enhanced when leaves are pubescent (such as in tomato) or wet. Using this relationship and assuming that leaf area index (LAI) decreases with ash retention in tomato and chilli pepper, we derived an expression relating potential yield loss to changes in LAI. We conclude by suggesting that LAI is a promising new impact metric for assessing crop damage from ash when ash does not threaten plant integrity. However, additional laboratory-and field-based studies are needed in order to clarify the relationship between LAI and ash retention. In doing so, we will increasingly be able to use LAI measurements from space to analyse risk of crop production loss at various spatial and temporal scales.
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Citations
Ligot, N., Bogaert, P., Lobet, G., Biasse, S., & Delmelle, P. (2022). Particle size, leaf pubescence and condition of humidity at leaf surfaces are key factors determining the retention of volcanic ash on crop foliage. Cities on volcanoes 11, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/225297