Sains Malaysiana 43(3)(2014): 321–329

Surface Ozone Trend in Major Rice Growing Areas in Malaysia

(Tren Ozon Permukaan di Kawasan Penanaman Padi Utama di Malaysia)

MARZUKI ISMAIL¹*, AZRIN SUROTO¹, NURUL AIN ISMAIL¹& MOHD TALIB LATIF²

¹Department of Engineering Science, Faculty of Science and Technology

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia

²School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Received: 19 October 2012/Accepted: 13 June 2013

ABSTRACT

Surface ozone or tropospheric ozone has been recognized as one of the major factors that can give adverse impact on crops including rice plants. Effects of ozone on rice plants could be seen in decreased of biochemical activities and physiological performance which contribute to yield reduction. In Malaysia, surface ozone is on the rise due to increment anthropogenic sources i.e. urbanization, transportation and also industrialization process. This condition is alarming due to the fact that rice is the major staple food to the majority of Malaysian population. In this study, exceedence of ozone exposure above an hourly threshold concentration of 40 ppb (AOT40) and ozone trends in four major rice growing areas in Malaysia were assessed using time series analysis of ozone data recorded in each area from January 2000 until December 2010 with a total of 132 readings. The results showed a steady increase in exceedence ozone of yearly AOT40 and statistical significant upward trend for ozone concentrations in each rice growing area in Malaysia. This finding was particularly alarming because ozone is able to inhibit production of rice yields. Preventive actions need to be implemented as soon as possible in order to alleviate ozone threat to our national food security agenda.

Keywords: Accumulate ozone exposure above an hourly threshold concentration of 40 ppb; rice growing area; surface ozone; trend analysis

ABSTRAK

Ozon permukaan atau ozon troposfera telah dikenal pasti sebagai salah satu faktor utama yang boleh memberi kesan buruk kepada tanaman termasuk padi. Kesan ozon pada tanaman padi boleh dilihat dalam penurunan aktiviti biokimia dan prestasi fisiologi yang menyumbang kepada pengurangan hasil. Di Malaysia, ozon permukaan semakin meningkat disebabkan peningkatan sumber antropogenik iaitu perbandaran, pengangkutan dan juga proses perindustrian. Keadaan ini adalah membimbangkan kerana berdasarkan fakta, beras adalah makanan ruji utama kepada majoriti penduduk Malaysia. Dalam kajian ini, kepekatan pendedahan ozon di atas kepekatan ambang jam 40 ppb (AOT40) dan tren ozon di empat kawasan utama tanaman padi di Malaysia telah dinilai menggunakan analisis siri masa data ozon yang direkodkan pada setiap kawasan dari Januari 2000 hingga Disember 2010 dengan sebanyak 132 bacaan. Keputusan menunjukkan peningkatan yang stabil dalam lebihan ozon daripada AOT40 tahunan dan tren menaik yang ketara secara statistik untuk kepekatan ozon di setiap kawasan penanaman padi di Malaysia. Penemuan ini amat membimbangkan kerana ozon dapat menghalang pengeluaran hasil padi. Tindakan pencegahan perlu dilaksanakan secepat mungkin untuk mengurangkan ancaman ozon terhadap agenda keselamatan makanan negara.

Kata kunci: Analisis tren; kawasan tanaman padi; pendedahan ozon yang terkumpul di atas kepekatan ambang 40 ppb per jam; ozon permukaan

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*Corresponding author; email: marzuki@umt.edu.my