Short description
Biomonitoring has been used for decades for the spatial and/or temporal detection and monitoring of environmental changes. For example, tobacco plants exposed according to standardised specifications (cultivars of tobacco Nicotiana tabacum) can directly indicate effects of ground-level ozone and photooxidants in ambient air (response indicator). Visible leaf damage is used as an effect measure. The standard specifies the procedure including plant cultivation and application (exposure). It also describes the methods of recording and assessing leaf damage to determine the ozone effect. This enables risk assessments for vegetation - plants as a protected resource - and for agricultural and horticultural production.