Ground-level ozone reduces maize and soybean yields

Despite government regulations, ground-level ozone—an odorless gas that forms as polluting nitrogen oxides drift in sunlight across the countryside—continues to threaten crop quality and yield. In a new study, researchers quantify this loss from historical yield data for the first time. They show that over the last 30 years, ozone emissions have reduced soybean and corn yields by 5 percent and 10 percent, respectively.