Anthocyanins and tannins in ozone-fumigated guava trees

Psidium guajava “Paluma”, a tropical tree species, is known to be an efficient ozone indicator in tropical countries. When exposed to ozone, this species displays a characteristic leaf injury identified by inter-veinal red stippling on adaxial leaf surfaces. Following 30 days of three ozone treatments consisting of carbon filtered air (CF – AOT40 = 17 ppb h), ambient non-filtered air (NF – AOT40 = 542 ppb h) and ambient non-filtered air + 40 ppb ozone (NF + O3 – AOT40 = 7802 ppb h), the amounts of residual anthocyanins and tannins present in 10 P. guajava (“Paluma”) saplings were quantified. Higher amounts of anthocyanins were found in the NF + O3 treatment (1.6%) when compared to the CF (0.97%) and NF (1.30%) (p < 0.05), and of total tannins in the NF + O3 treatment (0.16%) compared to the CF (0.14%). Condensed tannins showed the same tendency as enhanced amounts. Regression analyses using amounts of tannins and anthocyanins, AOT40 and the leaf injury index (LII), showed a correlation between the leaf injury index and quantities of anthocyanins and total tannins. These results are in accordance with the association between the incidence of red-stippled leaves and ozone polluted environments.