Crop production models are highly developed to account for different nitrogen, light, temperature and water availability conditions and, in some species, disease or air pollutant effects. There is very limited knowledge on responses of many tropical crops, such as oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), to air pollutants although predictions of these effects are essential for industrial planning in several countries. In the absence of limitations due to water supply, the effects of leaf area loss due to necrosis and chlorosis are much more important to canopy photosynthesis than are changes in the physiological attributes that influence the efficiency of light use. Therefore, potential losses of crop production due to air pollutants such as fluoride can be inferred usefully from the extent of visible injury to foliage that may be associated with different levels of pollutant exposure.
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