The Effect of Higher CO2 Levels on Wheat Quality

Researchers in Sweden have concluded that higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can negatively affect the quality of wheat. The study, which was recently published in the journal Global Change Biology, found that higher levels of carbon dioxide stimulate photosynthesis and increase the rate at which plants grow, forcing wheat plants to correspondingly increase their absorption of nutrients such as nitrogen to maintain normal nutritional (protein) value. The scientists, based at the University of Gothenburg, found that the protein content in wheat drops as carbon dioxide increases even though wheat yield may not affected, a result attributed to a dilution effect that occurs when nitrogen assimilation does not keep up with the increased growth of the wheat grain. The researchers also concluded that the apparent negative effect of higher CO2 levels on the ability of plants to absorb nitrogen cannot be countered simply through increased fertilization. Read more