Higher Carbon Dioxide Levels Mean Poorer Wheat Quality
Date: 17.12.2012
Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have a negative impact on the protein content of wheat grain and thus its nutritional quality. This is the finding of researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in a recently published study in the journal Global Change Biology.
Elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide stimulate the photosynthesis and growth of most plants.
"Protein content is the most important quality aspect for crops, with implications for both nutritional value and the baking properties of the grain," explains H?kan Pleijel, Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Gothenburg's Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences.
Researchers H?kan Pleijel and Johan Uddling have summarized the way in which experimentally elevated carbon dioxide levels affect the harvest index and protein content of wheat. The study includes 43 field experiments with 17 different varieties of wheat, carried out in ten countries across four continents. The results of the study are unequivocal: "Elevated carbon dioxide levels often increase the size of the grain yield, but also lead to a reduction in quality in the form of lower protein content," says Professor Pleijel.
