A study published by Food Research International analyzed the triple effect of climate change on soybean quality – increased carbon dioxide (CO₂), high temperatures, and drought. Using predictive modeling powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and based on experimentally verified data, the study assessed how these pressures would affect the beans. It concluded that the seeds would change their composition, producing 50% more beans but of lower nutritional quality.
The study was led by scientists from the Laboratory of Ecological Plant Physiology (LAFIECO) in the Department of Botany at the University of São Paulo’s Institute of Biosciences (IB-USP) in Brazil. The scientists highlighted a 20% reduction in starch content and a 6% reduction in protein content in beans exposed to the triple impact. Furthermore, they observed a significant increase in amino acid content (175%). “That increase in amino acids was unexpected. We don’t even know the effect of it on animals. We need to understand the effects of the triple impact on protein metabolism, which is very important for soybeans used in animal feed. We’ve seen that protein decreases in drastic climate change scenarios. Additionally, the bean loses starch, meaning less energy,” summarizes Marcos Buckeridge, coordinator of LAFIECO.
The researcher states that the obtained data can help calibrate predictive models for global agriculture in the context of the impacts of climate change, as reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The group responsible for the study is composed of researchers in the fields of bioinformatics, plant physiology and biochemistry, chemistry, statistics, and mathematical modeling. They are pioneers in examining the combined effects of these stresses on soybean crops. This is the first study, however, to estimate the combined impact of all three factors, indicating what might happen to the crop.
Buckeridge points out that the fertilizing effect of increased carbon dioxide on plants is well documented in the literature. “It causes the plant to grow faster, enabling the production of more seeds. And what about when drought is also present? We discovered that CO₂ protects the plant against the effects of drought. Even a moderate drought causes the plant to produce fewer seeds. But with high carbon dioxide levels, the leaf stomata close slightly [stomata are crucial microstructures for gas exchange and transpiration found mainly in leaves that open during the day in the presence of light]. In other words, the plant captures the carbon dioxide it needs for its processes but loses less water. That’s the protective effect CO₂ has against drought.”
In the event of high temperatures and increased carbon dioxide in the environment, this would also prevent deleterious temperature effects and help the plant grow. “CO₂ generally increases the starch content in the leaf because, when it enters the plant and creates positive carbon pressure, the plant can’t always completely process it, since that metabolism is very complex with numerous metabolic pathways. As the flow becomes congested, the plant begins to store carbon as a reserve in the form of leaf starch.”
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