Feeding the world: impacts of elevated [CO2] on nutrient content of greenhouse grown fruit crops and options for future yield gains

Several long-term studies have provided strong support demonstrating that growing crops under elevated [CO2] can increase photosynthesis and result in an increase in yield, flavour and nutritional content (including but not limited to Vitamins C, E and pro-vitamin A). In the case of tomato, increases in yield by as much as 80% are observed when plants are cultivated at 1000 ppm [CO2], which is consistent with current commercial greenhouse production methods in the tomato fruit industry. These results provide a clear demonstration of the potential for elevating [CO2] for improving yield and quality in greenhouse crops. The major focus of this review is to bring together 50 years of observations evaluating the impact of elevated [CO2] on fruit yield and fruit nutritional quality. In the final section, we consider the need to engineer improvements to photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation to allow plants to take greater advantage of elevated CO2 growth conditions.

Automated summary

Several long-term studies have shown that growing crops under elevated CO2 can increase photosynthesis and lead to higher yield, flavor, and nutritional content. For example, tomatoes grown at 1000 ppm CO2 have shown yield increases of up to 80%, which is consistent with industry practices. This review focuses on evaluating the impact of elevated CO2 on fruit yield and nutritional quality over 50 years, and suggests the need for engineering improvements to optimize plant growth under high CO2 conditions.