Effects of combined abiotic stresses on nutrient content of European wheat and implications for nutritional security under climate change

Abstract

Climate change is causing problems for agriculture, but the effect of combined abiotic stresses on crop nutritional quality is not clear. Here we studied the effect of 10 combinations of climatic conditions (temperature, CO2, O3 and drought) under controlled growth chamber conditions on the grain yield, protein, and mineral content of 3 wheat varieties. Results show that wheat plants under O3 exposure alone concentrated + 15 to + 31% more grain N, Fe, Mg, Mn P and Zn, reduced K by − 5%, and C did not change. Ozone in the presence of elevated CO2 and higher temperature enhanced the content of Fe, Mn, P and Zn by 2–18%. Water-limited chronic O3 exposure resulted in + 9 to + 46% higher concentrations of all the minerals, except K. The effect of climate abiotic factors could increase the ability of wheat to meet adult daily dietary requirements by + 6% to + 12% for protein, Zn and Fe, but decrease those of Mg, Mn and P by − 3% to − 6%, and K by − 62%. The role of wheat in future nutrition security is discussed.

Prediction of near‐term climate change impacts on UK wheat quality and the potential for adaptation through plant breeding

“…In line with the strong genetic and environmental trade‐off between grain yield and protein content (Galani et al, 2022 ; Scott et al, 2021 ), our results suggest a negative effect of increased temperatures throughout the growing season on protein content in the major wheat growing regions in the East of the UK. Indeed, our results showed that the land area with sufficiently high protein levels is likely to decrease to less than one eighth of the area in the current climate average.…”

Seed quality under elevated CO2 differs in soybean cultivars with contrasting yield responses

“…Other studies have reported a decline in seed protein content with increasing yield in soybean (Singh et al, 2016) and wheat (Fernando, Panozzo, Tausz, Norton, Neumann, et al, 2014;Galani et al, 2022). The path analysis approach allowed us to identify the yield-independent component of eCO 2 on protein content (Table 2).…”

Fungal Endophytes to Combat Biotic and Abiotic Stresses for Climate-Smart and Sustainable Agriculture

“…Keeping the above points in mind, beneficial symbiotic fungal endophytes working at a micro-ecosystem level forming rhizosphere offer an immense scope of research for CSA benefaction. Their non-pathogenic nature, universal occurrence, triggered nutrient uptake, mineral solubilization, phytoremediation, enhanced vegetative and reproductive growth, stress tolerance resulting in optimum to high yield, etc., make them suitable for organizing full-fledged scientific research and attention ( Galani et al, 2022 ). Fungal endophytes are reported to increase biomass and remove litter from the soil, increase mineral status and nutrient uptake which aids in achieving CSA concept indirectly ( Datta et al, 2017 ; Santamaria et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Endophytic fungi increase internal hyphal growth and colonization, carbon sequestration, biomass, and yield via increased photosynthesis and induced compositional changes in elevated CO 2 ( Galani et al, 2022 ). In this context, various researchers found symbiotic relationship beneficial as it escalates plant growth in crops viz.…”

“…When infected by a virus, as exemplified in a study of the potential of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia SBP-9 to promote the growth of wheat under salt stress plant, the plant may confer heat tolerance ( Marquez et al, 2007 ; Yadav and Yadav, 2017 ). Thus, a critical evaluation of a more intriguing and inexplicable issue with many fungal endophytes to produce host metabolites needed to be harnessed for potential use in a diverse environment ( Khare et al, 2018 ; Galani et al, 2022 ).…”