Can higher CO2 concentrations affect yield and quality parameters in lettuce and sugar beet crops?

Abstract

It has been suggested that the increase in CO2 levels in the coming decades will have positive consequences on the nutritional content and yield of agricultural crops. However, the effects of the increase in CO2 concentrations remain little known in Andean region. This study evaluated the effect of increased CO2 on the protein content and growth of sugar beet and lettuce plants in the Andean region of Colombia. We used a Randomized Complete Block Design, strip 1 was open field, strip 2 was low tunnel with ambient CO2 and strip 3 was low tunnel with 1000 ppm CO2. The sugar beet experiment three harvest periods were evaluated. The results indicated that CO2 fertilization did not have a significant effect on the yield and head diameter of the lettuce. However, biomass production tended to increase in the first sugar beet harvest but decreased significantly in the last two harvests, probably due to a negative effect caused by acclimatization to CO2 enrichment. The protein content was not affected by the increase in CO2 levels in any of the crops. The results suggest the increase in atmospheric CO2 in the next years will not cause any benefit in lettuce or sugar beet grown in the Andean region.

Keywords

• Protected crops
• Climatic change
• Carbon fertilization
• Vegetables
• Plant nutrition