Carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary greenhouse gas produced by human activities, is causing global warming and climate change, but higher levels of CO2 in the air can also assist plant growth and improve their ability to cope with drought and water stress.
Against a backdrop of imminent climate change that will affect crops contributing to world food supply, a team of scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia is focusing their research efforts on producing “climate ready” sugarcane for future generations.
Sugarcane is one of Australia’s most important rural industries and export crops are currently worth about AUS$2 billion to the Australian economy. CSIRO Systems Ecologist and Senior Research Scientist Dr. Chris Stokes, who is heading up this research, defines “climate ready” sugarcane as being those varieties developed to anticipate and thrive in future climatic conditions.
CO2and Plant Function
The main benefit of CO2 on plant function relates to the central growth process, photosynthesis, during which the CO2 combines with water to produce carbohydrates. Many studies have demonstrated that plants exposed to high CO2 levels in the air use water more efficiently than those grown in normal air. Small pores in the leaves called stomata control both the rate at which CO2 enters the plant and the plant’s water loss.
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