Effects of Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> on Maize Physiological and Biochemical Processes
Maize (<i>Zea mays</i>) is a critical global crop, serving as a source of food, livestock feed, and industrial raw materials. Climate changes, driven by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) levels, have substantial effects on maize physiology, growth, and nutrie...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/202 |
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| author | Pirzada Khan Tariq Aziz Rahmatullah Jan Kyung-Min Kim |
| author_facet | Pirzada Khan Tariq Aziz Rahmatullah Jan Kyung-Min Kim |
| author_sort | Pirzada Khan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Maize (<i>Zea mays</i>) is a critical global crop, serving as a source of food, livestock feed, and industrial raw materials. Climate changes, driven by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) levels, have substantial effects on maize physiology, growth, and nutrient content. This review investigates the impact of elevated CO<sub>2</sub> on maize, with a particular focus on photosynthesis enhancement as it improves water use efficiency (WUE), which can lead to increased biomass production. Despite this, elevated CO<sub>2</sub> results in a decreased concentration of essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and folate. The reduction in folate, which is vital for both plant development and human nutrition, poses challenges, especially for population heavily reliant on maize. Additionally, biofortification through traditional breeding and genetic engineering is proposed as a strategy to enhance folate level in maize to mitigate nutritional deficiencies. Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> stimulates lignin production, improving stress resistance and carbon sequestration capacity. However, the increase in guaiacyl-rich lignin may negatively affect biomass degradability and efficiency in biofuel production. The findings emphasize the importance of balancing maize’s stress resilience, nutrient profile, and lignin composition to address future climate challenges. This balance is essential for optimizing maize cultivation for food security, biofuel production, and environmental sustainability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4e44566bf3634f679d27b5f0541b18c1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-4e44566bf3634f679d27b5f0541b18c12025-01-24T13:17:10ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-01-0115120210.3390/agronomy15010202Effects of Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> on Maize Physiological and Biochemical ProcessesPirzada Khan0Tariq Aziz1Rahmatullah Jan2Kyung-Min Kim3Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, ChinaFaculty of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, ChinaCoastal Agriculture Research Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of KoreaCoastal Agriculture Research Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of KoreaMaize (<i>Zea mays</i>) is a critical global crop, serving as a source of food, livestock feed, and industrial raw materials. Climate changes, driven by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) levels, have substantial effects on maize physiology, growth, and nutrient content. This review investigates the impact of elevated CO<sub>2</sub> on maize, with a particular focus on photosynthesis enhancement as it improves water use efficiency (WUE), which can lead to increased biomass production. Despite this, elevated CO<sub>2</sub> results in a decreased concentration of essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and folate. The reduction in folate, which is vital for both plant development and human nutrition, poses challenges, especially for population heavily reliant on maize. Additionally, biofortification through traditional breeding and genetic engineering is proposed as a strategy to enhance folate level in maize to mitigate nutritional deficiencies. Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> stimulates lignin production, improving stress resistance and carbon sequestration capacity. However, the increase in guaiacyl-rich lignin may negatively affect biomass degradability and efficiency in biofuel production. The findings emphasize the importance of balancing maize’s stress resilience, nutrient profile, and lignin composition to address future climate challenges. This balance is essential for optimizing maize cultivation for food security, biofuel production, and environmental sustainability.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/202climate changeselevated CO<sub>2</sub>folate biofortificationgrowthlignin biosynthesisnutrients |
| spellingShingle | Pirzada Khan Tariq Aziz Rahmatullah Jan Kyung-Min Kim Effects of Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> on Maize Physiological and Biochemical Processes Agronomy climate changes elevated CO<sub>2</sub> folate biofortification growth lignin biosynthesis nutrients |
| title | Effects of Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> on Maize Physiological and Biochemical Processes |
| title_full | Effects of Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> on Maize Physiological and Biochemical Processes |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> on Maize Physiological and Biochemical Processes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> on Maize Physiological and Biochemical Processes |
| title_short | Effects of Elevated CO<sub>2</sub> on Maize Physiological and Biochemical Processes |
| title_sort | effects of elevated co sub 2 sub on maize physiological and biochemical processes |
| topic | climate changes elevated CO<sub>2</sub> folate biofortification growth lignin biosynthesis nutrients |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/202 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pirzadakhan effectsofelevatedcosub2subonmaizephysiologicalandbiochemicalprocesses AT tariqaziz effectsofelevatedcosub2subonmaizephysiologicalandbiochemicalprocesses AT rahmatullahjan effectsofelevatedcosub2subonmaizephysiologicalandbiochemicalprocesses AT kyungminkim effectsofelevatedcosub2subonmaizephysiologicalandbiochemicalprocesses |