Effects of FUTURE atmospheric elevated CO2 on LEGUME nutrition, growth and molecular profiling

Nowadays humanity is facing one its biggest challenges: climate change. One of the main offenders is increased carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions. In 2016, atmospheric CO2 reached levels of 400 µmol/mol and is predicted to rise to 550 µmol/mol by 2050. Parallel to high CO2 (hCO2),restricted soil Fe supply also impacts the nutritional content of foods. Since about 30% of the arable land in the world is calcareous and Fe has low solubility, Fe availability is very low in such soils, reducing yields and nutritional status. It is now irrefutable that restricted soil Fe supply and high CO2 will impact the nutrition of the foods which we will consume in the future, particularly legume crops which provide a large share of the global population diet, also being a crucial source of protein and minerals for human nutrition. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to determine the compositional and molecular/genetic changes related to nutrients and bioactive phytochemicals in soybean and bean cultivars in response to hCO2 concentrations and restricted Fe supply. The experiment to be conducted under the framework of the EPPN 2020 TNA proposal presented herein will provide us with integrated data and an overview of the main photochemical, physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms behind nutritional losses occurring when plants are exposed to hCO2 combined with Fe deficiency, in the most realistic simulated environmental conditions in the field using free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) systems. It will also allow us to make an effective selection of the cultivars more responsive to hCO2 and Fe deficiency to be used in future studies directed towards understanding specific mechanisms leading to nutritional losses. The integration of our experimental work will allow us to develop a model of GxE interaction for optimizing legume production and mitigate future nutritional losses. This project will bring an innovative understanding on the effects of environmental changes on the nutritional composition of plant foods, which will benefit farmers and seed producers for the development of nutritionally enhanced varieties. Others beneficiaries will be plant scientists at academic, industry, and government facilities, who can use the basic knowledge to help improve the plant food supply, or human nutritionists who can use the project results to develop new strategies for influencing human health. The ultimate recipients will be consumers worldwide, who will benefit from a more nutritious food supply on the long run.