Rising temperatures and carbon dioxide levels could have opposing effects on nutrients in soybeans, according to a new study.
NPR reports scientists at the Danforth Center in St. Louis, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the U.S. Department of Agriculture examined the effects of raising carbon dioxide levels and temperatures by three degrees Celsius on soybean plants. They found that while carbon dioxide raised soybean yields and lowered iron and zinc levels, hotter temperatures lowered yields and raised mineral levels.
It’s unclear why the two environmental factors had such opposite effects, said Ivan Baxter, a Danforth Center researcher.
