 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
High CO2 levels can hurt soybean plants
Champaign, Ill. (UPI) Feb 2, 2009 U.S. biologists have discovered high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels negatively affect a soybean plant's defenses against leaf-eating insects. Professor Evan DeLucia and colleagues at the University of Illinois said deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels have significantly increased carbon dioxide levels since the late 18th century. "Currently, CO2 in the atmosphere is about 380 parts per million," DeLucia, an author of the study, said, and it's predicted to reach 550 parts per million by the year 2050. The study, led by Professor May Berenbaum, used the Soybean Free Air Concentration Enrichment facility at Illinois, which can expose the plants in a soybean field to a variety of atmospheric CO2 and ozone levels. The researchers said they wanted to know how high CO2 levels affects the insects that feed on the plants. They found soybeans exposed to higher levels of CO2 exhibited more signs of insect damage than those in nearby plots, attracting many more Japanese beetles, Western corn rootworms and Asian soybean aphids than soybeans in other plots. The scientists also discovered beetles on the high CO2 soybean plants lived longer, producing more offspring, than those outside the test plot. The research appeared in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology
China warns 2009 could be 'toughest year' for farm policies
Beijing (AFP) Feb 1, 2009China's government Sunday warned 2009 could be the "toughest year" since the turn of the century for development of the countryside, which has fallen behind as reforms favoured the cities, state media reported. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook