The rising atmospheric CO2, concentration is expected to exert a strong impact on crop production, enhancing crop growth but threatening food security and safety. An improver wheat, a hybrid, and its parents were grown at elevated CO2, e[CO2] in open field, and their yield and rheological, nutritional, and sanitary quality were assessed. For all cultivars, grain yield increased (+16%) and protein content decreased (-7%), accompanied by a reduction in dough strength. Grain nitrogen yield increased (+24%) only in ordinary bread making cultivars. e[CO2] did not result in significant changes in phenolic acid content and composition, whereas it produced a significant increase in the deoxynivalenol content. Different responses to e[CO2] between cultivars were found for yield parameters, while the effect on qualitative traits was quite similar. In the upcoming wheat cropping systems, agronomic practices and cultivar selection suited to guarantee higher nitrogen responsiveness and minimization of sanitary risk are required.
Keywords: Common wheat; FACE; antioxidant compounds; carbon dioxide; gluten aggregation; grain protein content; grain yield; mycotoxins.