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More CO2 in the atmosphere is making food crops more calorific, less nutritious and potentially more toxic

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More CO2 in the atmosphere is making food more calorific, less nutritious and potentially more toxic. If we do not intervene, this can lead to malnutrition, even in population groups that currently have enough to eat. These are the findings of the Leiden study published in the journal Global Change Biology.

Someone who eats a healthy diet of rice and tomatoes today may not be getting enough essential nutrients in the future. The increase in CO2 in the air is reducing the nutritional quality of crops: they contain less zinc, iron and protein, for example. These nutrients are decreasing by an average of 4.4%, but some are decreasing by 38%. At the same time, the number of calories is increasing, which can lead to obesity. The concentration of harmful substances such as lead may also be increasing, although more data are needed to investigate this.

Wake up call
All over the world, many people depend on rice or wheat for food. Both crops experience a significant decline in essential nutrients as CO2 levels rise. The decline in nutritional value can have a significant impact on people’s health – even if there is enough food – and can lead to malnutrition. Environmental scientist Sterre ter Haar sees her study as a calling. “With food security, we often think about whether people can fill their bellies or not. Our research highlights that food security also means food security. We have to pay more attention to that.”

Comparing data from different studies
The researchers analyzed and compared crop data from different studies. In these studies, researchers grew crops at various CO2 levels. Although a large amount of data was available, the different concentrations of CO2 used made it difficult to compare the studies. However, the Leiden researchers studied found that the effect of CO2 levels on plant growth was linear: if the CO2 level doubles, the nutrients are also affected. This allowed the researchers to make a baseline measurement, allowing them to compare the data. A total of 43 crops were studied, including rice, potatoes, tomatoes and wheat.

How realistic is this scenario?
Crops for different studies were grown under experimental conditions both indoors and outdoors. How realistic is it that our food will be more caloric, more nutritious and more toxic? “The CO2 level for the baseline measurement was 350 parts per million (ppm) and we looked at what would happen at 550 ppm, the level we can reach in our lifetime,” said researcher Sterre ter Haar. “Today we live at 425 ppm, so we are already halfway through this model.” According to the researchers, the results show that our diet is already less nutritious than it was a few decades ago. In the future we will have to adjust our diet.

More research is needed
The Leiden researchers hope that this study will stimulate further research into the impact of CO2 not only on other crops, but also on whether climate change affects our food differently and how we can adapt crops to climate change. Can we grow them differently in greenhouses, for example? “Fortunately, there is a lot of innovation in the Dutch food sector and we have strong research institutions that can study it,” says Ter Haar. “We can really move forward together.”

You can read the full study at the link here.

Source: University of Leiden

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Using citronella oils to control insects

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21 minutes ago

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November 30, 2025

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Cellulose acetate (CA) is a non-toxic and biocompatible polymer widely used in the production of polymeric films. In this study, epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and citronella oil (CO) were incorporated into CA films in different proportions to evaluate their plasticizing effects and potential insect repellent properties for agricultural applications.

The chemical composition of CO was analyzed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and it was revealed that citronellal, geraniol and citronellol constitute approximately 70% of the oil. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed minimal structural changes due to low oil content, and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated a decrease in glass transition temperature (Tg) with both ESO and CO, with CO showing a more pronounced plasticizing effect. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images suggested a stronger interfacial interaction between CA matrix and CO compared to ESO. Tensile tests confirmed improved mechanical properties at all concentrations. Repellency studies targeting Bemisia tabaci assessed insect mortality and oviposition. Films with higher CO concentrations achieved 100% mortality within 24 h and effectively prevented oviposition, showing significant repellency.

These results highlight the potential of CA films containing CO and ESO as sustainable mulching films, combining improved mechanical performance, insect repellency and reduced reliance on synthetic insecticides.

Rezende, GM, De Souza, EG, Dos Reis, MV, Haddi, K., De Oliveira, JE and Gil, CSB (2025). Citronella oil incorporated into active mulching films for strawberry crop insect control. ACS Agricultural Science and Technology, Article 5c00451. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsagscitech.5c00451

Source: ACS Publications










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Supreme Court Should Hear Marijuana Case That Could Affect Other Issues, Man In Endangered Species Act Dispute Says

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31 minutes ago

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November 30, 2025

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A public interest law firm representing a man who says federal law unconstitutionally violated his property rights has joined a chorus of voices calling for the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case challenging a key foundation of the federal marijuana ban.

In an amicus brief filed with the court Wednesday, the Pacific Legal Foundation — representing Florida-based Michael Colosi — said its client’s property dispute “exemplifies” how the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution has been misinterpreted and misapplied, giving the federal government unauthorized authority over intrastate commerce.

In Colosi’s case, his local government told him he had to pay a $200,000 development fee to build a home on a specific property in Charlotte County because a species of bird known as the Florida scrub might someday populate the area. That’s because the federal government classifies the species as “threatened.”

“Colosi argued that the federal government lacks the authority to regulate an intrastate species without a direct connection to interstate commerce,” the brief states. “Colosi and petitioners face the same dilemma: they are aggrieved by federal regulation of activities that the Constitution does not authorize the federal government to regulate.”

Until then, the Massachusetts marijuana companies urging the Supreme Court to take up their case also argue that federal law unconstitutionally prohibits intrastate cannabis activity in violation of the Commerce Clause.

“Canna Provisions is not the first petitioner to ask this Court to clarify the scope of the Commerce and Necessary and Appropriate Clauses, but its case presents a unique opportunity to temper past wrongly decided precedents and protect property rights,” the filing states.

“Colosi’s effort to build a house was blocked by federal regulations because an endangered species within the state, the Florida scrub jay, can nest on the land. When questioned about the condition it placed on Colosi’s intended land use, the federal government used the Commerce and Necessary Clause to justify regulation of intrastate commerce by its impregnable Commerce and Clause argument. This Court’s adoption of its Commerce and Clause in Necessary and Appropriate Jurisprudence is not the first, And he won’t be the last landowner to be harmed by government overreach under federal laws.

“This court should take this opportunity to correct federal precedent in its Commerce and Necessary and Proper Clauses before more people are harmed,” he says, noting that the policy’s dissonance “has far-reaching negative effects on property owners, local governments, and the freedom that enumerated jurisdictions seek to protect. This court should grant the request.”

The filing highlights how the cannabis case, if taken up by the Supreme Court, could have far-reaching implications beyond the marijuana issue specifically, depending on what the justices decide.

Amicus short presented in one day by The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, likewise, beg the courts to examine the case, Canna Provisions v. bond the court has scheduled a closed-door meeting for next month to address the issue.

Power law firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP filed the writ of certiorari last month on behalf of its clients and the Department of Justice. he declined the opportunity to present a brief for or against the case the judges

A The lead attorney representing the petitioners told Marihuana Moment that he is “hopeful.”— even if a little “nervous” — about the judges ultimately deciding to take up the matter and address the key legal question of the constitutionality of the federal ban on cannabis.

“Time is of the essence,” said Josh Schiller, noting the dramatic shift in public opinion and state laws governing cannabis. “We believe the timing of this case is right out of necessity; the industry needs to get relief from federal oversight at this time.”

Before the conference was organized, it was founded by Koch The Americans for Prosperity Foundation also filed an amicus brief encourage judges to take up the case.

US Court of Appeals He rejected the arguments of the state’s illegal cannabis companies the company is being replaced in May. One of the final blows of the high-profile case was a dismissal of the claims by the lower court. But it has been widely reported that the plaintiffs’ legal teams have long intended to end the case before the nine high courts.

Four justices must vote to approve the cert petition for the court to hear the case.

While it’s unclear whether SCOTUS will ultimately take up the case, it’s a sign that they may at least be interested in appealing to the courts. 2021 Statement of Justice Clarence Thomasas the court denied review of a separate dispute involving a medical marijuana dispensary in Colorado.

Thomas’s comments at the time suggested that it would be appropriate to revisit the precedent-setting case, Gonzales vs. Raichwhere the Supreme Court specifically determined that the federal government could enforce a ban on the cultivation of cannabis that took place entirely in California under Congress’s authority to regulate interstate commerce.

The initial complaint in the current case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, argued that the government’s continued prohibition of marijuana under the CSA was unconstitutional because Congress had it for decades. “The states have rejected any hypothesis that federal control of regulated marijuana is necessary.”

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It’s Marijuana Moment tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

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At oral arguments in the appeal late last yearDavid Boies told the justices that under the Constitution, Congress can only regulate commercial activity within a state—in this case, marijuana—if not regulating that state activity would “substantially interfere with or undermine Congress’s statutory authority.” interState trade”.

Boies, the firm’s president, has a long list of past clients, including the Justice Department, former Vice President Al Gore and the plaintiffs in a case that overturned California’s same-sex marriage ban.

The judges, however, said they were “unconvinced” that “the CSA remains entirely intact in terms of the regulation of commercial activity involving marijuana for non-medical purposes, which is the activity carried on by the appellants, on their own.”

The district court, meanwhile, said in the case that while there are “compelling reasons to reconsider” current cannabis programming, its hands were effectively tied by the US Supreme Court’s past precedent. go.

He is behind a decision by the Trump administration to re-regulate marijuana. President Donald Trump said in late August that within weeks cannabis would be subject to Section III of the CSA.

Meanwhile, last month the Supreme Court agreed to hear a A separate case on the constitutionality of a federal law prohibiting people from using marijuana or other drugs for the purchase or possession of firearms. The Trump administration has argued that the policy “targets a category of people who are at clear risk of firearm misuse” and should be upheld.

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Cannabis News

New controller adds temperature based dimming safeguards

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1 day ago

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November 29, 2025

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A new lighting controller has entered the market NOVA 2C PRO, a professional grow room device designed by FOG, Aerolight being the official distributor for the Italian market. “The unit offers basic environmental monitoring and spectrum management without changing the traditional design of a grow room,” says Aerolight CEO Marco Brunati.

The controller supports up to 25 lights per line and works with any brand of LED fixture that accepts 0 to 10 volt signals. A signal amplifier can be added for larger installations. The device has 2 outputs. One output handles a single spectrum control, while the second handles 2 independent spectra on the same fixture. The company has stated that the second line is not intended as a separate zone, but as a way to operate in a 2 spectrum apparatus.

Daily scheduling is available along with percentage-based dimming and gradual sunrise and sunset functions. The unit also monitors the room temperature and can limit the light intensity when it reaches the programmed ceiling. A separate emergency stop shuts down the facility if the room exceeds the safety threshold. .

© THE FOG

“The controller reads the temperature and humidity conditions in the room and adjusts the light when necessary. The user sets a target temperature on the unit. If the room exceeds this limit, the controller reduces the light intensity to prevent heat saturation,” says Marco. He notes that this feature does not replace adequate ventilation, but can help stabilize conditions if an extractor fails. “In that situation, reducing the heat load from the lights keeps the room within a workable state rather than allowing the temperature to rise.”

“The NOVA 2C PRO is intended as a compact control option for growers who want spectral adjustment and environmental guarantees in a single device,” concludes Marco.

For more information:
Aerolight
+393396771389
(email protected)
aeroargia.it

The future of growth
+41764062808
futureofgrow.com










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