Climate change boosts soybean yields but lowers protein and starch content, study finds

A new study from the University of Sao Paulo shows that climate change could increase soybean yields by 50% under combined high CO2, heat, and drought conditions. However, the same conditions reduce protein by 6% and starch by 20%, while amino acid content jumps 175%. The research used AI models to project the triple stress effect, though the full combination was not experimentally validated. For farmers and food buyers, this means more beans per acre but less nutritional value per bean. The study highlights how elevated CO2 can act as a fertilizer but also redirects carbon into cell walls instead of seed starch. Researchers are now looking for genes that could help soybeans maintain quality under climate stress. The work was published in Food Research International and led by the University of Sao Paulo.