Abstract
Understanding the response of medicinal plants to elevated CO2 concentrations is crucial to evaluate the climate change impacts on medicinal plant's productivity together with the accumulation of biochemical constituents counting nutrients wealth. The present study investigated the effect of elevated CO2 concentrations (ambient-~400±4, 600±12, and 800±16 μmol CO2 mol-1) on the biochemical constituents (viz. chlorophyll, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, protein, total sugars, and carbon partitioning) and accumulation of mineral nutrients (viz. potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium) in different plant parts (viz. leaf, stem, and root) of Asparagus racemosus Willd., an endangered medicinal plant species. The results confirmed that the elevated CO2 concentration significantly (p ≤ 0.05) enhanced the leaves biochemical constituents, viz. chlorophyll, protein, total sugars, and carbon content while conversely diminishes the ascorbic acid content in leaf. The accumulation of nutrients especially potassium and magnesium were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved while it is reverse in case of phosphorus under the elevated CO2 concentration. Moreover, elevated CO2 notably altered protein, sugars, carbon, and nutrients partitioning in leaf, stem, and root tissues. This study will be helpful in anticipating the effect of rising atmospheric CO2 concentration on medicinal and threatened plants and require further intensive studies to comprehend the effects of elevated CO2 concentration.
Highlights
Climate change, a global phenomenon has got attention amongst scientific as well as political communities worldwide
Elevated CO2 significantly promoted leaf chlorophyll, total sugar, and protein accumulation whereas impeded the ascorbic acid and carotenoid content in response to elevated CO2 concentration (Fig. 1and 2).The study reported an increment of ~5.12 and ~9.14 (Chl “a”), ~3.01 and ~5.57 (Chl “b”), and ~3.20 and ~6.81 (TChl) for the plants grown at 600 and 800 μmol CO2 mol−1, respectively when compared to ambient grown plants (Fig. 1)
It is concluded that rising CO2 concentration is significantly induced alteration in biochemical constituents and nutrients allocation in plant tissues such as leaf, stem, and root of Asparagus racemosus
Summary
A global phenomenon has got attention amongst scientific as well as political communities worldwide. It has already impacted the structure and function of the Earth’s terrestrial system resulting in biodiversity change across the globe. Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), a biodiversity hotspot and repository of medicinal plants (Gangwar et al, 2010), is the most vulnerable and sensitive ecosystem to climate change (IPCC, 2007; Rana et al, 2015). Rising atmospheric CO2 concentration is an important climatic variable coupled to global climate change (IPCC, 2001). Atmospheric CO2 concentrations have been projected to reach ~475-1313 μmol CO2 mol−1 by end of the 2100 (IPCC, 2013).
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