Wheat grain yield decreased over the past 35 years, but protein content did not change

The extent to which rising atmospheric CO2 concentration has already influenced food production and quality is uncertain. Here, we analyzed annual field trials of fall-planted common wheat in California from 1985 to 2019, a period during which global atmospheric CO2 concentration increased 19%. Even after accounting for other major factors (cultivar, location, degree-days, soil temperature, total water applied, nitrogen fertilization, and pathogen infestation), wheat grain yield and protein yield declined 13% over this period, but grain protein content did not change. These results suggest that wheat, when exposed to gradual CO2 enrichment, sacrifices grain yield and protein yield for stable grain protein content.