# @ahs_gardening on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DSC1Ni6kuKc
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/55035531-ahs-gardening-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/c3fc8d01dc.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-12-09T13:23:18.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** American Horticultural Society | American Gardener Magazine (@ahs_gardening) — https://gondola.cc/ahs_gardening

## Caption

Researchers found that when CO₂ levels and temperatures rise—conditions we’re already seeing—leafy vegetables like kale, arugula, and spinach may grow bigger and faster, but not necessarily better.⁠
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Scientists at Liverpool John Moores University, led by PhD researcher Jitah Ugwah Ekele, grew these crops in climate-controlled chambers that mimic our future atmosphere. Then they used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and X-ray fluorescence to measure all the good stuff we hope to get from leafy greens—sugars, proteins, phenolics, flavonoids, vitamins, antioxidants.⁠
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Here’s the part that made us pause—The plants bulked up, but their nutritional value dropped. Key minerals like calcium and several antioxidant compounds declined under elevated CO₂. Bigger leaves, fewer benefits.⁠
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Ekele put it well. “It’s important to connect plant science with broader issues of human well-being… we must think holistically about the kind of food system we’re building—one that not only produces enough food, but also promotes health, equity, and resilience.”⁠
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It’s a reminder that climate change touches every part of our gardens, from the soil under our feet to the nutrients on our plates.⁠
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For the full story, visit our “News” section in our November/December issue at ahsgardening.org. ⁠
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Not a member? Join us at connect.ahsgardening.org/join to become a member and gain full access to the magazine archives. ⁠
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#gardeningnews #horticulturalnews #nutritionalcrops #crops #climatechange #americangardener #ahsgardening #sustainablegardening #americanhorticulturalsociety #LiverpoolJohnMooresUniversity #climatescience #climate #climatecrops

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## Tags

americangardener, crops, climatescience, climatechange, ahsgardening, sustainablegardening, liverpooljohnmooresuniversity, gardeningnews, nutritionalcrops, climatecrops, climate, horticulturalnews, americanhorticulturalsociety

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