Impacts of climate change on the growth, morphological and physiological responses, and yield of Kimchi cabbage leaves

We evaluated the effects of interacting climate change factors on the morphology, growth, physiological responses, and yield of Kimchi cabbage leaves. Kimchi cabbage was cultivated under two climate change scenarios predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP 8.5. For the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 treatments, the air temperatures were maintained 3.4 and 6.0°C above the prevailing control air temperatures and the CO2 concentrations were maintained at 540 and 940 µmol·mol -1, respectively, using newly developed extreme weather growth-chambers. Control plants were grown outside during the autumn. The RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 treatments led to tipburn disorders and rough leaves. The light compensation and saturation points of control plants were greater than those of the treatment plants. The maximum carboxylation rate, maximum rate of electron transport, and triose phosphate utilization rate of the RCP 8.5 treatment plants were significantly lower than those of the control. The control plants had the greatest yield among the studied plants, with a 65% reduction in yield observed in the RCP 4.5 treatment plants. The RCP scenarios retarded the growth and assimilation rates, and negatively affected leaf morphology, photosynthesis efficiency, and yield. These results suggest that climate change scenarios may have a profound impact on the cultivation of Kimchi cabbage and that effective mitigation strategies may be needed to ensure that this economically important crop has the necessary resilience under such climate change.