Detailed study of the role of plant canopy architecture on crop yield and N2O emissions remains limited. Our study reveals that a clumped canopy architecture in crops such as rice, wheat, maize and soybean can simultaneously improve yields and reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, thus representing a promising strategy to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability globally.
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References
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Statistical Database (FAOSTAT). FAO https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data (2024). Global statistics of crop yields across different countries and regions.
Cui, X. et al. Global mapping of crop-specific emission factors highlights hotspots of nitrous oxide mitigation. Nat. Food 2, 886–893 (2021). This paper reports crop-specific N2O emissions and mitigation practices.
Fang, H. Canopy clumping index (CI): A review of methods, characteristics, and applications. Agric. For. Meteorol. 303, 108374 (2021). A review article that presents the characteristics, observational methods and applications of the CI.
Chen, J. M. et al. Effects of foliage clumping on the estimation of global terrestrial gross primary productivity. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 26, GB1019 (2012). This paper reports the remarkable effects of clumped plant canopy architecture on global terrestrial gross primary productivity.
Tian, J. et al. Maize smart-canopy architecture enhances yield at high densities. Nature 632, 576–584 (2024). This paper reports the potential of smart-canopy architecture (that is, leaf angles at different canopy layers) on maize yields through the change of a key gene.
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This is a summary of: Yan, Y. et al. Clumped canopy architecture raises global crop yield and reduces N2O emissions. Nat. Plants. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02172-w (2026).
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A clumped canopy architecture can increase crop yields while reducing N2O emissions. Nat. Plants 12, 14–15 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02174-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02174-8
