Recently, the issue of rising agricultural product prices and food insecurity due to global warming has become prominent worldwide. In particular, South Korea’s food self-sufficiency rate was very low at 49.3% as of 2022, making it likely that decre...
Recently, the issue of rising agricultural product prices and food insecurity due to global warming has become prominent worldwide. In particular, South Korea’s food self-sufficiency rate was very low at 49.3% as of 2022, making it likely that decreases in crop productivity caused by climate change could further exacerbate food supply instability. According to climate change scenarios, the global average temperature is projected to rise by about 2–3°C over the next 100 years, while the Korean Peninsula may experience an increase of about 4.0°C (IPCC, 2007; National Institute of Meteorological Sciences, 2011). This study was conducted based on the SSP5-8.5 scenario (IPCC, 2021; National Institute of Meteorological Sciences, 2022), a high-emission pathway presented in the IPCC AR6. The study evaluated the effects of climate change, particularly increases in temperature and high CO₂ concentrations, on seed germination and early growth of three Brassica species (Chinese cabbage, cabbage, and rapeseed). The experiments were conducted in a CO₂ growth chamber with controlled environmental conditions using combinations of temperatures (20°C, 24.4°C, and 28.8°C) and CO₂ concentrations (450 ppm and 900 ppm). The results showed that under high CO₂ conditions (900 ppm), germination speed was slightly enhanced, but early growth and biomass decreased. In particular, at 24.4°C with a high CO₂ concentration (900 ppm), root growth during the post-germination early growth stage was notably suppressed, negatively affecting overall plant growth. These results indicate that the effects of increased temperature and CO₂ concentration on early growth under climate change conditions may vary depending on the developmental stage. This study provides insights into the seed germination and early growth characteristics of Brassica species under climate change conditions and can serve as a foundational resource for the future development of crop varieties adapted to climate change.