Abstract BACKGROUND The effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) on plant growth and productivity have received considerable attention. While CO 2 capture agents have been generally reported to improve crop yield and quality, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, particularly in rapeseed ( Brassica napus L.). RESULTS A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different concentrations of a foliar‐applied CO 2 ‐capturing agent on the growth, yield, and quality of Brassica napus cv. ‘Xiangyou 15’. The results showed that 100× dilution of foliar‐applied CO 2 ‐capturing agent was optimal, significantly increasing yield, leaf chlorophyll (SPAD), and seed oil content. Further transcriptomic analysis was conducted between the optimal foliar‐applied CO 2 ‐capturing agent (T3) and control (T1), T3 up‐regulated photosynthetic genes including PSAA, PSAB, rbcL and reshaped carbon metabolism, glucose, fructose, and sucrose contents increased by 40.6%, 32.0% and 10.5% respectively. Additionally, T3 significantly up‐regulated INV (invertase) and G6PDH (glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase), supplying NADPH reducing power and carbon precursors for oil biosynthesis. Consequently, the total fatty acid content significantly increased from 44 059.02 to 62 909.80 μg g −1 under T3 treatment, representing a 42.8% rise. CONCLUSION Taken together, this study provided the first integrated physiological and transcriptomic evidence that a CO 2 capture agent boosted yield and increased the quality of Brassica napus L., highlighting its potential as an efficient and sustainable approach for crop productivity enhancement. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.
Liao et al. (Thu,) studied this question.