The research is said to represent a pioneering methodology for studying the simultaneous effect of increased carbon dioxide and ambient temperature and might become a reference for later scientific studies.

The experiment, financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, the University Foundation of Navarra and the Foundation Caja Navarra, has already produced results.

"We have discovered that plants respond to enrichment of atmospheric CO2 with increased growth," said Professor Juan Jose Irigoyen, who is leading the project. "This will imply an increase in the productivity of food crops and of plant growth in general."

The team, which has focused on forage crops such as alfalfa, is considering expanding its research to other crops, such as rapeseed and grapevines.