Clumped canopy architecture raises global crop yield and reduces N2O emissions

Producing more food with reduced environmental impact remains a critical challenge. Previous agricultural management strategies have predominantly emphasized crop varieties, fertilization and irrigation, often requiring substantial resource inputs and technical expertise. However, the role of crop canopy architecture, which remarkably influences plant growth and ecosystem processes, has been largely overlooked. Here we integrate satellite-based and field observations to assess the global impacts of canopy architecture on crop yield and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions for rice, wheat, maize and soybean during the past two decades. Our findings reveal that crops with clumped canopy architectures achieve higher yields and lower N2O emissions, a pattern consistently observed across all four major crops, even though soil properties also critically regulate N2O emissions. This effect is possibly driven by enhanced light interception and gross primary production, along with increased canopy nitrogen demand. Aligning crop canopy architecture with the global average can potentially increase crop production by 336 million tons annually, generating economic benefits of US$108 billion per year while simultaneously reducing N2O emissions by 41.6% globally. These results highlight the critical role of canopy architecture in global food security and present a novel strategy for enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability on a global scale.