A new leaf: Getting to the heart of better yields 13 Feb, 2021 03:30 PM 3 minutes to read Dr Tory Clarke (left), Professor Susanne von Caemmerer and Dr Florence Danila. Photo / Natalia Bateman, CoETP Dr Tory Clarke (left), Professor Susanne von Caemmerer and Dr Florence Danila. Photo / Natalia Bateman, CoETP The Country New research has unearthed information scientists say will help increase the yield of important food crops such as cowpea, soybean and cassava. A team of scientists has measured the relative importance of the different obstacles that carbon dioxide (CO2) encounters in its voyage from the atmosphere to the interior of plant cells, where it is converted into sugars.