Aspects of crop quality such as protein concentration, amino acid composition, and the concentrations of mineral elements such as iron and zinc are essential for consumers. In food-insecure areas, many people consume inadequate amounts of iron and zinc; thus, concentrations of these minerals in food can impact human health. Furthermore, this present-day concern about food quality associated with hunger and malnutrition may be exacerbated by climate change. Specifically, crops grown in elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations (elevated [CO₂]) have decreased concentrations of nutrients critical to human health, including protein, iron, and zinc. Although it has been established that elevated [CO₂] reduces nutritional content in some crops, the mechanisms by which it occurs are uncertain. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain the phenomenon, but not all have strong support. My thesis project seeks to understand what causes these reductions in food quality and find ways to offset them so we can produce nutritious next-generation food crops. I will explore 1) understanding the relationship between transpiration and nutrient decline under elevated [CO₂] in soybean, 2) investigating plant interaction with soil and soil health, and 3) assessing the feasibility of using hyperspectral imaging and regression models to predict soil nutrient concentrations. This research will increase our understanding of the role of transpiration in decreased nutrient concentrations in crops grown under elevated [CO₂] and would improve our currently limited ability to predict responses for different crops and regions. The broader impact and long-term goal of this thesis will be to incorporate the knowledge of how transpiration influences crop quality and plant-soil interactions from the field experiments into a larger model framework accounting for other nutrient acquisition and distribution mechanisms. Additionally, combining the effects of these mechanisms in a mathematical model will allow me to test different hypotheses and identify specific physiological traits that could be used to guide breeding and agronomic strategies to adapt crops to higher [CO₂].