Summary
This 2023 book chapter reviews the mechanisms by which climate change—through altered temperature regimes, water availability, and light conditions—modulates fruit physiology and quality during development and post-harvest storage. The authors synthesise evidence on how these environmental stressors affect metabolic pathways governing flavour compounds, nutritional composition and shelf-life stability in fruit crops. The review likely emphasises the implications for horticultural productivity and food quality under projected climate scenarios.
Regional applicability
The geographic scope of this review is not specified from the metadata; if it is global or comparative, findings on temperature sensitivity and water stress in fruit crops are transferable to United Kingdom protected horticulture and outdoor soft fruit and top fruit systems, particularly in relation to spring frosts, drought stress and heat-stress during critical phenological stages. UK growers may find the physiological insights relevant to cultivar selection and harvest timing under changing climate conditions.
Key measures
As suggested by the title: fruit sugar concentration, titratable acidity, colour development, firmness, respiration rate, ethylene production, photosynthetic capacity, water stress indicators
Outcomes reported
The study examined how climate change variables (temperature, water stress, radiation) alter fruit physiological processes and post-harvest quality attributes. Key quality metrics likely included sugar content, acidity, colour, firmness and shelf-life.
Topic tags
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