Abstract
Climate change significantly impacts fruit crop production, leading to reduced yields, quality degradation, and increased biotic stress. This review evaluates mitigation strategies that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve resilience in fruit horticulture. Genetic, ecological, agronomic, and technological approaches are examined with examples and case studies. The article emphasizes integrated systems for enhancing carbon sequestration, optimizing input use, and supporting sustainable fruit production under changing climates.
Keywords: Climate change, fruit crops, mitigation, carbon sequestration, sustainable horticulture, precision agriculture
1. Introduction
Climate change presents a serious threat to global agriculture, particularly fruit crops that are sensitive to climatic variability. Increased temperature, erratic rainfall, and the intensification of pests and diseases reduce productivity and affect global food security (IPCC, 2021). Fruit crops such as apple, mango, grapes, banana, and citrus have specific climatic thresholds and are therefore vulnerable. This article explores scientifically backed mitigation strategies to address the challenges imposed by climate change on fruit crop systems.
2. Genetic Approaches for Resilience
2.1 Stress-Tolerant Cultivars
Development of drought, heat, and salinity-tolerant fruit varieties is essential. Marker-assisted selection and genomic selection enable the identification and breeding of resilient genotypes. For instance, the grapevine cultivar ‘Tempranillo’ exhibits higher heat tolerance due to altered anthocyanin biosynthesis (Carbonell-Bejerano et al., 2013).
2.2 Genome Editing
CRISPR-Cas9 is used to create climate-resilient plants. In banana, genome editing has developed resistance to bacterial wilt and Fusarium wilt under stress conditions (Tripathi et al., 2019).
3. Agroecological Practices and Carbon Sequestration
3.1 Agroforestry Systems
Agroforestry integrates fruit trees with leguminous crops and native flora to enhance biodiversity, reduce soil erosion, and sequester carbon. A study in mango-based agroforestry systems in semi-arid India demonstrated carbon sequestration of 2.1 Mg CO2 ha\u207b\u00b9 year\u207b\u00b9 higher than monoculture systems (Sharma et al., 2016).
3.2 Soil Amendments and Biochar
Biochar improves soil health and sequesters carbon. Apple orchards amended with biochar showed a 15-30% increase in soil organic carbon (Wang et al., 2020).
4. Efficient Resource Use
4.1 Water Management
Deficit irrigation strategies such as regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) reduce water use without compromising yield. In citrus, RDI reduced water consumption by 30% while maintaining fruit quality (Garcia-Tejero et al., 2010).
4.2 Enhanced-Efficiency Fertilizers
Use of controlled-release fertilizers and nitrification inhibitors minimizes nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Peach orchards using urease inhibitors showed 40% reduction in N2O emissions (Zhou et al., 2016).
5. Protected Cultivation and Climate Buffering
High tunnels, shade nets, and greenhouses buffer extreme weather events. In strawberries, high tunnels increased yield and reduced frost damage by 20% (Rowley et al., 2011). Net houses for guava reduced sunburn and improved canopy health (Singh et al., 2021).
6. Postharvest and Supply Chain Management
Cold storage and transportation are energy-intensive. Solar-powered cold storage used in Kenyan mango supply chains decreased postharvest losses by 50% (Mutua et al., 2019). Controlled atmosphere storage extends shelf life and reduces food loss.
7. Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM)
Climate variability enhances pest risks. Predictive models such as the Grape Powdery Mildew Risk Index optimize fungicide use based on weather data (Gubler et al., 1999). Use of biopesticides and pheromone traps in apple reduced synthetic pesticide use by 60% (Jones et al., 2010).
8. Technological Integration
8.1 Precision Agriculture and IoT
Use of drones, satellite imagery, and IoT sensors enables site-specific interventions. In citrus, sensor-based irrigation cut water usage by 35% (Zhou et al., 2020).
8.2 Decision Support Systems (DSS)
DSS models integrate weather, soil, and crop data to recommend adaptive management practices, reducing input waste and improving sustainability.
9. Institutional Support and Policy Measures
Supportive policies and incentives accelerate the adoption of climate-resilient technologies. USDA’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Initiative supports fruit growers in implementing sustainable practices. Certification schemes such as “Sustainably Grown” add market value to climate-smart products (FAO, 2021).
10. Conclusion
Mitigating climate change impacts in fruit horticulture requires an integrative approach combining genetic advances, ecological design, precision technology, and supportive policy. Future research should focus on farmer-centered innovations, systems-level modeling, and scalable low-emission practices. This multidisciplinary synergy is essential to sustain fruit crop productivity and quality in a warming world.
References
-
- Carbonell-Bejerano, P., et al. (2013). BMC Genomics, 14, 458.
-
- FAO. (2021). Sustainable crop production under climate change. Rome.
-
- Garcia-Tejero, I., et al. (2010). Agricultural Water Management, 97(5), 605–612.
-
- Gubler, W. D., et al. (1999). Plant Health Progress.
-
- IPCC. (2021). Sixth Assessment Report.
-
- Jones, V. P., et al. (2010). Pest Management Science, 66(8), 903–913.
-
- Mutua, M., et al. (2019). Renewable Energy, 132, 912–921.
-
- Rowley, D., et al. (2011). HortTechnology, 21(3), 275–281.
-
- Sharma, A. R., et al. (2016). Agroforestry Systems, 90(6), 1085–1095.
-
- Singh, R., et al. (2021). Indian Journal of Horticulture, 78(3), 312–317.
-
- Tripathi, J. N., et al. (2019). Scientific Reports, 9, 10660.
-
- Wang, X., et al. (2020). Soil & Tillage Research, 200, 104608.
-
- Zhou, J., et al. (2016). Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 233, 373–382.
-
- Zhou, W., et al. (2020). Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 178, 105750.