Chapter 19 - Climate Changes and Potential Impacts on Quality of Fruit and Vegetable Crops

Abstract

Climate change will have profound effects on food production. Temperature increase and the effects of greenhouse gases are among the most important issues associated with climate change. The production and quality of fresh fruit and vegetable crops can be directly and indirectly affected by exposure to high temperatures and elevated levels of carbon dioxide and ozone. The rise in atmospheric CO2 levels due to global climate change and horticultural practices has both direct and indirect effects on secondary metabolite synthesis in plants. Temperature increase affects photosynthesis directly, causing alterations in sugars, organic acids, flavonoid contents, firmness, and antioxidant activity. Rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels persistently affected post-harvest quality causing sugar content reduction in potatoes and tuber malformation incidence of common scab. Elevated atmospheric ozone can result in the decline of the photosynthetic rate, growth, biomass accumulation, increment in vitamin C content, and potential reduction in volatile ester emissions in strawberries. Tomatoes exposed to ozone concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 1.0μmol/mol have resulted in a transient increment in β-carotene, lutein, and lycopene contents. Regardless of global climate changes, new cultivation and processing techniques are required in order to produce sufficient food supplies to meet the basic nutrient requirements of the growing human population.