Articles
HOW CLIMATE CHANGE COULD INFLUENCE BREEDING AND MODERN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN BERRY CROPS
Article number
838_27
Pages
161 – 168
Language
English
Abstract
Over the next century, the temperate regions of the world are projected to get hotter, and rainfall patterns are expected to change and the weather to become much more variable.
Of these, the increased variability will have the greatest impact on how we breed berry crops, and how we modify the production systems.
To manage these climatic changes, cultivars will need to be able to withstand rapid fluctuations in the cold weather in winter, be able to grow with little chilling, and be able to initiate flower buds in most environmental conditions.
As rainfall and water-use patterns change, more plants will be raised in containers and grown in protected cultivation, which will increase soil salinity.
Also, increased heat will stress plants and negatively affect pollination and fruit development and quality.
With the existing berry crop germplasm, we should be able to develop everbearing cultivars that are salt-tolerant, extremely winter hardy, and grow in short-season environments, except perhaps for everbearing Ribes. At present, breeders tend to create new cultivars adapted to one environment, region, or production system.
However, to cope with extremely variable weather at single locations, breeders will need to develop new cultivars that are adapted to multiple environments and multiple cropping systems.
To do this, breeders and crop physiologists must cooperate and design breeding system that will create cultivars with the required heterozygosity.
Of these, the increased variability will have the greatest impact on how we breed berry crops, and how we modify the production systems.
To manage these climatic changes, cultivars will need to be able to withstand rapid fluctuations in the cold weather in winter, be able to grow with little chilling, and be able to initiate flower buds in most environmental conditions.
As rainfall and water-use patterns change, more plants will be raised in containers and grown in protected cultivation, which will increase soil salinity.
Also, increased heat will stress plants and negatively affect pollination and fruit development and quality.
With the existing berry crop germplasm, we should be able to develop everbearing cultivars that are salt-tolerant, extremely winter hardy, and grow in short-season environments, except perhaps for everbearing Ribes. At present, breeders tend to create new cultivars adapted to one environment, region, or production system.
However, to cope with extremely variable weather at single locations, breeders will need to develop new cultivars that are adapted to multiple environments and multiple cropping systems.
To do this, breeders and crop physiologists must cooperate and design breeding system that will create cultivars with the required heterozygosity.
Authors
A. Dale
Keywords
strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, Ribes, cold hardiness, flower initiation
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