September 23, 2025 | Applied Fruit Science |
A review by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture, Pakistan, and the London Research and Development Center, Canada, examined how climate change is intensifying disease pressure and reshaping host–pathogen relationships in fruit crops. It focused on how rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and elevated CO₂ levels reshape the virulence, adaptation, and epidemiology of key fruit pathogens.
The review summarized evidence showing that temperature increases can shorten pathogen latency periods, as seen in Colletotrichum gloeosporioides infections in mango, and enhance bacterial virulence in citrus by disrupting host immunity. Similarly, drought stress and high CO₂ levels were found to weaken plant defense mechanisms and increase susceptibility to fungal infections, such as Botrytis cinerea in strawberries. These shifts also cause phenological mismatches—when pathogen activity peaks earlier than traditional fungicide schedules—raising the risk of disease outbreaks.
Emerging mitigation approaches include CRISPR-based genome editing to stabilize plant immune genes, nanotechnology-enabled delivery of natural defense compounds, and advanced digital modeling systems like PhytoRisk 4.0 that predict infection risks while reducing chemical use. The review concludes that integrating multi-omics technologies, biological control agents, and carbon-sequestering soil management could enhance disease resilience in fruit production systems. Interdisciplinary collaboration is emphasized as essential to adapt global horticulture to climate-driven disease pressures.
