Productivity and Quality of Vegetable Crops under Climate Change

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change is a long-term change characterized mainly by global warming, which refers to the rise in global temperatures due mostly to the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. The nutritional challenges of a growing global population in the context of changing climate conditions will need to be met. In order to contrast the negative effects of climate change on the productivity and quality of vegetable crops, such as crop failures, decrease in yields, and increasing pest and disease, detailed studies of different strategies are necessary. Among these are breeding technique as the selection of genotypes tolerant to high temperature, moisture stress, and salinity; crop management practices such as mulching with crop residues; radicle or foliar applications of plant biostimulants as humic and fulvic acids, protein hydrolysates and other N-containing compounds, seaweed extracts and botanicals, chitosan and other biopolymers, inorganic compounds, beneficial fungi, and beneficial bacteria (‘plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria’); optimization of agronomic tecniques, such as irrigation, fertilization, soil processing; reuse and valorizzation of by-products in the context of circular economy; reduction in energy use or its production from renewable sources. In addition to production, these strategies can improve the qualitative aspect of crops, the presence of bioactive compounds, and, therefore, their beneficial properties for human health.

Dr. Loriana Cardone
Dr. Donato Castronuovo
Dr. Vincenzo Candido
Guest Editors

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• adaptation
• crop yields
• food safety
• agronomic management
• water scarcity
• food quality
• bioactive compounds