Potential negative impacts of rising temperatures on fruit ripening and quality in raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries

Agriculture faces the dual challenge of increasing productivity to meet the food demands of a growing population amidst climate change. Projected heatwaves and persistent high temperatures will vary by region, with significant warming expected in the middle latitudes of both hemispheres. High temperatures negatively impact plant physiology, affecting phytohormones and genetic expression related to growth. Small berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, are gaining popularity due to their health benefits and versatility as fresh or processed food. Ripening of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries occurs when the fruit is still attached to the plant involving significant changes in softening, sugar accumulation, and color development. Consequently, these berries are harvested when fully ripe and their eating quality is mainly determined at harvest time. However, climate change can disrupt the normal ripening processes, leading to quality disorders affecting marketability, including white drupelet disorder (WDD) in raspberries and blackberries, red drupelet reversion in blackberries and heat damage in blueberries. Adaptive solutions to reduce quality disorders include protection management practices such as photo-selective shading nets, plastic tunnels, sunscreen applications and breeding tolerant cultivars. Further research is necessary to understand the molecular mechanisms behind these disorders and develop effective mitigation strategies. This review addresses the potential negative impacts of climate change on the fruit ripening processes and quality of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, emphasizing the need for more research to comprehend these molecular mechanisms and create effective mitigation strategies.