Aug 2026· Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology· Vol 29, pp. 1121-1140· 0 citations
Abstract
Plantation crops such as coffee, cocoa, tea, oil palm, natural rubber, banana, coconut and sugarcane underpin the rural economies of much of the tropical and subtropical world, yet their long production cycles and comparatively narrow climatic tolerances make them acutely exposed to a changing climate. This review synthesises and critically evaluates evidence on how rising temperature, altered rainfall, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and shifting biotic pressures are affecting these crops, and asks whether the literature supports a coherent account of vulnerability and adaptive capacity across such a heterogeneous group of species. Evidence was drawn from open-access and publisher-indexed peer-reviewed journals, institutional sources, and citation searching of recent reviews. Three broad conclusions emerge. First, thermal and hydrological stress already constrain yield and quality in several crops, with effects that are frequently non-linear around genotype-specific optima rather than simple linear declines. Second, elevated carbon dioxide confers a measurable but contested physiological benefit that interacts with, and in some cases partially offsets, warming and drought stress; the magnitude of this offset varies sharply between short-duration controlled experiments and field-scale, water-limited conditions, and carries consequences for crop quality that are distinct from its effects on biomass. Third, species distribution and process-based models converge on a general poleward and upslope redistribution of both crops and their associated pests and pathogens, although the two modelling traditions disagree substantially on magnitude and, in the case of cocoa, on the direction of projected change once carbon dioxide fertilisation and land-use constraints are incorporated. Agroforestry and shade management emerge as the most consistently supported agronomic adaptation strategy, buffering microclimatic extremes, although the net effect on resilience is contingent on soil water availability and on the forward-looking climatic suitability of the shade species selected. The evidence base is markedly uneven across crops, with coffee and cocoa disproportionately represented relative to rubber, coconut, tea, oil palm, banana and sugarcane. The review identifies priority needs for longitudinal, multi-decadal field trials that combine elevated carbon dioxide with realistic water limitation, for process-based models capable of separating suitability from harvestable yield, and for expanded physiological research on the least-studied plantation crops.
Climate change is conventionally analysed as a threat to Indian agriculture, yet a growing body of scattered literature also documents mechanisms through which warming, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and shifting agroclimatic boundaries could open new production possibilities for plant growers. This critical narrative review synthesises and evaluates that literature for India, asking whether the "opportunity" framing is empirically defensible once set against the dominant evidence of risk. Evidence was drawn from peer-reviewed journal articles, systematic reviews and institutional sources identified through PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, Crossref-linked publisher platforms and general academic web searching. Four candidate mechanisms of opportunity were examined: the carbon dioxide fertilisation effect on C3 crop physiology; poleward and upward shifts in agroclimatic suitability that create new production zones, particularly in the Himalayan belt; the market-mediated expansion of protected and controlled-environment cultivation; and diversification into high-value, climate-tolerant horticultural, floricultural and seed-spice crops. Each mechanism carries genuine, mechanistically grounded support, but the review finds that realised gains are consistently narrower, more localised and more contingent on capital, infrastructure and institutional support than optimistic summaries suggest. Elevated carbon dioxide raises biomass and yield in controlled settings but is substantially offset by concurrent warming, nutrient dilution and water limitation under field conditions. Zone shifts documented for apple, avocado, arecanut, large cardamom and tea simultaneously displace established production at lower elevations, so that reported gains are redistributive rather than additive at the national scale. Protected cultivation and crop diversification generate credible household-level returns but remain constrained by capital cost, fragmented landholding and adoption inequality. Set against this narrower opportunity space, heat stress, water scarcity, and pest and pathogen range expansion continue to dominate national-level yield trends for staple and horticultural crops. The review concludes that climate change is best characterised not as a net opportunity for Indian plant growers but as an agent of redistribution that generates identifiable, geographically concentrated, and capital-contingent openings within an overall trajectory of increasing risk. Future research priorities and policy implications are outlined accordingly.
Prajnashree Mallick, N. Bhol, Subhasmita Parida et al.· Journal of Scientific Resear...· 0 citations
Climate change is altering the physiology, phenology, distribution and interaction networks of agricultural insect pests and the natural enemies that regulate them, yet the literature addressing these changes remains fragmented across disciplines and taxa. This critical narrative review synthesises evidence on how rising temperatures, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide, altered precipitation and increasing climatic variability affect insect pests and their predators, parasitoids and entomopathogens in agricultural systems, and evaluates the resulting implications for crop protection. Warming generally accelerates insect development, increases voltinism and extends the geographical range of many pest species, while its effects on natural enemies are more variable and frequently negative, owing to a combination of lower thermal optima among parasitoids relative to their hosts, disrupted phenological synchrony, and altered chemosensory cues that impair host or prey location. Elevated carbon dioxide most often reduces host-plant nitrogen content, prompting compensatory feeding by herbivores, with inconsistent consequences for third-trophic-level performance. Case evidence from the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, bark beetle outbreaks in coniferous forests, desert locust plagues linked to Indian Ocean climate variability, and cereal aphid–parasitoid systems illustrates convergent patterns of pest release alongside marked context-dependency. Meta-analytic evidence indicates that predators continue to suppress pests and support yield across a range of climates, and that landscape complexity can buffer biological control against climatic variability, offering a partial counterweight to the more pessimistic single-species findings. Methodological heterogeneity, including short experimental durations, single-factor manipulations, and geographic concentration of research in temperate systems, limits confidence in generalising current findings to tropical and subtropical smallholder systems where food security risks are often greatest. Research priorities include multifactorial and multigenerational experiments, standardised reporting of thermal and moisture regimes, and expanded evidence from under-represented regions and cropping systems. The review concludes that climate change is reshaping the balance of tritrophic interactions in ways that generally favour pests over their natural enemies, but that this outcome is neither universal nor immutable, and that landscape-scale conservation of natural enemy diversity is among the more defensible adaptive strategies currently supported by evidence.
M. Rawat, D. S. Parihar· Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoo...· 0 citations
Rising global temperatures, shifting precipitation regimes, and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide are altering the geographic ranges, phenology, and population dynamics of insect pests that damage the world's major food crops. This review synthesises evidence on the physiological mechanisms, observed range shifts, and projected redistribution of agriculturally important insect species under contemporary and future climate scenarios. Poleward and altitudinal expansions have already been documented across multiple pest taxa, with average latitudinal displacement rates in the low single-digit kilometres per year, and modelling studies project further acceleration under mid- and high-emission trajectories. Case evidence from fall armyworm, cotton leafworm, maize stemborers, and several rice pests illustrates how thermal tolerance, developmental plasticity, and host-plant availability jointly determine the pace and direction of range change. Elevated carbon dioxide modifies host-plant nutritional and defensive chemistry in ways that can either suppress or, in some circumstances, enhance herbivore performance, complicating simple temperature-based forecasts. Economic assessments indicate that warming-driven increases in insect-mediated crop losses could reach double-digit percentage increases per degree Celsius for staple cereals, disproportionately affecting temperate breadbasket regions, while invasive insects already impose costs exceeding tens of billions of US dollars annually worldwide. Species distribution modelling, mechanistic niche models, and hybrid approaches are increasingly used to anticipate these shifts, though model uncertainty, incomplete occurrence data, and neglect of biotic interactions remain persistent limitations. The review closes by identifying priority research directions, drawing overall conclusions for policy and practice, and acknowledging the methodological limitations inherent to a narrative synthesis of a rapidly evolving evidence base.
Omprakash Tetarwal, Rajendra Ghanswa, Nemichand Chopra et al.· Journal of global agricultur...· 0 citations
Climate change is increasingly threatening the sustainability and productivity of fruit tree systems worldwide. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, more frequent extreme weather events, and elevated atmospheric CO
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are affecting physiological and phenological processes that regulate tree growth, reproduction, and fruit quality. Key impacts include reduced winter chilling, disrupted dormancy release, irregular flowering, impaired pollination, and altered fruit development, leading to lower yield stability and quality. Due to their long life cycles, fruit trees are particularly vulnerable to cumulative environmental stresses such as heat, drought, salinity, and irregular rainfall, which can impair photosynthesis, growth, and reproductive performance while increasing susceptibility to pests and diseases. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the effects of major climate-related factors, including temperature, water availability, and elevated CO
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, on the physiology, phenology, pollination, and productivity of fruit trees. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of genotype diversity and rootstock–scion interactions in improving climate resilience. The review also highlights key adaptation strategies, including the use of climate-resilient cultivars, optimized rootstock selection, efficient water and nutrient management, and climate-smart orchard practices. By integrating physiological, ecological, and production-level responses, this review provides a framework for enhancing the resilience and sustainability of fruit production under changing climatic conditions.
H. Soufi, M. Jabbari, Yazgan Tunç et al.· Biological Research· 0 citations
Rising global temperatures have altered the frequency, intensity and spatial distribution of extreme weather events, with direct and measurable consequences for agricultural productivity worldwide. This review synthesises evidence on how heatwaves, drought, flooding, tropical cyclones and their compound or sequential combinations affect the yield of major cereal and grain legume crops, with particular attention to wheat, maize, rice and soybean. Physiological mechanisms underlying yield loss are examined alongside field- and satellite-derived evidence of production shortfalls, and the modulating role of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is considered. The review further evaluates adaptation strategies, including climate-smart agriculture, breeding for abiotic stress tolerance and agronomic management, and identifies the growing recognition that compound extremes, rather than single hazards, now pose the greatest threat to global food security. Evidence indicates that yield penalties associated with extreme heat, water deficit and excess soil moisture are often non-linear and interact with crop developmental stage, soil condition and regional climate. The review concludes that closing gaps in compound-event attribution, regionally disaggregated yield data and the integration of adaptation research across disciplines remains essential for safeguarding future food production under a changing climate.
Basharat Bashir, L. Ahmad, S. Qayoom et al.· International Journal of Env...· 0 citations
The convergence of anthropogenic climate change and global food security demands represents one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. Horticulture—encompassing fruit and vegetable production—is uniquely vulnerable to climatic perturbations due to the biological sensitivity of horticultural crops to temperature extremes, irregular precipitation, and shifting pest dynamics. Simultaneously, horticultural systems offer considerable potential for adaptation and mitigation through diversified, resource-efficient production models. This narrative review synthesises emerging evidence on climate-smart strategies for sustainable fruit and vegetable production, drawing on peer-reviewed literature and authoritative international reports published predominantly between 2000 and 2026. Literature searches were conducted using multiple academic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, AGRIS (the agricultural science and technology information database maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), CAB Abstracts, and the CGIAR research portal. The review examines the multidimensional impacts of climate change on horticultural systems and evaluates a suite of responses spanning crop genetic improvement, precision irrigation, soil carbon management, protected agriculture, agroforestry, digital technologies, and policy frameworks. Evidence indicates that no single strategy is sufficient; rather, transformative change requires integrated, context-specific combinations of adaptation and mitigation interventions supported by enabling policy environments. The review identifies key knowledge gaps and advocates for greater investment in transdisciplinary research, smallholder inclusion, and digital innovation to accelerate the transition to climate-smart horticulture globally.
J. Arulkumaran, P. Aparna, A. Chaitra et al.· International Journal of Env...· 0 citations
