Climate change and citrus fruit quality: links with plant physiology and mineral nutrition
- 1Centre for Advanced Agricultural Technologies, Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research
Abstract
Citrus production across growing regions is increasingly exposed to rising atmospheric CO ₂ , higher temperatures, and greater variability in water availability, with Mediterranean orchards facing particularly pronounced climatic pressures. These climatic drivers affect citrus performance through interconnected changes in photosynthesis, root functioning, flowering, salinity responses, redox regulation, and source–sink relationships, with consequences for productivity and fruit quality. This review synthesises current knowledge on how climate change modifies citrus physiology and mineral nutrition, with particular attention to carbon–nitrogen coordination, carbohydrate partitioning, and nutrient allocation, and examines strategies to strengthen soil–plant functioning and nutritional resilience under increasing climatic variability. Temperature effects depend on exposure conditions: warmer soils may sustain root activity and prolong seasonal N uptake, whereas excessive temperatures can impair root functioning and nutrient acquisition, potentially altering coordination between vegetative and reproductive demand. Elevated CO ₂ may initially enhance carbon assimilation and water-use efficiency, but acclimation and changes in nitrogen allocation can limit this response. These alterations can affect fruit growth, ripening, composition, and susceptibility to physiological disorders, although their expression depends on stress intensity and timing, genotype, and developmental stage. The management discussion focuses on selected soil-management practices, biostimulants, and exogenous signalling compounds that may improve soil fertility and soil–root functioning or support physiological adaptation within established citrus orchards. This emphasis addresses opportunities to sustain existing plantings, including traditional cultivars, particularly where orchard renewal is economically constrained. Future progress will require multi-year field studies integrating soil, plant, climatic, and fruit-quality responses to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of these approaches under site-specific conditions.
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BibTeX
@article{morales2026climate,
title = {{Climate change and citrus fruit quality: links with plant physiology and mineral nutrition}},
author = {Julia Morales and Belén Martínez-Alcántara and Ana Pérez-Piqueres and Isabel Rodríguez-Carretero and Ana Quiñones},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.2009658},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.2009658/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Climate change and citrus fruit quality: links with plant physiology and mineral nutrition
AU - Julia Morales
AU - Belén Martínez-Alcántara
AU - Ana Pérez-Piqueres
AU - Isabel Rodríguez-Carretero
AU - Ana Quiñones
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.2009658
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.2009658/full
AB - Citrus production across growing regions is increasingly exposed to rising atmospheric CO ₂ , higher temperatures, and greater variability in water availability, with Mediterranean orchards facing particularly pronounced climatic pressures. These climatic drivers affect citrus performance through interconnected changes in photosynthesis, root functioning, flowering, salinity responses, redox regulation, and source–sink relationships, with consequences for productivity and fruit quality. This review synthesises current knowledge on how climate change modifies citrus physiology and mineral nutrition, with particular attention to carbon–nitrogen coordination, carbohydrate partitioning, and nutrient allocation, and examines strategies to strengthen soil–plant functioning and nutritional resilience under increasing climatic variability. Temperature effects depend on exposure conditions: warmer soils may sustain root activity and prolong seasonal N uptake, whereas excessive temperatures can impair root functioning and nutrient acquisition, potentially altering coordination between vegetative and reproductive demand. Elevated CO ₂ may initially enhance carbon assimilation and water-use efficiency, but acclimation and changes in nitrogen allocation can limit this response. These alterations can affect fruit growth, ripening, composition, and susceptibility to physiological disorders, although their expression depends on stress intensity and timing, genotype, and developmental stage. The management discussion focuses on selected soil-management practices, biostimulants, and exogenous signalling compounds that may improve soil fertility and soil–root functioning or support physiological adaptation within established citrus orchards. This emphasis addresses opportunities to sustain existing plantings, including traditional cultivars, particularly where orchard renewal is economically constrained. Future progress will require multi-year field studies integrating soil, plant, climatic, and fruit-quality responses to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of these approaches under site-specific conditions.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -