Potential impacts of global warming on fruit size in strawberries in south-east Queensland

This article is about Potential impacts of global warming on fruit size in strawberries in south-east Queensland. The percentage of fruit smaller than 12 grams was higher when the average daily mean temperature in the seven weeks before harvest was 18oC to 21oC and lower when the temperature was 16oC to 18oC. None of the cultivars produced large berries at the end of the growing season. The effect of higher temperatures on fruit growth will contribute to lower yields under global warming. There is an urgent need to develop heat-tolerant cultivars or other mitigating strategies to reduce the impact of these changes on commercial strawberry production.