Author(s): Damtew Abewoy
Climate change is the primary cause of low production of most of the vegetables worldwide; reducing average yields for most of the major vegetables. Moreover, increasing temperatures, reduced irrigation-water availability, flooding, and salinity will be the major limiting factors in sustaining and increasing vegetable productivity. Under changing climatic situations crop failures, shortage of yields, reduction in quality and increasing pest and disease problems are common and they render the vegetable production unprofitable. As many physiological processes and enzymatic activities are temperature dependent, they are going to be largely effected. Drought and salinity are the two important consequences of increase in temperature worsening vegetable production. These effects of climate change also influence the pest and disease occurrences, host-pathogen interactions, distribution and ecology of insects, time of appearance, migration to new places and their overwintering capacity, there by becoming major setback to vegetable cultivation. To mitigate the adverse impact of climatic change on productivity and quality of vegetable crops there is need to develop sound adaptation strategies. The emphasis should be on development of production systems for improved water use efficiency adoptable to the hot and dry condition. The crop management practices like mulching with crop residues and plastic mulches help in conserving soil moisture. Excessive soil moisture due to heavy rain becomes major problem that can be overcome by growing crops on raised beds. Development of genotypes tolerant to high temperature, moisture stress, salinity and climate proofing through conventional, non-conventional, breeding techniques, genomics and biotechnology etc. are essentially required to meet these challenges. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review the effects of climate change on vegetable production and its management practices.
