Visible evidence of climate change and its impact on fruit production in Nepal

Abstract

In recent years, Nepal is experiencing visible impact of climate change in agriculture. This review paper describes the recent climate change pattern and phenomenon with its impact on fruit production in Nepal. Various researches suggest that change in temperature has played vital to reduce the level of soil organic carbon, and soil micronutrients. With exposure to extreme temperatures, insects may produce heat shock proteins, cryoprotectants and osmolyte compounds within their bodies to survive, so these insects can exist in such environment. Most of the researches resulted that higher temperature induces early flowering under the subtropics may result in low fruit-set because of abnormalities arising from prevailing low night temperatures. Similarly, insufficient chilling greatly influences flower initiation and fruit coloration along with deterioration in fruit texture and taste. Besides the effect of high and low temperature, papers also claimed that decline in rainfall from November to April adversely affects the winter and spring crops that ultimately reduces food production. Hence, organization related to fruit research, education and development in Nepal have to run effective program to bring new genetic sources that can resist the adverse effect of climate and may bring some positive vibe to tackle the climate change.