Climate change poses significant challenges to vegetable production, including heat stress, drought, salinity, and pest outbreaks, which threaten food security and farmer livelihoods.
Developing climate-resilient vegetable varieties through innovative breeding techniques offers a sustainable solution. Traditional methods like selective breeding, alongside modern biotechnologies such as genetic modification and genome editing, have enabled the development of crops like drought-tolerant eggplants, salt-resistant lettuce, and pest-resistant cucumbers. These advancements provide benefits such as higher yields, reduced dependency on chemical inputs, and improved resilience to environmental stressors. However, the adoption of these varieties faces challenges, including high research costs, regulatory hurdles, and social resistance to genetically modified organisms. To overcome these barriers, increased investment in research and development, farmer training, public awareness campaigns, and supportive policies are essential.
Collaborative global efforts in developing and adopting climate-resilient vegetables can ensure sustainable agriculture and food security in the face of a changing climate.
Nagaraju, Vankadavath & Sruthi, Kasa & Mahesh, Padi & Venkatesh, Dhamerla. (2025). Breeding Climate-Resilient Vegetable Varieties: A Sustainable Path for Future Agriculture Article ID: 70097. 07. 323-325.
Source: Research Gate