Nature based strategies for heat and drought resilience in fruit crops through genotype environment and management interactions

Abstract

Abstract Climate change increasingly threatens fruit crop productivity by disrupting physiological, biochemical, and cellular processes that govern heat and drought tolerance. Yet efficacy of proposed interventions varies widely and is rarely explained by a unifying conceptual framework. Existing literature largely evaluates microbial inoculants, biostimulants, phytohormonal agents, and physical stress-mitigation strategies in isolation, obscuring their mechanistic overlap and the reasons for inconsistent field performance. This narrative review addresses that gap by synthesizing peer-reviewed literature within a genotype × environment × management (G×E×M) framework, examining plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, synthetic microbial consortia, non-microbial biostimulants, phytohormonal priming agents, and antitranspirants alongside agroecological and crop-specific case studies. The synthesis indicates that these interventions converge on shared redox, hormonal, and osmotic regulatory networks, and that integrated, context-specific approaches consistently outperform single interventions in improving photosynthetic performance, water-use efficiency, and fruit yield and quality under stress. However, translation to commercial orchards remains constrained by microbiome instability, genotype-dependent responses, formulation and delivery limitations, and the absence of standardized multi-environment validation. Future progress requires predictive, systems-based research integrating multi-omics profiling, microbiome engineering, precision management, and improved delivery formulations to enable scalable, evidence-based climate-resilient fruit production. As a narrative rather than systematic review, this synthesis provides a conceptual foundation for guiding future predictive modelling and field validation.