High-temperature stress in strawberry: understanding physiological, biochemical and molecular responses

Heat stress reduces strawberry growth and fruit quality by impairing photosynthesis, disrupting hormone regulation, and altering mineral nutrition. Multi-omics studies show extensive transcriptional, post-transcriptional, proteomic and metabolomic under high temperatures. Garden strawberry is a globally cultivated, economically important fruit crop highly susceptible to episodic heat waves and chronically rising temperatures associated with climate change. Heat stress negatively affects the growth, development, and quality of strawberries. Elevated temperatures affect photosynthesis, respiration, water balance, hormone signaling, and carbohydrate metabolism in strawberries. Heat stress reduces the size and number of leaves, the number of crowns, the differentiation of flower buds, and the viability of pollen and fruit set, ultimately leading to a lower yield. On a physiological level, heat stress reduces membrane stability, increases the production of reactive oxygen species, and reduces the antioxidant capacity of strawberries. Heat-tolerant varieties have better physiological and biochemical adaptation mechanisms compared to heat-sensitive varieties. Breeding heat-tolerant strawberry cultivars involves selection for traits such as increased leaf temperature, membrane thermostability, and chlorophyll content. Multi-omics studies show extensive transcriptional, post-transcriptional, proteomic, metabolomic, and ionomic reprogramming at high temperatures. Integrative-omics approaches combine multiple omics datasets to obtain a systemic understanding of the responses to heat stress in strawberries. This article summarizes the deciphering of strawberry responses to heat stress using physiological, biochemical, and molecular approaches that will enable the development of resilient adaptation strategies that sustain strawberry production under global climate change.