Impact of Climate Change on Cucurbitaceous Vegetables in Relation to Increasing Temperature and Drought

Abstract

Vegetables are the main constituents of human eating regimen as they are the main wellspring of supplements, nutrients and minerals. They are additionally honorable gainful to the rancher as they obtain more expensive rate in the market. Under varying climatic conditions crop disappointments, absence of production, decline in quality and expanding insect nuisance and infection issues are normal and they lessen the vegetable development unbeneficial. As a few physiological procedures and enzymatic exercises are temperature dependent, they will be for the most part affected. Dry season (drought) is the significant worry of increment in temperature breaking down vegetable development. Cucurbits are eaten in numerous methods i.e., salad purpose (long melon, cucumber, gherkins), making sweets (pointed gourd, wax gourd, bottle gourd), for pickle making (gherkins), and for deserts (melons). Most of the cucurbits are perishable and very sensitive to unpredictable climatic changes. Environmental stresses like increasing (high) temperature, reduced moisture content (drought) are thought to be the major limiting factors in enhancing Cucurbitaceous vegetables productivity. Rate of reproductive development can be enhanced by high temperature and high temperature shortens the time for photosynthesis to give to fruit production. Both cucumber and bitter gourd are warm season crops and they cannot bear severe chilling and freezing temperatures. Short day length and higher humidity promotes pistillate flowers in most of the cucurbits. The most favorable temperature for cucumber and bitter gourd is 18–24 °C and 24–27 °C respectively. Ridge gourd and bottle gourd requires extensive and tropical warm climate with preference to humid warm weather. Optimum temperature for cultivation of ridge gourd and bottle gourd is 24–37 °C and 25–30 °C respectively. High humidity is favourable for growth the growth of ash gourd and snake gourd. Ash gourd and snake gourd can be cultivated in both sub-tropical and tropical climates with the optimum temperature of 24–30 °C. Water melon and musk melon are also very sensitive to cold and frost. Higher temperatures at ripening or maturity stage will produce worthy and superior quality fruits in water melon. In muskmelon, for proper ripening and high sugar content low humidity, high temperature, plenty of sun shine is necessary. Optimum temperature for cultivation of water melon and musk melon is 24–27 °C and 27–30 °C respectively. Anthropogenic air poisons, for example, CO₂, CH₄ and CFC’s are causative to the a worldwide temperature alteration and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and sulfur are activating exhaustion of ozonosphere and letting the passage of destructive ultra violet beams. These particular impacts of environmental transformation likewise sway the disease and pest attacks, pathogen-host associations, dispersal and nature of insect pests, time of advent, movement to novel regions and their hibernating limit, around by winding up preeminent hindrance to vegetable development. Heat stress is a complex function of strength (temperature degrees), length and rate of temperature augmentation. It can be overcome by integrated approaches like cultural management practices including nutrient and tillage residue management, efficient use of water, mulching, IPM and breeding approaches like development of genotypes tolerant to high temperature and moisture stress (drought).