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- Fruit production involves intensive farming of fruit crops, especially those of economic significance. Approximately 3,000 fruit crops exist in the tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Fruit production in these regions has increased in all Asian countries, Australia, Japan, South Africa, some other African countries and some Latin-American countries. These fruits are an integral part of a healthy natural ecosystem and provide a wide range of benefits for humans. The most common fruits grown in these regions are mango, banana, pineapple, papaya and avocado.
- The amount of nutrients in the soil determines plant health and yield. Several factors influence how these nutrients are absorbed from the soil. These include soil pH and moisture content. High rainfall causes minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which are important in preventing soil acidity, to leach to deeper soil levels. Leaching of these important nutrients lowers the soil pH, leaving it acidic. Low soil pH limits the availability of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium for plants. When the soil pH increases, nutrients such as copper, zinc and iron become less available.
Soil moisture is the amount of water available in the soil air spaces. Plants absorb this water through their roots. In cases where there is low rainfall or drought, a plant experiences water stress conditions, which can result in lower plant yields or crop failure. Water stress causes plants to use a lot of energy in order to access the available water, leading to decreased growth and development as a result of reduced photosynthesis activities.
Some nutrients in the soil are more readily absorbed than others. These include nitrogen and calcium. Depleted soil nutrients due to overcultivation or lack of fertilizer results in soil nutrient deficiencies. This causes stunted growth of plants and poor quality of their fruits. - Climate change refers to variations in weather patterns due to natural or human factors. Climate change presents in various forms such as severe storms, reduced rainfall and increased temperatures. Even though tropical and subtropical fruit production occurs in poorly drained soils or in areas prone to flooding, changes in weather patterns cause environmental stresses, which cause depletion of soil oxygen. All these factors can cause crop failure and poor yields. For instance, Kenya experienced failure of its maize crop in 2009 due to drought, which was attributed to climate change.
- Pests and diseases also cause low agricultural yield. Pathogens that negatively affect the growth of tropical and subtropical fruits include bacteria, fungi and viruses. When these pathogens infect fruit crops, they cause diseases that lead to rotting of roots, stem and fruit. These diseases also kill seedlings and small fruit plants. For example, an infestation of the female papaya fruit fly, which is found in some parts of tropical America, reduces the production of tropical and subtropical fruits. The female fruit fly lays her eggs in the flesh of the fruit, making it unfit for human consumption.
- Lack of pollination reduces fertilization and seed formation, which limits fruit production. Tree fruits' pollen is heavy and sticky and must be carried by animal pollinators such as bees. In places with intensive fruit farming, the use of chemical insecticides during blossoming can kill bees, which prevents pollination from taking place. Other chemicals can be toxic to delicate plant tissues, thereby limiting plant growth.
Soil Factors
Climate Change
Pests and Diseases
Lack of Pollination
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