Irrigation can be used as a tool to manage temperature extremes in vegetable crops. Temperature stress is likely to occur either as: High temperature spikes or heatwaves; or Frosts. Heatwaves Overhead solid-set irrigation or hand-shift sprinkler irrigation can reduce the temperature of foliage, flowers or fruit during high temperature extremes. It would be possible to [...]

Example of interactions in babyleaf spinach Some recent research on baby-leaf spinach shows a very interesting interaction between CO2, concentration and growing temperature. Two baby-leaf spinach varieties, Donkey (slow growing) and Racoon (fast growing), were grown at two CO2 concentrations, 400 ppm (ambient) and 640 ppm (high), over three temperature regimes, 22, 26 and 30oC. [...]

The sensitivity of individual crops and varieties to temperature is likely to be the most important single direct effect of climate change and increased variability on the vegetable industry. In addition to warmer temperatures, there is the expected increase in the variability of extreme weather events including heatwaves. These combined effects are likely to mean [...]