Temperatures above 30 o C decrease leaf growth in strawberry under global warming

Productivity in strawberry is dependent on carbon assimilation in the leaves. The main scenarios for climate change include an increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and an increase in temperature. This review examined the relationship between leaf growth and temperature in strawberry. Leaf growth follows a linear, sigmoid or Gaussian pattern over the season or is variable depending on the weather. There was a linear increase in leaf growth with temperatures below 26°C, and a linear decrease in growth with temperatures above 26°C. In other studies, the mean lower optimum for 90% of maximum growth was 18.3° ± 3.9°C, the median was 19.6°C, and the range was from 7.2° to 22.0°C (N = 11). The mean higher optimum was 27.3° ± 3.6°C, the median was 27.4°C, and the range was from 21.1° to 33.5°C (N = 12). Leaf growth was higher under 30°C and lower above 30°C. Limited studies suggest that elevated CO2 will not counteract the impact of high temperatures on growth. Climate change will increase leaf growth in cool areas and decrease growth in warm areas. The decrease in leaf growth in locations with temperatures above 30°C will contribute to lower yields under global warming.