Worldwide, crop cultivation is increasingly challenged as a result of climate change (Lobell & Gourdji, 2012). Enhanced CO 2 levels and radiation lead to heatwaves and altered precipitations, exacerbating drought periods (Trenberth et al., 2014). Drought is defined as a climate event with below-normal precipitation in relation to the local normal conditions (Dai, 2011), but can be differentiated into distinct types. Many studies investigate the constant shortage of precipitations, that is, continuous drought (CD)
Numerous pesticides,
including fungicides, are applied every year
to crop plants. However, such application may affect the plant metabolism
and thus crop quality. Strawberry is an economically important crop,
but the fruits are highly susceptible, especially to fungal diseases.
In the present study, the effects of two fungicides, Cuprozin progress
and SWITCH, on the metabolism of two cultivars and the wild strawberry
were tested, focusing on primary (amino acids, (in)organic acids,
sugars, total phenolics) and specialized metabolites (aroma volatiles),
which determine the fruit flavor. The fungicide treatment significantly
affected 11 out of 57 metabolites, while 20 of those differed between
strawberry types and 27 were affected by the interaction of both factors.
Given these modifications in metabolites in response to the treatments,
the taste and quality of the strawberries may pronouncedly change
when plants are treated with fungicides.
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