Climate change is increasingly challenging the sustainability and productivity of fruit crops worldwide, particularly in marginal land. Drought, salinity, and temperature extremes critically affect plant performance, reducing nutrient uptake and carbon assimilation. In this session, we aim to explore how approaches integrating stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ2H, δ18O, δ³⁴S) into plant phenomics (RGB, infrared, chlorophyll fluorescence, hyperspectral) can help elucidate crop responses to abiotic stressors associated with global climate shifts and support the selection of resilient genotypes.
We invite contributions that investigate physiological plasticity and adaptive traits of fruit crops, such as grapevine, apple, pear, peach, etc., using isotopic markers to trace water use efficiency, nitrogen dynamics, and sulphur assimilation under stress. While isotopic analysis can provide valuable standalone insights, we encourage especially studies combining the isotopic data with physiological plant phenotyping, including, but not limited to, chlorophyll fluorescence indicators as early-warning proxies for photosynthetic impairment. Particular emphasis will be given to multi-scalar studies linking soil-plant-atmosphere interactions, genotype-specific resilience, and terroir-specific influences on plant metabolism.
The session will also welcome comparative analyses across diverse pedoclimatic contexts, applications in plant breeding for resilience, and methodological advancements in isotopic and phenotyping techniques. By integrating biogeochemistry, eco-physiology, and agronomy, we seek to foster a comprehensive understanding of how fruit crops can cope with environmental extremes and guide the development of climate-smart agricultural systems.