Berry production is a vital agricultural sector worldwide, providing nutritious fruits that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. However, berry crops are highly sensitive to environmental stressors, including unpredictable weather patterns, water scarcity, and pest pressures—all of which are intensified by climate change. Traditional farming practices often rely heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides to maintain crop health and yield. Nature-based solutions (NbS) have emerged as promising strategies for sustainable agriculture, focusing on ecological processes to enhance biodiversity, and resilience against environmental stressors. Modern breeding techniques, including genomic selection and high-throughput screening, are essential for developing berry cultivars that meet quality demands while being resilient to environmental stress. High-throughput screening complements genomic selection by allowing researchers to evaluate thousands of plants for stress resilience and quality attributes simultaneously. Automated tools and imaging technologies can quickly measure phenotypic traits like fruit size, color, and resistance to stress, expediting the identification of optimal cultivars. Integrating these advanced breeding techniques can lead to the creation of robust berry cultivars that meet consumer demands while thriving under a range of environmental conditions. This approach not only supports sustainable berry production but also enhances food security and agricultural resilience in the face of climate change.

To achieve effective nature-based solutions (NbS) in berry production, developing modern breeding techniques is essential. Specifically, genomic selection and high-throughput screening enable the creation of berry cultivars that meet market quality demands and are resilient to environmental stresses, thereby reducing dependency on chemical inputs. Genomic selection uses genetic data to identify and select traits related to drought tolerance, pest resistance, and nutrient efficiency. This precision accelerates the breeding cycle, allowing for rapid adaptation to environmental challenges and ensuring that new cultivars can thrive with NbS practices. Together, NbS and modern breeding techniques will enable the development of robust, high-quality berry varieties that align with sustainable practices, supporting both environmental goals and agricultural productivity, maintaining profitability.

This Research Topic aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration exploring how modern breeding techniques and nature-based strategies can be jointly leveraged to achieve sustainable, high-quality berry production. It seeks to catalyze research that identifies genetic markers for resilience, develops cutting-edge phenotyping technologies, and evaluates real-world case studies of NbS implementation in berry systems. The central objectives are to reduce chemical dependency, enhance crop biodiversity, and ensure that berry cultivars meet both environmental and market demands. By bringing together expertise in genomics, environmental sciences, agronomy, and technology, this Research Topic endeavors to build global resilience in the berry sector amidst accelerating climate change.

This Research Topic is focused on the integration of technological advances and nature-based solutions for the resilience and sustainability of berry production. It is limited to approaches within breeding and ecological management, emphasizing real-world applications in diverse environments.

To gather further insights, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Genomic selection for stress-resilient berry cultivars;
• High-throughput phenotyping and automated screening in berry breeding;
• Nature-based management approaches for disease and pest suppression;
• Synergies and trade-offs between nature-based and technological innovations;
• Case studies of integrated sustainable practices in commercial berry production;
• Impacts of climate change on berry system resilience;
• Economic and environmental outcomes of reduced chemical input systems.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Integrating Technology and Nature-Based Solutions in Berry Production and Research