ABSTRACT
Climatic changes have severely affected global fruit crop production hence, selection of climate resilient crops is inevitable. Guava species are relatively more tolerant to abiotic stress (drought, salt, elevated temperature) and environmental pollutants (CO2 and O3 levels). Selection of superior strains, developing new hybrids and transgenics for better climate resilience and productivity followed by clonal propagation of promising plant material is highly desired. Extensive studies may be conducted under contrasting climatic conditions to develop reliable associations of phenotypic traits to abiotic stress factors. Systems biology approaches shall be preferred to study polygenic traits like biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Integration of omics tools to pheno-chemical, physiological and gene expression datasets is indispensable to underpin candidate genes and related proteins regulating these processes. Antisense genes and RNAi technologies could be used to improve shelf life. Application of genome editing tools like CRISPR/Cas9 could be used for mutation and epigenomic editing of genes related to abiotic stress tolerance including transcription factors like DREB1, WRKY, MAPK. Integrated use of these strategies will enable to combat changing climatic conditions and enhance productivity of guava. A comprehensive overview of the climate mitigation factors and future strategies to enhance stress resilience are elaborated.
