Fruit quality in organic and conventional farming: advantages and limitations

• Published in: Trends in plant science Vol. 29; no. 8; pp. 878 - 894
• Main Authors: Munné-Bosch, Sergi, Bermejo, Núria F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Agriculture - methods; antioxidants; climacteric fruit; Crops, Agricultural - growth & development; Fertilizers - analysis; Fruit - growth & development; Fruit - metabolism; fruit quality; micronutrients; non-climacteric fruit; Organic Agriculture - methods; organic farming; vitamins; vitamins; antioxidants; climacteric fruit; non-climacteric fruit; micronutrients; organic farming; fruit quality
• ISSN: 1360-1385; 1878-4372; 1878-4372
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2024.01.011

Organic farming and high-quality fruit production promote human and environmental health.Organic farming has properties that positively affect fruit quality and can be transferred to other agricultural settings.Organic farming is not free of drawbacks that should be considered, such as microbial and heavy metal contamination.Fruit quality is a multifactorial parameter that should be approached by applying a holistic perspective to the underlying physiological mechanisms.Although many challenges remain, there is evidence that the convergence of sustainability, yield, and quality in agriculture is possible. Fruit quality is essential for nutrition and human health and needs urgent attention in current agricultural practices. Organic farming is not as productive as conventional agriculture, but it can provide higher quality in some fruit crops, thanks to the absence of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, enhanced pollination, and the reduction of protection treatments, hence boosting antioxidant compound production. Although organic farming does not always provide healthier food than conventional farming, some lessons from organic farming can be extrapolated to new sustainable production models. Exploiting natural resources and an adequate knowledge transfer will undoubtedly help improve the quality of climacteric and nonclimacteric fruits in new agricultural systems. Fruit quality is essential for nutrition and human health and needs urgent attention in current agricultural practices. Organic farming is not as productive as conventional agriculture, but it can provide higher quality in some fruit crops, thanks to the absence of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, enhanced pollination, and the reduction of protection treatments that boost antioxidant compound production. Although organic farming does not always provide healthier food than conventional farming, some lessons from organic farming can be extrapolated to new sustainable production models. Exploiting natural resources and an adequate knowledge transfer will undoubtedly help improve the quality of climacteric and nonclimacteric fruits in new agricultural systems.