Long-term evaluation of phenology and fruit quality of ‘Fuyu’ persimmon under climate change

Climate change is altering the timing of plant growth, including fruit crops. To assess its long-term effects on persimmon, we investigated changes in phenology and fruit quality of ‘Fuyu’, the leading persimmon cultivar in Japan, under consistent management practices. Phenology and fruit quality data were collected between 1990 and 2020 in an experimental orchard, using a consistent investigation method. During this period, the leafing date advanced by 4.0 days per decade and the full bloom date by 2.5 days per decade, both significantly (p<0.01). On the other hand, there were no significant long-term trends in harvest date (determined by measuring skin color against the same reference every year), fruit weight, or soluble solids content. The numbers of days between leafing and full bloom dates (vegetative growth period) and between full bloom and harvest dates (reproductive growth period) increased by 2.0 and 2.8 days per decade, respectively, both significantly (p<0.01). Although recent climate change may affect phenology and extend the vegetative and reproductive growth periods, the extended reproductive growth period did not affect persimmon fruit qualities.