In Limburg province, one of Belgium’s key pear-growing regions, there is an orchard featuring 12 transparent domes, surrounded by a wall overlooking a park.
Inside these domes, researchers are growing pears in a controlled environment that simulates climate conditions expected in 2040. Their goal is to monitor how global warming will affect fruit growers in Europe.
“We expect more heatwaves and less rainfall, which means more droughts and floods. Overall, temperatures will rise slightly,” said Francois Rineau, an associate professor at Hasselt University, discussing the simulated climate inside the domes.
Pears grown in transparent domes at the Ecotron research facility. (Photo: Reuters).
Results from the first harvest by scientists in 2023 indicate that Belgian pears may avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change—predicted to reduce yields of certain crops and force farmers to spend more on irrigation technology to combat drought.
“The impact of climate change in 2040 on pear quality is minimal. However, we have discovered differences in how the ecosystem operates,” Rineau noted, adding that the earlier growing season in the 2040 simulation seems to allow the ecosystem to absorb more CO2.
“Yearly variability means that one year is not enough to capture extreme weather events and other climate changes that could devastate crops. The experiment will last three years—three harvests.”
This year’s pear harvest is currently being analyzed at the Flanders Post-Harvest Technology Center (VCBT) to assess size, firmness, and sugar content, which will then be compared to pears grown in domes simulating current climate conditions.
“If temperatures are higher, pears tend to be less firm and contain more sugar.“ said researcher Dorien Vanhees from VCBT.
This is bad news for growers. Softer fruit will have a shorter shelf life, reducing the quantity of pears that farmers can sell.
Belgium’s pear yield is expected to decrease by 27% this year, according to the World Apple and Pear Association, due to factors such as early flowering and unusual late frosts.
