Professor Richard Napier, University of Warwick, whose work focuses on how Britain can improve its growing of fresh produce, said: “Climate extremes are making it more challenging to produce fresh produce reliably everywhere. We all experienced shortages as result of excessive heat around the Mediterranean in 2023, but even in the UK spells of hot weather can impair flower development in crops and reduce pollinator activity by bees. Various types of controlled environment horticulture are used widely to extend cropping seasons, providing consumers with UK fruit and veg over large parts of the year, but cooling during hot spells is uncommon and very expensive on energy. Breeding crop varieties better able to tolerate warmer summers will be essential if we are to increase sustainable local production. The natural genetic diversity captured in the UK vegetable seed bank at the University of Warwick is a national treasure and vital to these efforts to make our crops more climate-resilient.”