Agricultural Horizons: Research, Technology and Sustainable Development Vol. 2

Pollination in fruit and vegetable crops is increasingly exposed to climatic conditions that can disrupt several reproductive processes at once. This critical narrative review integrates evidence on climate-sensitive floral development, pollen and pistil function, pollinator activity, phenological synchrony, floral rewards and cues, and artificial or precision pollination technologies. Literature published from 1990 to 4 July 2026 was considered, with older foundational evidence retained where necessary. The synthesis indicates that climate-related pollination failure is best understood as a sequence of coupled bottlenecks rather than as a simple shortage of flower visitors. Heat can reduce pollen release, viability and germination, shorten female reproductive windows, alter nectar and volatile signals, and impair pollinator sensory or foraging performance. Drought can reduce floral abundance and reward availability, while warming can shift crop bloom and pollinator flight phenology at different rates. Crop responses are highly trait- and cultivar-dependent: tomatoes and peppers show pronounced male-gametophyte sensitivity to heat; apples and pears are constrained by bloom synchrony, compatibility and the effective pollination period; blueberries illustrate direct links among extreme heat, pollen nutritional quality, bee health and fruit set; and kiwifruit combines dioecy, a narrow pollination window and strong responsiveness to supplemental pollen. Functional diversity among wild, managed and non-bee pollinators can stabilise pollen delivery, but ecological insurance is not unlimited under extreme weather or degraded landscapes. Artificial pollination has the strongest field evidence where pollen limitation is diagnosable and compatible viable pollen can be supplied, especially in kiwifruit. Emerging electrostatic, air-assisted and robotic systems improve targeting and pollen-use efficiency in specific settings, yet broad claims that automation can replace biological pollination remain unsupported. A resilient strategy therefore combines climate-adapted cultivars and pollinisers, habitat and microclimate management, diverse pollinator communities, pollen quality assurance and precision intervention matched to the actual reproductive bottleneck. Future work should prioritise factorial climate-by-pollination experiments, multi-year field validation, physiological diagnostics and transparent techno-economic comparison of biological and engineered options.