Heat stress is reshaping floriculture. Here’s how producers can respond
Rising temperatures are changing the economics of flower production. Heat, drought, extreme rainfall, and shifting pest pressures are forcing floriculture businesses to reconsider how they manage risk, protect product quality, and maintain profitability.
The challenge extends beyond plant performance. Heat affects workers, water availability, infrastructure, production schedules, and postharvest quality. For a sector that depends on consistency and precision, even minor disruptions can have major commercial consequences.
Recent research illustrates this trend. A 2024 study of three cut rose varieties found that higher mean temperatures were associated with shorter flowering cycles and lower cut-flower weight per stem in two of the three varieties. While shorter flowering cycles could allow producers to harvest sooner or more frequently, the associated reduction in stem weight could present a quality trade-off, as buyers may prefer heavier, more substantial stems.
“Producers find themselves in a vicious cycle. They need to stay operational while adapting to climate pressures that affect every aspect of the business.”
According to Isaza, six priorities deserve particular attention:
1. Treat heat as a business risk
Many producers still treat extreme heat as an isolated weather event. However, it is becoming necessary to manage it as a recurring operational risk. Heat can impact crop health, worker safety, irrigation needs, infrastructure performance, and post-harvest handling. Heat can also impact the effectiveness of fertilisers and crop protection products.
Producers using GLOBALG.A.P.’s Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) solutions tend to have a head start because the program encourages a structured assessment of risks across the farm. Taking a systems approach to production, resources, infrastructure, and worker welfare helps identify vulnerabilities before they lead to costly disruptions.
2. Make water security a strategic priority
Higher temperatures increase plant transpiration and evaporation, reducing water resources. As a result, producers face droughts, limited water, and pressure from regulators and communities. A resilient water strategy must address consumption, storage, legal compliance, source protection, and availability.
Many farms use the IFA standard with targeted add-ons, such as the Sustainable Program for Irrigation and Groundwater Use (SPRING), to evaluate water risks. By connecting water use, availability, and stewardship, producers can see where future shortages could affect their operations and identify areas where they could improve efficiency.
3. Protect workers from heat stress
Floriculture remains highly dependent on skilled manual labour. Tasks such as harvesting, grading, cutting, and packing flowers are time-sensitive. As temperatures rise, protecting workers becomes essential to maintaining productivity and product quality. Practical measures may include adjusting work schedules, providing access to drinking water, offering shaded rest areas, and training supervisors to recognise the signs of heat-related illness.
Producers can expand their IFA certification to include workers’ health and safety. The GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP) add-on allows producers to assess, improve, and demonstrate their responsible social practices, eliminating the need for a separate audit.
4. Adapt pest and disease management
Changing weather patterns can alter pest populations and disease prevalence. Warmer conditions may accelerate pest development, and heat combined with humidity can increase the risk of diseases such as botrytis, pythium, and downy mildew. As conditions evolve, producers should regularly reevaluate the effectiveness of existing control strategies.
Strong scouting programs, clear intervention thresholds, accurate records, and preventive measures are critical for a quick response before problems spread.
5. Strengthen infrastructure resilience
Although greenhouses offer protection from many environmental threats, they can also intensify heat stress during hot periods. As temperatures rise, ventilation systems, cooling equipment, irrigation networks, water storage facilities, and power supplies face increasing demands. Meanwhile, producers must prepare for heavy rainfall, flooding, storms, and other extreme weather events that can disrupt operations.
Infrastructure assessments are becoming an increasingly important part of risk management. Many producers certified to IFA already evaluate whether critical systems can support production during extreme conditions. This helps them prioritise investments where resilience matters most.
6. Protect quality beyond harvest
Heat-related losses continue even after flowers leave the greenhouse. Research shows that preharvest conditions can significantly impact vase life and postharvest performance.
Flowers exposed to heat stress often enter storage and transport with greater water loss and reduced physiological resilience. To maintain quality, producers should minimise the time between harvest and cooling, maintain strict hygiene standards, and reduce avoidable moisture loss throughout the supply chain.
Resilience requires a connected approach
Heat, water, labour, pests, infrastructure, and postharvest quality are often treated as separate challenges. In reality, however, they are closely linked.
For floriculture businesses preparing for a warmer future, an integrated approach may be more valuable than any single adaptation measure.
“Resilience starts with understanding how these risks connect. Standards and add-ons such as IFA, SPRING, and GRASP help producers identify vulnerabilities and develop a consistent management system.”
Juan Carlos Isaza Agraya’s Senior Technical Expert for floriculture