As the world seeks alternatives to fossil fuels, agrivoltaics offer a promising solution by integrating solar panels with farming practices. This review examines three key agrivoltaic setups—static tilted, full-sun tracking, and agronomic tracking—dissecting their engineering features’ roles in optimizing both the electricity yield and the fruit productivity of some fruit crops. We emphasize the microclimatic modifications induced by agrivoltaic systems, mainly encompassing changes in solar radiation, air temperature, humidity, and wind. The data collected in this survey reveal a strong spatial heterogeneity distribution over different locations and a significant influence on fruit crops’ growth, yield, and quality, with variations among species. Such findings on the overall performance recommend a 30% shading threshold to prevent substantial declines in fruit characteristics, i.e., fruit yield and quality. Shading conditions over this threshold influence the leaf morphophysiological characteristics, impacting the photosynthesis capacity and fruit dry matter accumulation. This emphasizes the importance of further investigation into spectral radiation quality and carbon assimilation kinetics as daily responses for different fruit species to be cultivated in such new environments. Starting from this point, this review underscores the need to extend studies on various fruit crops, particularly those cultivated in semi-arid horticultural regions (i.e., for saving water), and suggests the use of comprehensive and standardized indicators for comparability across studies. Finally, the authors conclude that engineering improvements, along with new research programs on agrivoltaic systems, could lead to agricultural, environmental, and economic sustainability, as well as their practical implementation and attractiveness to farmers in the coming years.

Climate change poses significant challenges to agriculture, a sector with a long-standing tradition in the Mediterranean basin. The region faces altered rainfall patterns, extreme temperatures, aridification, loss of biodiversity, and changes in crop yield and quality. These impacts, combined with intensive farming practices, threaten long-term agricultural sustainability. This study investigates agrivoltaics (AVs), a dual-use technology that integrates solar energy production (photovoltaic panels) with agriculture, as a potential solution to enhance resilience and adaptation of crops. Research at an AV system in Puglia (Southeastern Italy), combined with grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), assessed soil moisture, temperature, and microclimate conditions together with vine yield and fruitfulness. Results showed that shading from photovoltaic panels increased soil moisture and moderated soil temperature, thus benefiting crops. Vines beneath the panels yielded more grapes (+277%) than in the full sun, confirmed by even the better bud fruitfulness of the shaded canes. While panels had minimal impact on air temperature, they reduced wind speed and vapor pressure deficit, creating a better microenvironment for vines. Spectral analysis revealed an increase in UV and blue light under the panels, potentially affecting photosynthesis. The AV system also produced substantial electricity, more than 90% compared to a ground-mounted system, demonstrating its dual-use application. The higher land equivalent ratio (LER) achieved by the AV system (3.54) confirmed that such systems can be advantageous in areas with a Mediterranean climate, allowing crop and energy production on the same land.

This review explores the combination of renewable energy production and agriculture through agrivoltaic, with a focus on its impact on fruit crops. As the world seeks alternatives to fossil fuels, agrivoltaics offers a promising solution by integrating solar panels with farming practices. The study examines various agrivoltaic configurations with different fruit crops, emphasizing their influence on microclimatic conditions beneath the panels and the effects on crop produc-tion. In particular, it underscores the need for tailored solutions to balance energy yield and crop productivity and quality, with different shading levels affecting fruit quality/production. De-spite ongoing research, a comprehensive understanding of agrivoltaics' potential benefits and challenges remains crucial for its successful application and implementation in sustainable ag-riculture.

Fig fruits have recently received more attention by consumers for their quality as either fresh or dried fruits and, consequently, growers are becoming more interested in the cultivation of this species. Figs are mainly consumed as processed fruits (dried, marmalade, jam, etc.), but limited attention has been paid to new possible processing applications of several local cultivars grown in Mediterranean countries. This study aimed to investigate both the morpho-pomological characteristics and consumer sensory ratings (two groups: students and technicians) for four fig cultivars processed as a new type of product, ‘dried fig disks’. The results showed that three out of the four cultivars (Processotto Nero, Natalese Nera, and Verde di Natale) had good pomological characteristics such as fruit weight and skin color, as well as easy peeling, yield, ripening time, and TSS. The same cultivars received positive hedonic scores for appearance (>5 on a 10-point hedonic scale), flavor (4–6 on a 10-point hedonic scale) and taste (6–7 on a 10-point hedonic scale). The overall score was positive for Processotto Nero, Natalese Nera, and Verde di Natale (>5 on a 10-point hedonic scale), whereas one cultivar, Comunione, was less appreciated (<5 on a 10-point hedonic scale). The flavor–sensory attributes most appreciated were black-red fruit, cooked, grassy, and floral; fig off-flavors were perceived as rancid only by students and to a limited extent. Consumer overall acceptance toward dried fig disks was mainly driven by the acceptability of appearance of the new product, together with pleasant flavor and taste.

Fig (Ficus carica L.) is an ancient Mediterranean fruit species characterized by extensive clonal propagation, high phenotypic variability, and a complex domestication history. However, the relationships between genetic structure, phenotypic diversity, and agronomically relevant traits remain insufficiently understood, limiting the efficient use of germplasm resources in breeding programs. To address this gap, we integrated molecular, phenotypic, and association analyses to characterize 235 fig genotypes conserved in the “Giardini di Pomona” repository. Genetic diversity was assessed using 66 polymorphic SSR alleles, while a representative subset of 83 genotypes was evaluated for 27 morphological, fruit, tree, and phenological traits. Population analyses revealed a structured but highly admixed genetic organization, with two major genetic groups identified by Bayesian clustering. Principal Coordinate Analysis explained 44.4% of the total molecular variation, and STRUCTURE analysis assigned 105 and 130 genotypes to the two groups, respectively. Despite this genetic structure, Shannon diversity and AMOVA indicated that most diversity was maintained within geographic groups (93.2% and 61% of total variation, respectively), highlighting the importance of historical germplasm exchange and vegetative propagation in shaping Mediterranean fig diversity. Phenotypic analyses revealed broad but continuous variation across all trait categories, with several cultivars displaying distinctive combinations of tree, fruit, and phenological characteristics. Association mapping identified significant SSR–trait relationships involving leaf morphology, tree growth habit and vigor, fruit weight and pigmentation, cropping type, and ripening time, identifying candidate markers with potential utility for early selection. By combining population genetics, phenotypic characterization, and marker–trait associations within a single germplasm collection, this study provides a comprehensive framework for cultivar identification, conservation prioritization, and marker-assisted breeding in fig.