Climate Change Impact on Pests and Disease Intensity of Rice

Abstract:

The impact of climate change on pests and diseases has been the subject of intense debate for more than two decades which poses a considerable threat to sustainable food security. Climate parameters such as increased temperatures, rising atmospheric CO2 and changing precipitation patterns result in an expansion of geographic distribution, increased survival during over-wintering, increased number of generations, altered synchrony of host plants, altered interspecific interaction, increased risk of invasive pests, increased incidence of insect-transmitted plant diseases, and reduced effectiveness of biological control measures of pests and diseases. Further, an increased daily maximum temperature of more than 36°C leads to longer flowering periods which declines spikelet sterility to aggravate yield loss. As a result, there is a serious risk of crop economic losses with a challenge to food security for the growing population. As a major driver of pest and disease population dynamics, climate change elements require adaptive management strategies to deal with the changing status of pests and disease outbreaks. Climate Smart Agriculture Practices (CSAP) is a cross-sectoral approach that aims to reduce pests and disease induced crop losses, enhanced ecosystem services, and decline greenhouse gasses emission intensity per unit of food produced to strengthen the resilience of agricultural systems in the face of climate change.