Integrating pests and pathogens into the climate change/food security debate
TL;DR: More mechanistic inclusion of pests and pathogen effects in crop models would lead to more realistic predictions of crop production on a regional scale and thereby assist in the development of more robust regional food security policies.
Abstract: While many studies have demonstrated the sensitivities of plants and of crop yield to a changing climate, a major challenge for the agricultural research community is to relate these findings to the broader societal concern with food security. This paper reviews the direct effects of climate on both crop growth and yield and on plant pests and pathogens and the interactions that may occur between crops, pests, and pathogens under changed climate. Finally, we consider the contribution that better understanding of the roles of pests and pathogens in crop production systems might make to enhanced food security. Evidence for the measured climate change on crops and their associated pests and pathogens is starting to be documented. Globally atmospheric [CO(2)] has increased, and in northern latitudes mean temperature at many locations has increased by about 1.0-1.4 degrees C with accompanying changes in pest and pathogen incidence and to farming practices. Many pests and pathogens exhibit considerable capacity for generating, recombining, and selecting fit combinations of variants in key pathogenicity, fitness, and aggressiveness traits that there is little doubt that any new opportunities resulting from climate change will be exploited by them. However, the interactions between crops and pests and pathogens are complex and poorly understood in the context of climate change. More mechanistic inclusion of pests and pathogen effects in crop models would lead to more realistic predictions of crop production on a regional scale and thereby assist in the development of more robust regional food security policies.
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TL;DR: A better understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in plant-biotic interactions under eCO2 will be critical towards mitigation of potentially adverse effects of climate change on crop production.
27 citations
TL;DR: The results show that global climate changes could influence disease incidence, probably through plant-mediated effects, caused by soilborne pathogens.
Abstract: The severity of F. oxysporum f.sp. conglutinans on rocket plants grown under simulated climate change conditions has been studied. The rocket plants were cultivated on an infested substrate (4 log CFU g-1) and a non-infested substrate over three cycles. Pots were placed in six phytotrons in order to simulate different environmental conditions: 1) 400–450 ppm CO2, 18–22°C; 2) 800–850 ppm CO2, 18–22°C; 3) 400–450 ppm CO2, 22–26°C, 4) 800–850 ppm CO2, 22–26°C, 5) 400–450 ppm CO2, 26–30°C; 6) 800–850 ppm CO2, 26–30°C. Substrates from the infested and control samples were collected from each phytotron at 0, 60 and 120 days after transplanting. The disease index, microbial abundance, leaf physiological performances, root exudates and variability in the fungal profiles were monitored. The disease index was found to be significantly influenced by higher levels of temperature and CO2. Plate counts showed that fungal and bacterial development was not affected by the different CO2 and temperature levels, but a significant decreasing trend was observed from 0 up to 120 days. Conversely, the F. oxysporum f.sp. conglutinans plate counts did not show any significantly decrease from 0 up to 120 days. The fungal profiles, evaluated by means of polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), showed a relationship to temperature and CO2 on fungal diversity profiles. Different exudation patterns were observed when the controls and infested plants were compared, and it was found that both CO2 and temperature can influence the release of compounds from the roots of rocket plants. In short, the results show that global climate changes could influence disease incidence, probably through plant-mediated effects, caused by soilborne pathogens.
27 citations
Cites background from "Integrating pests and pathogens int..."
...Plant pathogens represents an important constraint for the security of our future food as a consequence of population increases, urbanization, globalization and changes in climate [4]....
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TL;DR: Results indicate that ecophysiology may determine invasion success and thus may explain the relative invasion advantage of C. partellus in African landscapes and recommend that future climate change work be directed towards more comprehensive stemborer total ecology research, stemborers thermal biology and implications on the efficacy of biocontrol.
Abstract: Africa hosts several economically significant lepidopteran cereal stemborer species belonging to the Crambidae, Noctuidae and Pyralidae families. The invasive spotted stemborer (Chilo partellus Swinhoe), which is native to Asia, is one of the most damaging cereal stemborers in Africa. The impact of C. partellus on indigenous stemborer species remains unclear, although recent work demonstrates its increasing ecological influence and numerical advantage over Sesamia calamistis and Busseola fusca in African landscapes. In the present study, we discuss C. partellus dominance under Africa's changing climates and highlight the ecological and thermal physiological factors that may contribute to its dominance over indigenous stemborer species. Chilo partellus is an efficient colonizer and competitor and may have an advantage under limited resources typical under climate change. Its invasion potential may also probably stem from its short generation time, overwintering physiology, temperature and relative humidity resilience, wide host preferences, and asynchrony with its biocontrol agents. Using laboratory experiments, we show that C. partellus has a high basal temperature tolerance and related plasticity compared with S. calamistis and B. fusca. These results indicate that ecophysiology may determine invasion success and thus may explain the relative invasion advantage of C. partellus in African landscapes. We recommend that future climate change work be directed towards more comprehensive stemborer total ecology research, stemborer thermal biology and implications on the efficacy of biocontrol. Specifically, knowledge of stemborer‐natural enemy evolutionary potential is vital for understanding how climate change and variability may shape host‐natural enemy interactions, with implications for pest forecasts, prediction models and pest management.
26 citations
Cites background from "Integrating pests and pathogens int..."
...Global warming and climate change may have negative consequences on the diversity and abundance of stemborers, hence increasing the extent of crop losses that impact negatively on the profitability of crop production, food security and livelihoods (Gregory et al., 2009; Kumar, 2016; Yonow et al., 2016)....
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...…warming and climate change may have negative consequences on the diversity and abundance of stemborers, hence increasing the extent of crop losses that impact negatively on the profitability of crop production, food security and livelihoods (Gregory et al., 2009; Kumar, 2016; Yonow et al., 2016)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, a review of recent studies both domestic and international are reviewed in order to provide an overall image of the progress in climate change researches and the pivotal techniques linking crop model and climate models are systematically assessed and climate change impacts on Chinese crops yield among model results are summarized.
26 citations
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01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: The first volume of the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report as mentioned in this paper was published in 2007 and covers several topics including the extensive range of observations now available for the atmosphere and surface, changes in sea level, assesses the paleoclimatic perspective, climate change causes both natural and anthropogenic, and climate models for projections of global climate.
Abstract: This report is the first volume of the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report. It covers several topics including the extensive range of observations now available for the atmosphere and surface, changes in sea level, assesses the paleoclimatic perspective, climate change causes both natural and anthropogenic, and climate models for projections of global climate.
32,826 citations
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01 Jul 2001
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors set the stage for impact, adaptation, and vulnerability assessment of climate change in the context of sustainable development and equity, and developed and applied scenarios in Climate Change Impact, Adaptation, and Vulnerability Assessment.
Abstract: Summary for policymakers Technical summary Part I. Setting the Stage for Impact, Adaptation, and Vulnerability Assessment: 1. Overview 2. Methods and tools 3. Development and application of scenarios in Climate Change Impact, Adaptation, and Vulnerability Assessment Part II. Sectors and Systems: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability: 4. Hydrology and water resources 5. Natural and managed ecosystems 6. Coastal zones and marine ecosystems 7. Energy, industry, and settlements 8. Financial services 9. Human health Part III. Regional Analyses: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability: 10. Africa 11. Asia 12. Australasia 13. Europe 14. Latin America 15. North America 16. Polar regions (Arctic and Antarctic) 17. Small island states Part IV. Global Issues and Synthesis: 18. Adaptation to climate change in the context of sustainable development and equity 19. Synthesis and integration of impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability Index.
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Book•
01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a cross-chapter case study on climate change and sustainability in natural and managed systems and assess key vulnerabilities and the risk from climate change, and assess adaptation practices, options, constraints and capacity.
Abstract: Foreword Preface Introduction Summary for policymakers Technical summary 1. Assessment of observed changes and responses in natural and managed systems 2. New assessment methodologies and the characterisation of future conditions 3. Fresh water resources and their management 4. Ecosystems, their properties, goods and services 5. Food, fibre and forest products 6. Coastal systems and low-lying areas 7. Industry, settlement and society 8. Human health 9. Africa 10. Asia 11. Australia and New Zealand 12. Europe 13. Latin America 14. North America 15. Polar regions (Arctic and Antarctic) 16. Small islands 17. Assessment of adaptation practices, options, constraints and capacity 18. Inter-relationships between adaptation and mitigation 19. Assessing key vulnerabilities and the risk from climate change 20. Perspectives on climate change and sustainability - 811 Cross-chapter case studies Appendix I. Glossary Appendix II. Contributors to the IPCC WGII Fourth Assessment Report Appendix III. Reviewers of the IPCC WGII Fourth Assessment Report Appendix IV. Acronyms and abbreviations Appendix V. Index and database of regional content Index CD-ROM.
8,465 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a document, redatto, voted and pubblicato by the Ipcc -Comitato intergovernativo sui cambiamenti climatici - illustra la sintesi delle ricerche svolte su questo tema rilevante.
Abstract: Cause, conseguenze e strategie di mitigazione Proponiamo il primo di una serie di articoli in cui affronteremo l’attuale problema dei mutamenti climatici. Presentiamo il documento redatto, votato e pubblicato dall’Ipcc - Comitato intergovernativo sui cambiamenti climatici - che illustra la sintesi delle ricerche svolte su questo tema rilevante.
4,187 citations