Climate Change Powers Global Pests

When talking to Turf managers about the regulatory pressures on Insecticides and the challenges ahead, conversation often stumbles into milder winters and the impact they are having on insect populations.

I came across the below article from Croplife today (which is a great website if this kind of stuff interests you) which although aimed at Agriculture gives a hint of the challenges ahead.

Farmers worldwide have always had to work to protect their crops from insects, which, if unchecked, could decimate harvests, reduce yields, or even negatively impact the quality of safety of foods.

Research has found that global warming could increase the number of insect pests, and boost their appetite, as well as change their migration patterns, which could pose an even greater threat to global crop production.

An increase of just 2 degrees in global temperatures could cause pest-related yield losses from wheat, rice and maize to increase by 46%, 19% and 31%, respectively. Such yield losses could have catastrophic impacts on food security, which could compound existing challenges brought on by the global pandemic.

In this heat map, we look at some regions of the world where pests could become an even greater challenge as a result of climate change, and where plant science can offer a priceless lifeline for farmers and growers.

(Click the image to interact with the regions where pests could become an even greater challenge)

Climate Change and Global Pests

This article was originally published on Croplife.org and can be seen here.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *