CLIMATE CHANGE AND

CHALLENGES TO FOOD
PRODUCTION

EMERGING PEST AND DISEASE

IN FOOD CROPS AND
PRODUCTIVITY

MAMMUTTY K
Deputy Director of Agriculture ,
NWDPRA Wayanad
 Effects of Changing Climate on Insects

 Insect outbreaks

 Insect migration

 Change in biodiversity

 Species extinction

 Change in host shift

 Emergence of new pests

 Since temperature is the most
important environmental factor
affecting insect population dynamics,

It is expected that global climate warming could

trigger an expansion of their geographic range,
increased overwintering survival, increased
number of generations, increased risk of invasive
insect species and insect-transmitted plant
diseases, as well as changes in their interaction
with host plants and natural enemies.
Insects in Living Organisms
 Insects in the Animal Kingdom
 Insects are the largest group (3/4th) of animal kingdom
 About 6-10 million insect species exist in the world
but only 1.25 million species have been described
 About 11% species of total organisms including
insects are expected to be extinct by 2100
Insects in the Animal Kingdom
Categorization of Insects
 Food Grain Loss
Agricultural Pests
 Pests are the limiting factors in the production
and productivity of crops
O th e rs
6%
R a ts
8%

W eeds
D u r i n g stor age
10% 28%

In s e c ts D is e a s e s
23% 25%

 Insects, weeds, nematodes and disease

pathogens damage more than 30 percent of crops
worldwide
 Observed Impact of Climate Change on
Insect Pests
Insect outbreaks

 Pine lappet moth and Tummy bug outbreaks in Europe

(Mellec et al., 2010; The Hindu July 25, 2012)

 Seed bug outbreak in Karnataka during 2011

 Outbreak of pine moths in Meghalaya, India during 2011

(Firake et al., 2012)
 Insect Migration and Invasion
 Several species of butterflies and moths migrating to UK
from other parts of Europe (Sparks et al. 2007)

 Painted bug, Bagrada, a tropical and

subtropical crop pest, is gradually moving
northward in Southwestern Japan
(Anonymous, 2008)

 Many species of dragonflies and butterflies

are migrating every year from India to the
Maldives, the Seychelles, Mozambique,
Uganda and back again (Nelson, 2009)

 Recent Invasion of Papaya mealy bug in

India in 2010
 Effect on biodiversity
 Loss of cryptic diversity: Loss of seven species of
caddisfly, a mayfly and a stonefly from central Europe
(Gewin, 2011)

 There is clear evidence for severe regional declines in

domestic honey bee stocks in the USA (59% loss of
colonies between 1947 and 2005, and In Europe (25%
loss of colonies in central Europe between 1985 and
2005

Stonefly, Arcynopteryx
compacta
 Extinction of Species
 Currently 1/3 of only 435 species of butterflies in Europe
are under threat...

 Around the world, the Large Copper of Ireland,

Giant Swallowtail of Jamaica, Atewa of Ghana,
American Silverspot and Apollo of the Alps have
also become extinct

Large Copper Giant Swallowtail

Silverspot Atewa Alps Irish Times 2012-08-22

 Emergence and Resurgence of Pests
 Emergence of saw fly, Arge
xanthogaster on roses in North
east India (Firake et al., 2012)

 Resurgence of coconut beetle

and coconut tiny mite in Kerala

 Whorl maggot infestation in

paddy

 White grubs and root aphids

infestations in upland paddy

 Sopdoptera litura and S.

mauritiana on many crops
Aleurodicus destructor
(coconut whitefly)
White flies in Brinjal Spiralling White flies in
Chillies
White Fly Adults,nymphs & Puparia in
Chillies

JimEntKau 16
PAPAYA MEALY BUG

Acerophagus papayae
 HISTORY / INTRODUCTION

India Tamil Nadu (2000 - 01)

Total area 1.78 m. ha 0.32 m. ha

Production 13,000 m. nuts 3,158 m. nuts

Total trees affected 138.3 m. 0.15 m.

Loss in copra yield 10 - 30
%
COCONUT ERIOPHYID MITE, Aceria guerreronis K.
(Eriophyidae: Acari)
 First report - Guerrero State in Mexico in
1965.
 In India first report - Ernakulam district of Kerala and
Pollachi
Distribution Andhra
Taluk inPradesh, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu in 1998.Kerala,
: Lakshadweep Islands and Tamil Nadu and all
the major coconut growing States
Triangular yellow patch
Young nuts showing damage symptoms
Gummy exudation-splits
Severely infested nuts at harvest
A colony of eriophyid mite
 Minor pests to Major pests

Sucking pests
White fly
Mealy Bugs
Thrips
Mites
Jassis Hopper
Bugs
Spiralling white fly –Aleurodicus
dispersus
 BOUNCING EFFECT OF BREEDING

Normal Breeding Abnormal Breeding

 Sex ration (M:F)- 1:1 Sex ration (M:F)- 1:2
 Avg. Litter size – 6 Avg. Litter size -20
 Post partum oestrous- 90 Post partum oestrous- 2
days. days.
 Maturity period- 90 d
Maturity period- 75 d
 This is seen in normal un-
This is seen during
disturbed agrarian unexpected favourable
ecosystems. climatic situations.
 BREEDING PROFILES

Normal Abnormal
Effects of temperature rise on agricultural insect pests
Root –knot nematode
infected banana roots
Impact of atmospheric CO2 increase
on agricultural insect pests.
Impact of heavy precipitation and drought on
agricultural insect pests.
 Expected Changes in Climate

 Increases in temperature

 Increases in relative humidity

 Increases in CO2 levels

 Each have significant impact on life stages of insect

pests (Coakley et al, 1999)
 Effect of Rising Temperature on Insects
 Insects are cold-blooded

 Development rates rise and fall with temperature

 Temperature is the most important factor influencing:

 Development

 Reproduction rate

 Survival

 Distribution
 Effect of Rising Temperature on Insect
Pests
 Increased development rates: more generations per
season

 Insect species diversity and feeding intensity tend to

increase with increasing temperatures

Insects take a bigger bite out of

plants in a warmer climate
(DeLucia et al. 2008)
Effects of Elevated Temperatures on Insect
Pests
 Effect of changing Precipitation on Insect
Pests
 Physical impact of heavy rainfall is a significant
mortality factor for small insects
 Effect of changing Precipitation on Insect
Pests
 Increased relative humidity will increase frequency and
extent of entomopathogen epidemics
Effect of Changing Precipitation on Insect
Pests
 Flooding can cause mortality of soil-dwelling insects
e.g. cranberry fruitworm
 Effect of Elevated CO2 on Insect pests

 Generally, effects will be indirect through host plant

changes

 Increased CO2 may cause chemical changes in

host
plant tissue that result in increased feeding:

 Feeding stimulation of several pests by increased

simple sugars in soybean
 Increased C:N ratio requires increased feeding to
fulfill metabolic N needs
Effects of Elevated CO2 on Insect Pests
 Impact of Elevated CO2 on Insect Pests

 Faster development time in forest tent caterpillar

(Lingroth et al. 1993)

 Increased consumption and N utilization efficiency in

pine saw fly and Gypsy moth (Williams et al. 1994;
Huggez and Bazzaz, 1997)

 Higher larval growth in pine saw fly (Williams et

al. 1998)

 Slow development and low pupal weight in

Chrysanthemum leaf miner (Smith and Jones,
1998)

 Decreased lipid concentration in small heath

 Impact of Elevated CO2 on Insect Pests
 Increased growth rate and consumption in Willow beetle
(Wetelle et al., 2002)

 Greater pupal weight and shorter development time

in blue butterfly (Bazin et al., 2002)

 Increased feeding and growth rate in tobacco

caterpillar (Srivastava et al. 2002)

 Failure in proper control of grain aphids with sticky

traps
(Chen et al. 2002)

 Increase in fecundity of aphids on cotton (Chen et

al. 2005)
 Secondary Metabolites
 Primary metabolic pathways

 Primary metabolites in all organisms i.e.

Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids

 Secondary metabolic pathways

 Plants and fungi produce a variety of other chemical

compounds that are produced on secondary
pathways and are called secondary metabolites
(secondary compounds or secondary products)
 Secondary Metabolites
 No direct function in growth and development of the
plant

 Often limited distribution among plants

 A particular metabolite may be restricted to one

species or one genus

 Usually synthesized from primary products

 Variety of functions recognized today but originally

thought to be waste products
 Secondary Metabolites
 About 100,000 have been identified (Isman 2002)

 So far, only 900 compounds were found to be

possessing insect feeding deterrence property (Koul
2005)

 Often accumulated and stored in high

concentrations --
1% to 3% of dry weight

 Hydrophilic compounds stored in vacuoles

 Hydrophobic compounds stored in resin ducts, laticifers,

trichomes, oil cells, or in cuticle

 Sites of synthesis and sites of storage often different -

transported in the plant
 Functions of Secondary
Metabolites
 Protect the plant against herbivory

 Deter grazing animals

 Deter insects

 Inhibit bacterial or fungal pathogens

 Inhibit growth of competing plants

 Attract pollinators

 Attract seed dispersing animals

 Defense Compounds
 Plants can’t run and hide, therefore they must use
chemical defenses

 Vulnerable tissues defended more than old senescing

tissues

 Seeds, seedlings, buds, and young tissues often have

large amounts of secondary metabolites

 Organs important for survival (flowers, fruits, and

seeds)
often rich source as well
 Defense Compounds
 Secondary metabolites will only work as defense
compounds if they are able to influence herbivore or
microbe in a negative way

 They often mimic the structure of a compound in the

animal such as a hormone or neurotransmitter

 Others inhibit protein synthesis, membrane structure,

DNA or RNA synthesis etc.
 Secondary Defences

Secondary defence may be in place prior to an organism

invading a plant, or as a result of the invading organism
 Insect Antifeedants
 “Any substance that reduces consumption by an insect”

 “A peripherally-mediated behavior modifying substance

(i.e., acting directly on the chemosensilla in general
and deterrent receptors in particular) resulting in
feeding
deterrence” (Isman 1994)
 Non-volatile Terpenes: Limonene

Apparently distasteful to herbivores

 Volatile Terpenes: Menthol

Volatile terpenes such as menthol broadcast a smell that

warns herbivores that the plant is toxic to them before
herbivore feeding commences
 Steroid Terpenes: Phytoecdysones

 Phytoecdysones are plant steroids that have the same

basic structure as insect molting hormones and thus
interfere with molting
 These compounds sometimes cause death of the insect
herbivore
 Insecticidal Terpenes: Pyrethrum

Terpenes such as pyrethrum (from chrysanthemums) can be

used as “natural” insecticides in agricultural/horticultural
practices
Production of Maize will reduce @ 30% in
South Africa by 2030
Production of Rice, wheat will reduce @ 10%
in India
Immature harvesting of cereals
Increase in Production of Maize @ 30% in
Europe
CO2 413 PPM O2 210000 ppm
CO-3 plant like wheat –increase production
with CO2
CO-3 weeds will increase
Protein, Fe, Zn etc content will decrease in
rice
No rain at the time of planting,
Heavy rain at the time of harvesting,
Deterioration of quality of products
by over precipitation,

Pollination affected, Pollen sterility

Fungal attack due to changes in

humidity and temperature

Introduction of exotic pests,

microbes and weeds
Temperature increases @ 0.08 “C by
every decade from 1880

Temperature of 2020s is 1.2 C more

from that of 1880s

CO2 285 ppm (1880) to 413 ppm

(2021)
Thank Q