Mitigating the repercussions of climate change on diseases affecting important crop commodities in Southeast Asia, for food security and environmental sustainability—A review

Abstract

Southeast Asia is a fertile land with a warm and humid climate which tends to accommodate various food crops. The development and advancement of the agricultural sector not only allows the countries in the region to feed the increasing population, but are also able to boost the nation's economy through exportation of the crops. Some of the well-known and economically-significant plant commodities found in the region include rice, oil palm, rubber, coconut, banana, sugarcane, pineapple, black pepper, maize, cocoa, durian, and jackfruit. Due to the high production of crops, Southeast Asia is able to stand among the top world producers of these commodities. Nevertheless, the widespread of pathogenic microorganisms has posed a serious threat to the industry over the years; with hundreds of millions of money wasted and total yield being lost due to the devastating diseases associated with each type of the plants. A lot of attention and effort have been continuously devoted to find effective plant management strategies to combat plant diseases, starting from traditional physical and chemical methods to the increasing discoveries on biological approaches made in recent decades. Due to the challenges and limitations faced by conventional approaches and the rising awareness toward the environment, more work has been focused on establishing the application of beneficial microorganisms to tackle plant diseases through direct mechanisms. Thus, by bringing the common plant commodities in Southeast Asia, their associated diseases and various physical, chemical and biological control measures together, this review aims to provide clearer insights and practical information to those who seek to limit the damages caused by plant diseases.

A review of the global climate change impacts, adaptation strategies, and mitigation options in the socio-economic and environmental sectors

“…Heat stress causes plants to grow at an accelerated rate, slows the photosynthetic process, and has a major impact on reproductive processes (Farhad et al, 2023). Crops are vulnerable to the corrosive effects of climate change-induced weather extremes, such as the falling and discoloration of betel leaves due to bare cold and extreme fog (Rahman & Alam, 2016), resulting in an inevitably reddish appearance; the compression of lemon leaves (Pautasso et al, 2012); and the decaying roots of pineapple (Lim et al, 2023). As a result, a combination of short-term and long-term strategies for managing climate change's disruptive consequences is urgently required.…”

Cercospora Canescens: Cause of Leaf Spot Disease on Lettuce Crop in Bali Province, Indonesia

“…The insight into the microbial communities inhabiting plants and their environment in the field can shed light on pre-harvest transmission routes and the interactions of microbes that attack plants (Williams et al, 2013;Allard et al, 2020;Chaudhry et al, 2021). In Indonesia, diseases caused by phytopathogens are considerably the chief cause of decreased vegetable yields, apart from bacterial, viral, and pest attacks (Bebber et al, 2014;Siaka et al, 2014;Lim et al, 2023). Several fungal infections have posed unprecedented challenges to ecosystems, which ultimately have a vast impact on global food security (Wiradana et al, 2018;Singh et al, 2023).…”

Biotransformation of food waste into biofertilisers through composting and anaerobic digestion: a review

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By 2050, the world population is expected to swell to 10 billion people. With the challenge of climate change ahead (Lim et al 2023), the requirement for a sustainable food source becomes evident. Currently, the average person is estimated to produce up to 110 kg of food waste (FW) per capita in the form of municipal solid waste.

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