Possible impact of climate change on incidence of insect pests of rice

Abstract

Extreme weather occurrences, variations in the pattern of rainfall, and an increase in the average world temperature were resulted to the existence of climate change. All living things, including plants, insects, and the relationships they have with the weather, herbivores, and other organisms, could be impacted by climate change. Such alterations in the weather and environment could have a significant impact on the dynamics of insect pest populations and crop conditions. These could result from indirect effects on the pest, host plants, rivals, and natural enemies in addition to direct effects on the distribution and quantity of pest populations. Many researchers have proved through laboratory studies, elevated temperature and CO2 resulted in escalation of brown plant hopper, leaf folder and stem borer multiplication through increase in both fecundity and number of adults, thus inflicting higher yield loss in rice under elevated conditions. In contrast some studies proved that elevated conditions lowered female longevity, fecundity and egg survival rates, indicating that elevated conditions likely to limit population build up of rice pests. Furthermore, numerous studies have shown that while some insects cannot develop in high temperatures, others may adapt to the warmer weather through selection and evolution. The ability of brown planthoppers to withstand heat varies depending on their location. In some cases, if host plants are present, winter temperatures will become more favorable for pests as a result of global warming. For example, in the case of rice leaf folder and brown plant hopper, higher winter temperatures may not only reduce mortality but also speed up development, increasing the chance that the pest will accumulate and cause damage to crops in subsequent generations. Global warming may increase the number of generations of rice insect pests and their potential to do harm, however this isn't always the case because the yield loss that these pests cause is the same in temperate, subtropical, and tropical locations. However, a detailed investigation reveals that both environmental conditions and human activity can have an impact on the occurrence and harm caused by rice pests. Global warming is undoubtedly a significant impact in the population rise, even though many other causes might also be involved. Long-term monitoring of the population dynamics of these insect pests is crucial for effective pest management in order to estimate potential changes in rice insect pests in the upcoming years.