Most devastating pests that affect the crops

Ground Report | New Delhi: devastating pests that affect the crops; To these effects, we must add other impacts of climate change that are making plants more vulnerable, such as, for example, the reduction in the quantity and quality of water, alterations in geographic distribution areas, or seasonal activities.

devastating pests that affect the crops

"The impacts on crops are more negative than positive," warns FAO, which reports that limitations on trade, travel, and adjustments to plant protection protocols can serve to slow the spread of pests.

Furthermore, FAO believes that collaboration with the private sector can help find innovative and effective ways to address some of the challenges faced by sustainable agriculture, especially in relation to Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

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In any case, some plagues act more noticeably than others, and that is why in this Agorapedia we show you some of the most devastating plagues that humanity has to deal with.

Desert locust

The desert locust is the most destructive migratory pest in the world. It is found mainly in Africa, through Arabia and western Asia, spreading to parts of southern Asia and even southwestern Europe.

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A lobster can eat its own weight - about two grams - of plants each day, which means that a million lobsters can eat about a ton of food a day. Considering that the clouds of these insects can cover more than 2,400 square kilometers, FAO believes that in a single day they can consume 100,000 tons of crops or enough to feed tens of thousands of people for a year.

In addition to food, the lobster represents a danger due to its high adaptability. It can go from a solitary, highly fertile, and non-migratory form, to a gregarious and migratory phase in which it can travel long distances, finally spreading to new areas.

Fruit flies

Tephrytids are a diverse family of insects, with more than 4,000 described species. Most species feed on plants and several of them can cause significant economic damage, especially when their larvae develop on fruits of great commercial value.

In fact, its economic consequences are so great that countries free of the main tephritids (Chile, Japan, New Zealand, and the USA) prohibit the importation of fresh products from countries where these pests are endemic and have active detection programs. and emergency response to keep your fruit free of these flies.

Fall Armyworm

The Fall Armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda ) is a moth belonging to the Noctuidae family native to the tropics and subtropics of America. Pests of this worm were first reported in West Africa in 2016 and then throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Egypt in 2019.

In 2018, it was reported in India, spreading rapidly throughout South and East Asia, including China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Pakistan, while in 2020 it was detected in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and the Australian continent.

In 2017 it was estimated that fall armyworm had the potential to cause annual maize yield losses of 8.3 million to 20.6 million tons, which could feed 40.8 million to 101 million people.

Xylella fastidiosa

Like humans and animals, plants also suffer large-scale viral epidemics, as is the case with Xylella fastidiosa. Annoying, yes, because in addition to causing diseases in economically important crops, such as vine, citrus, olive, almond, peach and coffee, it also threatens to expand due to the new climatic conditions beyond America, Southern Europe, and the Cerano Oriente.

Some experts, however, believe that climate change will not increase the risk of spreading X. fastidiosa beyond the Mediterranean basin, although they point out that “the relationship established between the host plant and the vector must be taken into account. and bacteria ”to establish future projections.

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