Climate-smart Pest Management Strategies: Under Changing Climatic Scenarios

Abstract

In the face of changing climatic conditions, it's crucial to acknowledge their far-reaching impacts on humans, animals, and agricultural systems worldwide, where negative consequences often overshadow any positive outcomes. With global warming and climate change, previously minor insect pests are now poised to wreak havoc, leading to widespread pest outbreaks. As a result, the effectiveness of various pest control measures, including host-plant resistance, natural enemies, transgenics, bio-pesticides, and synthetic chemicals, may undergo significant shifts. Growers and researchers are actively devising Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies to minimize environmental harm while maximizing crop yields and economic benefits. Numerous studies highlight the necessity of reevaluating pest management practices and IPM strategies to adapt to novel environmental conditions and enhance the resilience of diverse agroecosystems to weather variability. This involves initiatives such as breeding climate-resilient crops, adjusting crop calendars, employing GIS-based risk mapping for crop pests, and exploring novel pesticides with alternative modes of action, informed by predictive modeling data. Thus, this chapter explores the potential of these techniques for climate-smart insect pest management.