Insects will be one of the main causes of crop loss in tropical countries of the world, especially with the rise of climate change and warming. A US study suggests so.
Insects will destroy at least 10-25% more wheat, rice and corn as global temperatures rise per degree, say researchers.
The warming will make these crop pests stronger and increase their food intake. As well as their reproduction.
And it will have an impact on the world's major food crops, according to Curtis Deutsch, co-author of the study.
"Currently, the insect's diet is equivalent to 12 loaves of bread. However, if the overall temperature continues to rise at this rate by the end of this century, the food intake of these insects will be two more loaves." Researchers at the University of Washington told B-BC.
In the study, published in the journal Science, they performed a mathematical calculation using data collected from around the world. Which indicates that as the temperature rises, crop damage increases.
The team of researchers analyzed the data of 36 species of harmful insects through their mathematical models. They wanted to see how temperature affects the growth of these pests as well as their effect on food grains. This test was run to understand future crop losses.
The impact of climate change has shown that with each increase in temperature, the loss of falls is 5 percent.
And if the effects of insects are added there, the amount of damage will go up to 50%, says Professor Tuxbury of Boulder Boulder University in the United States.
Which areas will be more affected?
According to Professor Tuxbury, the higher the temperature, the more insects will breed and the faster they will start eating crops.
According to him, "the impact will be more visible in Europe's 'bread basket' and the US 'corn zone'." He added that "in many European countries such effects can be seen up to 50-100%."
This means that the loss of wheat production in Europe will be at least 18 million.
But temperatures in the tropics have already reached a record high for the growth of these insects. Now their growth rate has slowed down.
How is it possible to get out of this situation?
One of the world's most crop-producing regions is at risk, such as the United States, France and China.
When corn, rice and wheat are damaged, it will actually be a disaster, as we get 42% of the body's required calories from these grains.
Climate models say the average global temperature will rise by 2-5 degrees by 2100.
In that case, temperatures could rise by at least 2 degrees Celsius by the middle of this century, and the expected crop damage by insects could begin to occur within that time, the researchers said.
What could be the solution?
To ensure food security, emphasis should be placed on crop adaptation. Such is the opinion of Professor Tuxbury.
The use of pesticides in crop fields is very common in Europe, especially in Britain. However, experts warn that warmer climates can make insects more resistant to pesticides.
So Professor Poppy emphasized the use of more biological methods in pest control. Harmful insects can be controlled using ladybirds.
It can also be done by changing the time of sowing the crop or by cultivating pest-resistant crop varieties.
According to the researchers, the combined use of all the methods can be much more effective in this regard.
