Arthropod Pests and Plant Diseases

Research has concluded that global warming will likely increase abundance and occurrence of insect pests and plant diseases in agricultural systems. Most of the evidence cited for this increase is based on either empirically derived information, simulation models developed from laboratory observations and/or environmental extremes that resulted in pest outbreaks. While these phenomena can help explain why arthropod and plant disease problems are more pronounced during specific weather extremes, they cannot adequately account for all biotic and abiotic influences that come to bear on these populations and their accompanying regulating factors (e.g. beneficial organisms). Likewise, while it is safe to assume that insect pests generally become more abundant as temperatures increase, the same relationship does not necessarily exist for many plant pathogens.