Impacts on Plant Pathogens - Climate Resilient Agriculture for Ensuring Food Security - page 166

host and pathogen (Luo et al. 1995 ). The results
suggested that elevated UV-B could result in direct
yield losses of 10 %. Impacts of increased tem-
perature varied by agroecological zone, with an
increase in blast and associated yield losses in
cool, subtropical rice production regions (e.g.,
Japan) and a decrease in humid tropics and sub-
tropical regions (e.g., the Philippines). The authors
cautioned that the results must be considered pre-
liminary as the simulations did not include neck
and panicle blast, two other important symptom
types caused by P. grisea . Further, increased CO 2
was not considered nor were changes in precipita-
tion as preliminary analyses had indicated that the
combined model was insensitive to changes in
rainfall (Luo et al. 1995 ).

priority to adopt measures against any unfore-
seen event that might happen due to climate
change and/or global change as well as shifts in
seasonality.

8.10.1 Enhanced Surveillance

Diagnostic tools and personnel are needed to
detect new diseases. These newly introduced dis-
eases can have devastating effects on plant com-
munities. Increased surveillance by these and
other agencies will be necessary if climate change
results in more disease introductions.

8.10.2 Enhanced Research
and Development

8.10 Adaptation and Mitigation

To date, little attention has been given to the
effects of climate change on plant health. For
plant diseases, the rapidity of the predicted cli-
mate change will necessitate more research into
alternative crops and cultivars with increased
stress tolerance and disease resistance, enhanced
cultural practices, and climate-based site selec-
tion. Developing information and research net-
works will play a vital role by linking researchers
and practitioners across the country to allow
information to be gathered, reviewed, and redis-
tributed to stakeholders.

The climate is changing, resulting in changes in
the plant diseases that we need to prevent or man-
age. Because climate change predictions are based
on uncertain information, especially at regional
and local levels, our response must be in the form
of adaptive strategies that are reviewed and
adjusted as new information and improved climate
models become available. Developing effective
strategies will require the involvement of govern-
ment agencies, academia, and the general public.
Systematic quantitative analysis of climate
change effects will be necessary for developing
future disease management plans, such as plant
breeding, altered planting date schedules, chemi-
cal and biological control methods, and increased
monitoring of new disease threats. The existing
preventive crop protection measures, such as use
of diversity of crop species in the cropping sys-
tems, adjustment of sowing or planting dates, use
of crop cultivars with superior resistance and/or
tolerance to diseases and abiotic stress, use of
reliable tools to forecast disease epidemics,
application of IPM strategies, and effective quar-
antine systems, may become important in the
future. Effective crop protection technologies are
available and will provide appropriate tools to
adapt to altered conditions. Therefore, real-time
disease monitoring and surveillance have to be in

8.10.3 Enhanced Public
and Professional Awareness

Public awareness is increasing about the plant
health hazards. Continuing education on
climate-related disease issues would help plant
disease scientists gain the skills to detect and
identify newly emerging problems.

8.10.4 Integrated and Adaptive
Policy Development

Mitigating and adapting to climate change will
only be successful in a supportive and encouraging