Change in Environment is Key Factor for Emergence of New Races of
Pathogen, Minor Diseases of Insect-Pests become Major Biotic Stresses:
Shri Radha Mohan Singh
Shri Radha Mohan Singh Chairs In- Session Meeting of the Consultative Committee on “Emerging Biotic Stresses as a Challenge under Changing Climate”
Shri Radha Mohan Singh Chairs In- Session Meeting of the Consultative Committee on “Emerging Biotic Stresses as a Challenge under Changing Climate”
The
Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh today
chaired the In- Session meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry
of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare on “Emerging biotic stresses as a
challenge under changing climate” in New Delhi. The Minister in his opening
remarks said that the Biotic stress refers to diseases, insect – pests and
weeds which affects adversely the normal growth of living organisms (plant,
animals, and human beings). Shri Singh informed that Biotic stress requires
conducive interaction among the host, pest and environment. Such stresses can
causes losses even up to 100 % in the year of epidemic and the most infamous
example was epidemic of brown spot of rice in 1943 (Helminthosporium oryzae),
causing the Great Bengal Famine, in States of West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. The
historic devastation caused death due to starvation of about four million
people. Pests and pathogens evolve continuously and rate of evolution speeds up
if environment becomes congenial. Thus, change in environment is key factor for
emergence of new races of pathogen, minor diseases of insect-pests become major
biotic stresses. Elevated Co2, a greenhouse
gas responsible for climate change, can increase levels of simple sugars in
leaves and lower their nitrogen content. These can increase the damage caused
by many insects, who will consume more leaves to meet their metabolic requirements
of nitrogen. Thus, any attack will be more severe. Higher temperatures from global
warming, mainly due to elevated CO2,
will mean that more numbers of pests will survive the winter season.
Shri
Radha Mohan Singh said that while there is clear evidence that climate change
is altering the distribution of animal and plant pests and disease, the full
effects are difficult to predict. Changes in temperature, moisture and
atmospheric gases can fuel growth and generation rates of plants, fungi and
insects, altering the interactions between pests, their natural enemies and
their hosts. Changes in land covers, such as deforestation or desertification,
can make remaining plants and animals increasingly vulnerable to pests and
diseases. While new pests and diseases have regularly emerged throughout
history, climate change has now resulted in emergence of large number of
unknown biotic stress challenges in the environment.
1.
Pests
of Plant, continue to be one of the biggest constraints to food and
agricultural production. They cause on an average an annual loss of more than
40 percent of the world’s food supply, thus posing a threat to our food
security.
2.
Climate
change exercised impact resulted in either emergence of a new biotic stress,
alteration of a minor stress as major challenge or domestication of an invasive
pest into another country.
3.
Climate
change has posed a stiff challenge to sustainability of series of Sr genes in
wheat governing resistance against Ug99 race of stem rust.
4.
Elevated
temperature and CO2 have also posed serious threat to wheat against acclimatisation
of blast, virulent isolates of late blight disease of potato and important
diseases of rice, namely blast and sheath blight.
5.
Country
has recently witnessed emergences and or acclimatisation of destructive
invasive pests and diseases like South American pin worm on tomato; Western
flower thrips on flowers; Tropical race of fusarium wilt on banana, spiraling
whitefly in coconut, etc.
6.
With
change in temperatures and humidity levels, the population of insects like
mosquitoes, midges, ticks, fleas and the viruses they carry may expand their
geographic range, and expose animals and humans to diseases to which they do
not possess natural immunity.
7.
Increased
drought may result in reduced water bodies that in turn will facilitate
increased interaction between domesticated livestock and wildlife resulting in
outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever, a highly fatal disease for cattle, since
all wild beasts carry the fever virus.
8.
Fishes
are vulnerable to emerging climate-related diseases, particularly since their
ecosystems are so fragile and water is an effective disease carrier.
9.
Plant
protection sciences and biosecurity awareness in India has advance
significantly over the years. Recently India has effectively managed many such
exigencies which otherwise could have resulted in national calamities.
10.
To
thwart any possibilities of biosecurity threat to Indian wheat due to emergence
of stem rust race UG99 in Africa, India acted proactively to screen varieties
against the pathogen in Kenya. As a result number of UG99 resistant varieties
deployed in the country and prevented occurrence of epidemic.
11.
During
2015-16, immediately after an invasive wheat blast disease destroyed large
acreage of wheat in Bangladesh, India sent 40 wheat genotypes to CYMMIT for
screening against blast in South American countries where the disease is
prevalent.
12.
Domestically
DARE-ICAR, DAC, SAUs and State Agricultural Department are engaged in
implementing protection technologies in complementarity to protect losses in
crops, animals and fishes due to biotic stresses.
13.
As
a result of proactive efforts of NPPO, the imminent losses in cotton due to
whitefly during 2016-17 was effectively managed, as a result production of cotton
in North India is expected to surpass yields of last three years.
14.
Very
recently outbreak of invasive H5N8 strain of avian influenza in poultry birds was
effectively managed in the country through adoption of proper biosafety and
biocontainment measures.
15.
Changing
biotic stress scenario has highlighted the need for future studies on models
which can predict the severity of important pathogens of major crops, animals
and fishes in real-field conditions. Simultaneously, disease management
strategies should be reoriented in changing conditions with amalgamation of new
strategies for sustainable food production.
Shri
Singh suggested that some immediate areas/ strategies to strengthen
agricultural biosecurity and to ensure efficient management of biotic stresses
are:
(a)
Development
of Biotic stress resilient crops/ breeds of animals using indigenous as well as
wild resources.
(b)
Enhanced
use of cutting edge technologies and tools like MAS, transgenic and advanced
molecular tools to accelerate the process of development of biotic stress resilient
organisms.
(c)
Strengthening
of domestic and International quarantines to prevent movement of infected products
to pest free areas/ counties.
(d)
Organizing
IPM approaches and strengthening effective system of delivery of biocontrol
agents and label expansion of effective pesticides.
(e)
Forging
regional and global cooperation on issues related to biosafety and biosecurity.
(f)
Global
networking for ensuring availability of diagnostic tools/ vaccines to monitor
invasion and spread of invasive pests pathogens and immunization.
Dr.
Trilochan Mohapatra, DG, ICAR & Secretary DARE also gave presentation on
the issue during the meeting.
Shri
Radha Mohan Singh directed the officials to incorporates the suggestions given
by the members on the issue and to speed up the research on pest control,
pesticides etc.
Shri
Parshottam Rupala, the Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare,
Shri Sudarshan Bhagat, the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare, the Members of Parliament, Smt. Kamala Devi Patle (Lok Sabha),
Shri Manshankar Ninama (Lok Sabha), Shri Rodmal Nagar (Lok Sabha), Km. Shobha
Karandlaje (Lok Sabha), Shri Kiranmay Nanda (Rajya Sabha) and senior officials
from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare were present in the
meeting.
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