Effects of Climate Change on Plant Diseases

Climate change is a long-term alteration in weather statistics, posing serious threats to global food safety besides environmental sustainability owing to the possibility of crop pathogen outbreaks. It can lead to a prime production and biodiversity decline, adversely impacting both the environment and farmers’ livelihoods. Aside from altering disease development and interactions between a host and a pathogen, it also facilitates the emergence of new pathogenic strains that could undermine host plant resistance. Furthermore, changing weather may alter the ranges of infections and hosts, thereby promoting the transmission of plant pathogens into fresh zones. Anticipating plant diseases in space and time is challenging without understanding the interactions and reactions of various pathogens with different disease drivers, as well as their collective adaptation to climate change. Soil and plant microorganisms influence every aspect of the pathogen pattern including the host, organisms, and surroundings. They can facilitate or suppress disease attacks, modify crop metabolism and immunological reaction, act as the first line of defense, and affect environment by enhancing or suppressing pathogen attacks. Crop diseases can be mitigated by adjusting the sowing time to avoid conditions conducive to the development of specific diseases or high pathogen levels. Agrochemicals are more effective due to their direct mechanisms that can prevent disease spread or eliminate its causes. Environmental changes especially when combined with the introduction of pathogens and hosts may have unprecedented impacts.