Prospects and Challenges of Emerging Insect Pest Problems vis-à-vis Climate Change

Emerging insect pests are a constant threat to mankind and their sudden upsurge and outbreak not only affects the crop yield and biodiversity but also poses a constant threat to global trade in agriculture. According to an estimate, these pests cause diverse losses ranging from 18-20 per cent in Indian agriculture. It is evident from the literature that American bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera; Brown plant hopper; Nilaparvata lugens, Diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella; Pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens; Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci; Wheat aphid, Macrosiphum miscanthi and many more have emerged as key pests on various crops in recent years. Recent incidence of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) on maize and other crops has also drawn attention of researchers and policy makers to issue a nation-wide advisory to the farming community to safeguard their produce as well as to combat against this dreaded pest. Various activities such as excessive usage of fertilizers, faulty cropping pattern, introduction of high yielding and hybrid varieties, indiscriminate and injudicious use of pesticides, etc. have had a tremendous impact on resurgence, resistance and secondary outbreak of insect pests. However, one of the main reasons, which has usually been neglected by us, for changing status and scenario of insect pest species is Climate aberration or in broader perspective 'Climate Change'. This article discusses the issues concerned to some emerging insect pests, their probable reasons of outbreak and providing the way out to devise timely and effective ecological based Integrated Pest Management solutions to mitigate the losses throughout our country.