Extreme weather events and their effects on plant pests infecting potato, sugar beet, rape and grassland

Abstract

Extreme weather events are a part of climatic systems, hence will be influenced by climates change, causing some of them to increase. In this review all 33 evaluable globally accessible articles that could be found, regarding the influence of heat, drought, heavy rain, flooding, black frost, early frost, late frost, extreme frost, hail, radia­tion and wet snow have on plant pests affecting pota­toes, sweet beets, rape and grassland are summarized and evaluated. These articles only provided sufficient in-depth information of the effects on fungi, insects, bacteria, viruses, weeds, nematodes, mammals and snails. In this analysis a scientifically unusually high amount of literature were results of evaluations conducted by the plant protection services of the German states, which were broadcasted in professional journals of agricultural practice. This way, important evidence in form of documented influences of plant pests infesting potatoes and sweet beets, but also the influence extreme weather has on plant protection measures, could be obtained. These sources should have a more important role in the future, as they have a background full of harvest-, infection- and weather data. Obtained evidence does show that both plant pests and plant protection measures are affected by extreme weather events, but at this point there are still too many data gaps as to provide generalizations or conclusions. It is important that more intense research is conducted to answer these questions.