Climate Changes’s Impact on Field Crop Diseases
2020
- Iowa State University, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology
Project Media
Weather patterns not only affect crop growth and development, but also the plant pathogens, beneficial and harmful insects, and weed species present in the agro-ecosystem. In recent years, there have been disease outbreaks directly related to extreme weather events including white mold and sudden death. Researchers predict that leaf and root pathogens will be more problematic because of an overall increase in humidity and frequency of heavy rainfall events projected for many parts of the United States. However, other extreme weather events such as drought, hail events, and high winds also will affect diseases from year-to-year and region to region.