Biodiversity of insect pests of rice in India

Abstract

Insect pests of rice are affected by climate change directly through physiological effects due to changes in temperature and precipitation and indirectly through effects due to changes in the quality of host plants. Species that depend on each other like plants and insects that pollinate them, do not always adapt to changes at the same time. The environmental changes alter both the timings and rate of interactions with food plants, competitors and natural enemies. Loss of genetic variability in the newly established host range tends to influence the ability of insect populations to adapt the changing climatic conditions involving new food plants, competitors and natural enemies. It is interesting to mention that the insect pest scenario of the crop gradually changing with gradual changes in crop cultivation practices and climate change, especially the higher temperature. Several major pests have become minor and many minor pests attained the status of major pests. There are records of many new pests shifting the host and also some invasive pests due to change in their habitat. There are many good examples of such changing insect pest scenario in rice crops.