Abstract
As global temperatures rise, a growing need exists for understanding the impacts of warming on crop production. Warming not only changes crop physiology and growth but also the weeds, insect pests, and diseases of crops including wild lowbush blueberries, which have not been studied till now. Changes in pest pressures can cause instability in production and will require changes in management practices and the development of mitigation strategies. The objective of this study was to determine the impacts of warming on the prevalence of major weeds, insect pests, and diseases of the wild blueberry production system. We selected six genotypes of wild lowbush blueberries in a commercially managed wild blueberry field in Maine Northeast USA and used open-top-chambers (OTCs) to study the effects of warming for two years (2019 and 2020). Both active-heating OTCs (elevated monthly mean temperatures by 3.3 °C) and passive-heating OTCs (elevated by 1.2 °C) were employed and compared with ambient controls. Our results showed that warming did not change the prevalence of red leaf disease, blueberry gall midge, red-striped fireworm, or any weed species. In contrast, the incidence of Sphaerulina leaf spot, powdery mildew, and other leaf spot disease were significantly lower under warming treatments compared to the ambient control at the end of the growing season in 2020. Overall, different pests responded to warming differently, inviting further research to reveal the mechanisms. The lower overall pressure of leaf spot disease under warming was probably due to decreased air humidity.
Highlights
Anthropogenic climate change challenges both natural plants and crops [1,2]
The relative humidity was lower in the AH and PH chambers compared to the controls
Overall, warming of 1.2 ◦ C had a limited impact on all the pests, suggesting that the wild blueberry production system is relatively stable under relatively small increases in temperature
Summary
Anthropogenic climate change challenges both natural plants and crops [1,2]. The global land surface temperature has increased by 0.14 ◦ C per decade from 1880 to 2020 [3].Based on the historical trend and model predictions, the global average surface temperature will increase by 1.7 to 4.8 ◦ C by 2100 [4]. Anthropogenic climate change challenges both natural plants and crops [1,2]. The global land surface temperature has increased by 0.14 ◦ C per decade from 1880 to 2020 [3]. Based on the historical trend and model predictions, the global average surface temperature will increase by 1.7 to 4.8 ◦ C by 2100 [4]. In Maine, the average annual air temperature has increased by 1.8 ◦ C during the past 124 years and is predicted to increase further by 2 to 6 ◦ C (3 to 9 ◦ F) by 2100 [5]. Elevated temperatures can change the growth rhythm (phenology) of crop plants [2], and impact the incidence of insect pests, diseases, and weeds in agricultural systems [6]. Because wild lowbush blueberry fields in Maine warm faster than other landscapes in the region [7], they may be exposed to a greater threat and warrant the need for research that assesses the potential impacts of warming
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