Abstract:
Sugarcane production in many parts of the world, such as Pakistan, depends upon stable seasons and climates. However, such stability cannot be relied upon anymore. As temperatures rise and rainfall becomes more variable and unpredictable, there is an altered behaviour of insect pests as they breed, reproduce and spread throughout sugarcane fields. Many of the current Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies have been designed based upon the climate patterns of the past. They do not typically account for the changes occurring today. The gap created by the inability of IPM to address the change in pest behaviours and resistance to pesticides will continue to expand until it is no longer possible to use the current calendar based monitoring systems. The purpose of this article is to examine how climate change affects pest behaviour in sugarcane and the implications for managing pesticide resistance in the future. The discussion does not provide new laboratory data; instead, it relies upon previously published studies and first-hand experience in IPM operations within sugarcane. Previous studies regarding the development of resistance in agriculturally significant insect species and the cross-resistance patterns found in previous laboratory studies are referenced in order to explain how resistance may change as environmental stresses increase. Three distinct trends are evident. First, warmer conditions reduce the length of pest life cycles and alter the timing of insect appearances each year, disrupting typical monitoring calendars. This synthesis provides an informed practitioner view, bridging entomology and climate adaptation, and has immediate application to sugar industry operators and policymakers on IPM strategies in climate sensitive agricultural areas.