California Fruit and Nut Shortage: Climate Change Forces Crop-Eating Insects to Go on Rampage [Study]

Fruit and nut shortages may occur in California as climate change is expected to cause crop-eating insects to multiple at unprecedented rates and wreak havoc on the local agricultural supply, according to a new study led by researchers in the United States.

Evidence suggests that warmer temperatures increase insect populations, threatening crops like almonds, peaches, and walnuts. The researchers estimated that three major insect species can appear earlier in the year amid rising temperatures.

Insects, such as the codling moth, the oriental fruit moth, and the peach twig borer, could cause the most damage to the crops mentioned earlier.

In the past, these pests had a track record of reducing the quality of California fruits and nuts.

Prior to the study, the US government attributed climate change to be responsible for affecting crop growth in different regions. For instance, changes in temperature and rainfall can lead to longer growing seasons in most states.

California Fruit and Nut Shortage

(Photo : Photo by Laura Ockel on Unsplash)

In the study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, researchers from the University of California and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s California Climate Hub reported that climate change will spike pest pressure in high-value agriculture in California.

The research team highlighted that California is a global leader when it comes to the production and supply of walnuts and almonds.

The state is also the largest peach producer in the country.

However, the research team's findings indicate that damages to the crops from the following lepidopteran pests below are still high, despite improvement in pest management activities:

Codling moth (Cydia pomonella)
Peach twig borer (Anarsia lineatella)
Oriental fruit moth (Grapholita molesta)

In the context of fruit and nut shortage, the team considered exploring the importance of the dynamics of these pests since temperature increase can directly affect the rate of growth and development of these crop-destroying insects.

Particularly, the California researchers identified that since climate change causes unpredictable seasonal changes, including warmer winters and hotter summers, it also alters the normal life cycle of the pests which in turn disrupts and amplify the activity of agricultural pests.

Also Read: Asian Insect Destroying Florida Orange Juice Crop

Agricultural Pests

Agricultural pests that involve several insect groups attack branches, leaves, fruit, and flowers, with lepidopterous fruit borers are the most important pests affecting crop production, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Other notable insect species include caterpillars, beetles, bark borers that feast on leaves and flowers, as well as fruit-sucking bugs and fruit-piercing moths.

As cited by the USDA, between 20% to 40% of the global crop production is lost to pests annually, wherein plant diseases cost the world's economy approximately $220 billion, while invasive insects cause agricultural damage worth $70 billion, according to the FAO of the United Nations.

Now, the recent University of California study sheds light to the fact that climate change is contributing to the problem faced by the agricultural sector in general.