ABSTRACT
Global food requirements could double within the next 30 years or so. Already as much as 20% of overall global crop production is lost annually due to plant pests and diseases. The impact of these changes on soil temperatures and moisture regimes will result in greater pressure put on susceptible crops from soilborne pathogens and pests adapted to these new conditions. Higher temperatures are predicted to increase also the populations of insect pests and to decrease grain crop yields by 10–25% per degree of warming, particularly in temperate zones, since higher ambient temperatures increase the metabolism and activity of insect pests. Soilborne diseases in crops are caused by several groups of pathogens, particularly bacteria, fungi, and oomycetes, as well as nematodes. Multiple soilborne pathogens are continuously present in the soil. The diversity of soil microbial communities depends on the diversity of plants in the soil because their vegetation and exudation are the primary sources of nutrients for these microbes.
