Maize pests impacted by the climate

In East Africa, the caterpillars of two butterflies, Busseola fusca and Chilo partellus , represent a major threat for maize, the main food crop in the region. As recently borne out by the work of a team of researchers, their distribution varies with altitude. Busseola fusca prefers mountain sides, whereas Chilo partellus predominate at low altitude; a new study has revealed this phenomenon. Temperatures play a role in several ways, leading to the conclusion that the populations of these two types of pest will grow in the coming years.

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