Scientists: An expected global food crisis due to the heat waves that swept the world

Weather of Arabia - The heat wave that struck Europe, the United States and China may result in a global food crisis due to the adverse impact on agricultural crops and coral reefs.

These warnings came from John Marsham, a professor at the University of Leeds in Britain, who stated on July 23 that "the risk of crop failure in different parts of the world is increasing, and this will negatively affect the availability and cost of food." And the British newspaper The Guardian indicated that heat waves are expected to be repeated at a rate of 12 times more often by 2040, which means that nature will not be able to recover from this phenomenon “heat waves” sufficiently.

The newspaper warned that the unprecedented rise in temperatures posed a particular threat to tropical coral reefs. As it depends on stable temperatures throughout the year. The newspaper pointed out that coral reefs are a source of food for nearly 500 million people, most of whom live in developing countries. "If we don't take quick action, these ecosystems will disappear completely," said Professor Marsham.

The scientist confirms that there are no technologies currently that enable us to maintain optimal temperatures for natural ecosystems and agricultural crops on farms.

Chinese meteorologists also reported a record high air temperature at this time of the year, reaching 52.2 degrees Celsius in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Many European countries, including France and Italy, experienced abnormally hot weather, which led to forest fires in Greece, Switzerland and Spain due to the heat. The World Meteorological Organization predicted that extreme weather may become a new norm in those regions.

Effects of heat waves on plants and crops:

1. Weakness in the sizing of fruits (dates - olives - figs - oranges and lemons - sometimes cotton almonds) and a decrease in the percentage of active substances (oil, for example in olives). It is important to regulate irrigation and intensify potassium and magnesium additions.
2. Poor pollination and fertilization of summer crops, especially if there are hot winds (corn, rice, sesame, peanuts, soybeans, cowpeas, etc.). Here, compounds such as calcium boron are important and the method of treatment depends on the type of crop.
3. Increasing the rates of degradation in fruit crops (degradation means falling of the new nodes) such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and okra.
4. Increasing the number of some heat-related pests, such as scale insects, mealy bugs, red spiders, and other scale insects, such as cotton leafworms and fruit worms. There must be continuous monitoring and monitoring of crops.
5. An increase in the severity of free-moisture-loving diseases such as downy mildew and spotting on many crops (downy mildew on basil and cucumber, angular spotting and anthracnose on cotton).