Climate-Induced Spread of Plant Pathogens and its Impact on Agriculture in the Kumaun Himalayas: A Threat to Food Security and Rural Livelihood

Zoya Shah1*, Dhani Arya2

1,2 Department of Botany, Soban Singh Jeena University, Almora, Uttarakhand, India-263601

Abstract:Background:Plant pathogens are expanding into new areas as a result of climate change and are consequently threatening crop production and the related rural living conditions. In the Indian Himalayas, the vertical migration of fungi has hardly been studied which is otherwise important for food security.Methods:We combine historical climate data (1985–2020), field sampling, lab-based pathogen isolation and farmer perception surveys to estimate the role of climate variability on pathogen dynamics in the Kumaun Himalayas. A total of 1,000 infected leaf samples and 30 fruit samples were collected from 11 economically important crop species. Pathogens were further identified through scotch tape imprinting, pure culture method, and morphological taxonomy. Climate trends were compared with disease incidence through statistical correlation analyses.Results:A total of 35 fungal species from 18 genera were identified, and Alternaria alternata, Fusarium oxysporum, and Cercospora canescens were three of the most obvious fungi that have migrated to the higher altitudes. Climatic assessment showed that both the minimum temperature rise (e.g., September, Z=0.553) and relative humidity increase (e.g., July, Z=0.676) were statistically significant, which facilitated pathogen propagation. These patterns were supported by the farmer surveys, reporting higher disease incidence and a change in disease zones.Conclusion:This investigation offers an empirical demonstration of climate-driven pathogen movement in a vulnerable montane ecosystem. The results illustrate the imperative for comprehensive climate-resilient agricultural interventions which include monitoring systems, disease resistant crops and farmer-led adaptation planning.Keywords: Climate change, Fungal pathogens, Kumaun Himalaya, Altitudinal migration, Agricultural disease dynamics.