Cereal production in Africa: the threat of certain pests and weeds in a changing climate—a review

Abstract Cereals are the most cultivated and traded crops for food, feed, and industrial uses worldwide. Among other producing regions, Africa hosts 27% of the world's total cereal production. Like other staple crops, the production of cereals such as maize, rice, wheat, millet and sorghum in Sub-Saharan Africa is threatened by herbivorous pests and weeds leading to significant losses. The fall armyworm insect ( Spodoptera frugiperda ) reduces maize production by 21–53%, while the stem borers ( Busseola fusca ) account for 82% of all maize losses in Kenya. About 50% of yield loss in maize has been attributed to Imperata cylindrica infestations in Nigeria if not controlled. Parasitic weeds such as Striga spp. infest over 64% of cereal-cultivated lands in Africa resulting in yield losses of up to 10–100% loss. Granivorous birds such as Quelea spp. are responsible for an average of 15–20% cereal production damage in semi-arid zones of Africa. Rodents such as the multimammate rat also pose a threat causing 48% yield losses on maize fields across Sub-Saharan Africa. With a changing climate resulting in drought and flooding, the threat of these cereal pests is likely to intensify. Hence, this review presents an elaborate overview of current pathogens whose threat to cereal production in Africa might increase due to changing climatic conditions.