| definition |
- Invasion of crop by parasites. Among vertebrate animals, many crop pests are mammals, especially in the order of rodents and birds. Among invertebrates, certain species of gastropods and a large number of roundworms from the class of nematodes harm crops. The most varied and numerous species of crop pests are arthropods-insects, arachnids and some species of millipedes and crustaceans. Diseases vary from viral, bacterial, and nutritional to fungal, environmental and non-specific. The FAO has estimated that annual worldwide losses done by plant pests and diseases amount to approximately 20-25% of the potential worldwide yield of food crops.
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