Impact of Climate Change on Sugarcane and its Mitigation

A sugarcane crop stands in the field for over twelve months, experiencing vagaries of all the weather conditions. During this long period, climatic variables significantly influence all the growth stages as well as cause some of the abiotic and biotic stresses impinging on this crop which ultimately affects its yield, juice quality as well as the availability of the seed cane for planting. Uniquely, sugarcane is endowed with a “compensatory physiologic continuum” contributed by its tillers, two types of roots emerging at different times, development of leaves spaced temporally apart and ratooning ability which help this crop to thrive under various stress conditions, varying levels fertility and spacing and may help, to some extent, mitigating the effect of changing climate. It has been predicted that changing climate will decrease sugarcane productivity. Organic residue management, minimum tillage, balanced fertilization, use of biofuels may reduce emissions of GHGs are important in mitigating the effect of climate change on this crop. For taking care of CO₂ emissions, in sugarcane plant, C is occluded in silica forming phytoliths. Besides amendment of organic manure (especially press mud @ 10t/ha) in the soil also increases carbon sequestration. Development of sugarcane varieties responsive to high CO₂ concentration, N use efficient, tolerant to biotic and multiple abiotic stresses by incorporating bio-technologic approaches in breeding programmes may tide over changing climatic scenario, in times to come.