Predicting the effect of climate change on sugarcane cultivation

Description

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) can be used to produce ethanol and biomass for energy generation, as part of a climate change mitigation policy. It is also an important crop from a food security perspective, with almost 75% of the world's sugar coming from sugarcane plantations. In this chapter we review the potential impacts of climate change on sugarcane crops, focusing on the likely effects of changes in air temperature and CO₂ concentration. The effects of changes in rainfall patterns and water stress are also discussed. Experimental and process-based dynamic crop growth models (PBCM) simulation results are used to show the potential climate change impacts on the crop for the main sugarcane-producing countries.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Sugarcane responses to change in temperature, rainfall and CO₂ concentration 3 Assessing the impacts of climate change on sugarcane growth and yield 4 Brazilian biofuel strategy 5 Summary 6 Future trends in research 7 Where to look for further information 8 References