Sugarcane Cultivation Amidst Climate Change Challenges: An in-depth Review of Mitigation Strategies and Environmental Resilience

Abstract

The sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) holds global significance for sugar and bioenergy production, contributing to the gross domestic product of Pakistan and generating employment. However, environmental degradation resulting from global warming, climate change, and high greenhouse gas emissions pose a critical threat to the sugarcane as well as the sugarcane industry worldwide. Developing countries, like Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh are likely to be more affected because of poor adaptability and forecasting systems, high vulnerability to disasters/extreme events, and insufficient mitigation strategies. Sugarcane production is affected by shifts in climatic conditions, such as temperature, rainfall, and CO2 level, and will continue to be affected by the onset of such events, which are directly linked to geographical areas and the capacity to adapt to such changes. This paper gives a brief description of the challenges and behavior of sugarcane crops to climate change, and the future trend of climate change with respect to sugarcane production to better quantify, comprehend, and counteract the potential negative impact by enhancing the sugarcane production on a sustainable and economically viable basis.