**1. Introduction**

Natural process and anthropogenic activities result in global climate change and variability that affect the world during twenty-first century. According the fourth assessment report of intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC), estimate of temperature increase in the range 1.8–4°C in 2090–2099 relative to 1980–1999

and extreme events such as floods and drought are projected in future [1]. Due to combustion of fossil fuel, industrial processes and deforestation, atmospheric CO2 concentration has increased by 30% since mid of eighteenth century [2] and projection indicates that CO2 concentration would be double in high emission scenario by the end of this century. Increases in concentration of CO2 and air temperature can be beneficial for some plant [3]. Abiotic stresses, change in rainfall pattern, frequency of extreme low and high temperature, flood and drought are projected in future [1].

Changing climatic conditions influences the population dynamics, life cycle duration and overall occurrence of majority of insects, pathogen and weeds of sugarcane. Weeds, pathogen and insects are among the agriculture pest that will be influence by climate change. Changes in temperature, rainfall and CO2 levels, will affect pathogen, insects and weeds distribution and their competitiveness with wheat crop. C3 cultivars are performing well under high CO2 concentration than C4 cultivar. Agriculture sector is sensitive to temporary weather changes and seasonal, annual and long term variation in climate. Agronomic practice, soil, seed, pest and diseases have significant influence on crop yield. Human induced climate change and environmental problems, provides a limiting factor. Sugarcane is a C4 crop, mainly grow in tropics and subtropics regions and important source of bioenergy and sugar in the world. Sugarcane is perennial crop cultivated on 20 million ha in subtropical and tropical region [4] with annual yield app. 1325 million tons stalks for sugar, energy, rum and chemicals [5]. Sugarcane is one of the world's major food-producing crops, providing about 75% of sugar produced in the world for human consumption [6]. Sugarcane is cash crop of Pakistan and makes contribute in 0.6% in total GDP. During 2015–2016, sugarcane crop cultivated on 1132 thousand hectares as compared 1141 thousand hectares previous year, with production of 65,475 thousand tons [7]. Decline in area is due to shifted sugarcane area to other crops. Total cultivated area and production of sugarcane in Pakistan is given in **Figure 1**.

Sugarcane mostly propagated by placing cutting and whole stalks in furrows. After each harvest, ratoons mostly grows from stubble and it is possible to harvest 20 successful ratoon crop from a single plantation [8] but environmental related factor such as pathogen infection, low winter temperature, weed competition, stalk borer injury and water deficit condition reduce the production one season to next [9]. Climate related and weather events such as temperature, precipitation and atmospheric CO2 are the key factor for sugarcane production in the world [10].

*Total area and production of sugarcane in Pakistan 2002–2016 (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2016).*

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*Sugarcane Production under Changing Climate: Effects of Environmental Vulnerabilities…*

Sugarcane is a C4 species; increase in temperature in the range of 8–34°C increases the carbon dioxide assimilation and improve cane growth during winter but low temperature limit the photosynthesis and leaf growth rate ([11]; **Table 1**). Low temperature below 15°C limited the cultivation of sugarcane but temperature increase under changing climatic condition during low temperature period improve the sugarcane yield [19]. High temperature likely reduce the incidence and severity of frost and extending the growth during winter months, frost known to poor quality in sugarcane [20, 21]. However high temperature has negative effect on sprouting and emergence of sugarcane and ultimate low plant population [22]. Temperature above 32°C result in increased number of nodes, short internodes, higher stalk fiber and lower sucrose [23]. High night temperature usually more number of flowering and flowering in sugarcane ceases the growth of internodes and leaves ultimately reduce the sucrose and cane yield [20]. Increase in temperature under changing climatic conditions also alter the daily evaporation, may cause water stress and more frequent irrigation cycle will be done to meet the demand of evaporation and crop. Frequent irrigation result in over irrigation and create water logging and salinity problem which can reduce the sugarcane yield [24]. Temperature changes also affect the ripening of sugarcane. During winter, low temperature is very important for natural ripening. Under changing climate, elevated

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.81131*

**2. Temperature stress and sugarcane production**

temperature reduces the ripening and quality of sugarcane [11].

**Authors Study traits Effects**

High temperature and photosynthesis

phosphate activity

Temperature stress and germination stage

High temperature and photosynthesis rate

Omae et al. [18] Temperature stress and leaf morphology

Temperature stress and sucrose

Morales et al. [12]

Marchand et al.

Rodriguez et al.

Warland et al. [15]

Johkan et al. [16]

Srivastava et al.

[13]

[14]

[17]

**Table 1.**

**3. Tolerance mechanism against high temperature stress**

*Temperature stress under changing climatic conditions and its effects on sugarcane crop.*

Plant response to temperature stress, vary with degree, duration and plant type. At high temperature, cell death or cellular damage may occur, which lead to catastrophic collapse of cellular organization [25]. Heat stress effect all the process includes germination, growth and yield [26] and the stability of various protein, cytoskeleton structure and efficiency of enzymatic reactions [24, 27]. Under high temperature stress, plant adopt various mechanism include long term phenological and morphological adaptations and short term avoidance mechanism such as transpirational cooling and

Photosystem II activity greatly reduce under high

Temperature stress reduce the activity of sucrose

Heat stress exert have negative impact during

(NAR) and relative growth rate (RGR)

High temperature reduce the net assimilation rate

High temperature stress damage the leaf tip and margins, drying the leaves and observed necrosis

temperature

Heat stress and photosynthesis Heat stress reduce the amount of photosynthesis pigments

Temperature stress and yield Small increase in temperature significant reduce the yield of crops

phosphate synthase

germination stage

*Sugarcane Production under Changing Climate: Effects of Environmental Vulnerabilities… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.81131*
