Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Climate Change a Boon for Sugarcane?

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 23 2009 (IPS) - Sugarcane crops will see a 32-percent production boost by 2050 if the planet's average temperature increases two degrees Celsius, according to a study by Brazil's University of São Paulo conducted in the nearby sugar-producing region of Piracicaba. “Not only was the effect of climate considered, but also technological trends, better crop management and genetic improvement,” study coordinator Paulo Sentelhas told Tierramérica.

Sugarcane has a high capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse-effect gas, and turn it into biomass, as well as being resistant to high temperatures and scant rainfall, he added.

It can't be affirmed that climate change will be good for sugarcane, but it can be said that the phenomenon, in addition to technological advances, “will have positive elements” for the species, Sentelhas said.

There are plans to expand the study to other parts of the southern state of São Paulo.