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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Chemistry Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #319944
Title: Response of sugarcane to carbon dioxide enrichment and elevated air temperature

Author
item ALLEN, LEON - Retired ARS Employee
item VU, JOSEPH - Retired ARS Employee
item RAY, JEFFERY - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Proceedings Florida State Horticultural Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/21/2016
Publication Date: 5/23/2016
Citation: Allen, L.H., Vu, J.C., Ray, J.D. 2016. Response of sugarcane to carbon dioxide enrichment and elevated air temperature. Proceedings Florida State Horticultural Science. 128:271-281.

Interpretive Summary: Few experiments have been conducted on the effects of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and elevated temperatures on sugarcane, a C4 photosynthetic pathway crop. Scientists did not expect significant responses to CO2 enrichment and elevated temperature, as have been observed in many C3 photosynthetic pathway crops. ARS scientists at Gainesville, Florida used plastic-covered temperature-gradient greenhouses to conduct a 3-year study (1997-1999) on the effects of elevated CO2 [enriched to 720 parts per million (ppm) versus 360 ppm] and elevated temperature (+ 4.5 degrees C versus baseline temperature) on four cultivars of sugarcane. Effects on plants grown in mineral versus organic soils and controlled high water table versus low water table were also studied. Plants were harvested each June and each December. Juice volume from crushed stems and Brix measurements with a refractometer were used to estimate sucrose yield as grams per plant. Over the six harvests, sucrose yield was 23% greater in doubled CO2, 23% greater at + 4.5 degrees C, 63% greater in mineral than organic soil, and 36% greater in the high water table treatment. These studies demonstrated that rising CO2 will likely benefit sugar production in sugarcane, that global warming is not likely to be a problem for sugarcane in many production regions of the world, that high yields can be obtained from culture on mineral soils, and that high water tables (without long term flooding) will benefit productivity compared to low water tables. The findings will be useful in comparing with crop model predictions of effects of rising CO2 and global warming on yield of sugar by sugarcane.

Technical Abstract: Four sugarcane cultivars (CP 72-2086, CP 73-1547, CP 88-1508, and CP 80-1827) were grown in elongated temperature-gradient greenhouses (TGG) at ambient or elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) of 360 or 720 µmol CO2 mol-1 air (ppm, mole fraction basis), respectively. Elevated CO2 was maintained by injection and feedback control. Each TGG maintained air temperatures in four zones at Base temperature with respect to Gainesville, FL ambient (Zone 1), Base + 1.5 °C (Zone 2), Base + 3.0 °C (Zone 3), and Base + 4.5 °C (Zone 4) via computer-controlled ventilation fans and electric heaters. Data from Zones 1 and 4 are reported herein. Germinated sugarcane seed pieces of each cultivar were planted in early March 1997 in 8 tubs in each zone of each TGG. Four tubs contained mineral soil and four contained organic soil (peat). Two tubs of each soil had a high water table (20 cm) and two had a low water table (about 50 cm). Biomass harvests were conducted each June and December of 1997 through 1999. Extracted juice volume and Brix were measured at each harvest from a subset of plants in Zones 1 and 4, and sucrose yield (g per plant) calculated. Over these six harvests, sucrose yield was 23% greater in doubled CO2, 23% greater at + 4.5 °C, 63% greater in mineral than organic soil, and 36% greater at the higher water table.