Plant Biomass and Stem Juice of the C4 Sugarcane at Elevated Growth CO2 and Temperature

The global demand for agricultural crops for human food and livestock feed is rising at a tremendouspace.Withrapidincreasesinworldpopulation,fossilfuelconsumption,industrialdevelopment,anddeforestation,atmosphericCO2 concentration ([CO2]), currently at about 385 μmol mol−1, hasbeenprojectedtosurpass700μmolmol−1 before the end of this century (Solomon et al., 2007). Consequently,arisein[CO2] and other greenhouse gases would cause severe impacts on future globalclimate,includinganincreaseinairtemperature(Schneider,2001;Solomonetal.,2007)and analterationintherainfallpatternsinmanyareasoftheworld(Schneider,2001;Longetal.,2004). Theincreasesinambient[CO2] and temperature are particularly of major concern when considering theirinteractiveeffectsonfutureagriculturalcropproduction,aswellasthedistributionofterrestrialecosystems,includingnaturalforestsandgrasslands.Ascompetitionforavailablecultivable landandfreshwaterresourcesforagriculturewillundoubtedlyescalate,increasingtheefciency inproductivityforeconomicallyimportantcropsunderfutureclimatechangescenariostosatisfy greater worldwide demand for human food and livestock feed is a critical challenge.