Climate Change and Sugarcane
Productivity in Karnataka
Arun B. Chandran and K.N. Anushree
Abstract This study aims at understanding the relationship between climatic
factors and its impact on sugarcane productivity in Karnataka. To understand the
above objective we estimated the factors that affect sugarcane productivity. After
appropriate statistical analysis, the strength of empirical results was checked
through fixed effects panel regression model and Prais–Winsten model with panel
corrected standard errors models. The data point has 592 observations corresponding to 16 districts of Karnataka, selected on the basis of the agro-climatic
region to which they belong, with panel data for a period of 1966–2002. Since our
prime interest was sugarcane productivity it was entered as a dependent variable in
the models. Average rainfall, average maximum and average minimum temperature, area under irrigation and consumption of fertilizers are considered as
explanatory variables. In order to capture the variability in the climatic factors it
was decomposed into four seasons, viz., monsoon, summer, autumn and winter.
The results conclude that though the average rainfall in different seasons has a direct
positive impact, the rainfall in summer is significantly affecting sugarcane yield.
The climatic variables of average minimum and maximum temperatures in different
seasons have varied impacts on the yield of sugarcane. The maximum temperature
in summer and the minimum temperatures in monsoon, winter and autumn have a
significant positive impact on the sugarcane yield in Karnataka, whereas maximum
temperature in autumn and minimum temperature in summer has negative
relationship. The study suggests that adaptation strategies need special attention on
technologies and management regimes that will enhance sugarcane tolerance to
fluctuating temperatures.
Keywords Climate change Á Sugarcane productivity Á Karnataka
A.B. Chandran (&) Á K.N. Anushree
Institute for Social and Economic Change, Dr. VKRV Rao Road,
Nagarabhavi, Bangalore 560072, India
e-mail: bchandran.arun@isec.ac.in
K.N. Anushree
e-mail: anushreekashyap91@gmail.com
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
S. Nautiyal et al. (eds.), Climate Change Challenge (3C)
and Social-Economic-Ecological Interface-Building, Environmental Science,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31014-5_23
389
Productivity in Karnataka
Arun B. Chandran and K.N. Anushree
Abstract This study aims at understanding the relationship between climatic
factors and its impact on sugarcane productivity in Karnataka. To understand the
above objective we estimated the factors that affect sugarcane productivity. After
appropriate statistical analysis, the strength of empirical results was checked
through fixed effects panel regression model and Prais–Winsten model with panel
corrected standard errors models. The data point has 592 observations corresponding to 16 districts of Karnataka, selected on the basis of the agro-climatic
region to which they belong, with panel data for a period of 1966–2002. Since our
prime interest was sugarcane productivity it was entered as a dependent variable in
the models. Average rainfall, average maximum and average minimum temperature, area under irrigation and consumption of fertilizers are considered as
explanatory variables. In order to capture the variability in the climatic factors it
was decomposed into four seasons, viz., monsoon, summer, autumn and winter.
The results conclude that though the average rainfall in different seasons has a direct
positive impact, the rainfall in summer is significantly affecting sugarcane yield.
The climatic variables of average minimum and maximum temperatures in different
seasons have varied impacts on the yield of sugarcane. The maximum temperature
in summer and the minimum temperatures in monsoon, winter and autumn have a
significant positive impact on the sugarcane yield in Karnataka, whereas maximum
temperature in autumn and minimum temperature in summer has negative
relationship. The study suggests that adaptation strategies need special attention on
technologies and management regimes that will enhance sugarcane tolerance to
fluctuating temperatures.
Keywords Climate change Á Sugarcane productivity Á Karnataka
A.B. Chandran (&) Á K.N. Anushree
Institute for Social and Economic Change, Dr. VKRV Rao Road,
Nagarabhavi, Bangalore 560072, India
e-mail: bchandran.arun@isec.ac.in
K.N. Anushree
e-mail: anushreekashyap91@gmail.com
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
S. Nautiyal et al. (eds.), Climate Change Challenge (3C)
and Social-Economic-Ecological Interface-Building, Environmental Science,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31014-5_23
389