Climate Change and Plant Growth – South Asian Perspective

South Asia covers diverse climatic zones and landscapes. Almost 70% population of this region lives in rural areas and depends on agriculture as prime income source; climate change is causing drastic changes to the agricultural production. Meteorological projections show that South Asia is extremely vulnerable to drought, precipitations fluctuations and similar drastic events. Human activities, deforestation, cultivation, use of excessive pesticides and fertilizers, extraction of underground minerals, irrigation, and drainage have contributed significantly in the negative effects of climate change. There is crucial need to comprehend the effects of changing climate, its potential hazards and possible positive effects along with the responses of plants. In South, there is 28 mha area, which is dependent upon the rainfall for irrigation, and due to climate change, majority of plant species are under sever danger. Along with precipitation, heat is also a major threat for plant growth. Major crops will face serious reduction in yields with increase in temperature. Along with the negative effects of climate change, there are also positive effects of climate change on agriculture. For sustainable agricultural development, it is important to understand plant growth and climate change and how the plant mechanisms get affected by these changes.