How can PHP developers troubleshoot and debug issues related to time zone discrepancies in their code, especially when working with date and time functions?

Time zone discrepancies in PHP code can be resolved by explicitly setting the desired time zone using the `date_default_timezone_set()` function. This ensures that all date and time functions in the codebase will use the specified time zone. Developers can also use the `DateTime` class to manipulate dates and times in a specific time zone.

// Set the desired time zone
date_default_timezone_set('America/New_York');

// Create a DateTime object with the specified time zone
$date = new DateTime('now', new DateTimeZone('America/New_York'));

// Use the DateTime object for date and time calculations
echo $date->format('Y-m-d H:i:s');