
The by-products from cane sugar processing, namely the straw and bagasse Bagasse is the fibrous matter that remains after sugarcane or sorghum stalks are crushed to extract their juice. The dry pulpy residue left after the extraction of juice from sugar cane. It is used as a biofuel and in the manufacture of pulp and building materials.Bagasse
Biofuel
A biofuel is a fuel that is produced through contemporary biological processes, such as agriculture and anaerobic digestion, rather than a fuel produced by geological processes such as those involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as coal and petroleum, from prehistoric biol…
What is the main product of sugarcane?
Sugarcane. The by-products from cane sugar processing, namely the straw and bagasse (cane fibres), can be used to produce cellulosic ethanol, a second-generation biofuel. Other sugarcane products include molasses, rum, and cachaça (a Brazilian alcohol), and the plant itself can be used as thatch and as livestock fodder.
What is the scientific name of sugar cane?
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus Saccharum, tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sucrose, [1] which accumulates in the stalk internodes.
Where is sugar cane grown in the world?
Author of Cane Sugar Handbook. Sugarcane, ( Saccharum officinarum ), perennial grass of the family Poaceae, primarily cultivated for its juice from which sugar is processed. Most of the world’s sugarcane is grown in subtropical and tropical areas. The plant is also grown for biofuel production, especially in Brazil, ...
Is sugarcane a grass or a tree?
Sugarcane is a grass, there is top leafy portion, middle rind portion covered with dry leaves and roots. middle portion is used for for extracting sugarcane juice which is further purified to make sugar.
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What part of the sugar cane plant do we eat?
The interior is edible and contains sugar, fiber, and other nutrients. You can press it to make a sugarcane juice, which you can add to anything, or you can simply chew on the interior of the cane. Chop up the cane into sticks to use for food skewers or drink stirrers and sweeteners.
Is sugarcane a root or stem?
Sugarcane is a tropical, perennial grass that forms lateral shoots at the base to produce multiple stems, typically 3 to 4 m (10 to 13 ft) high and about 5 cm (2 in) in diameter. The stems grow into cane stalk, which when mature, constitutes around 75% of the entire plant.
Is sugarcane a plant stem?
A sugarcane plant is a tuft of between 5 and 20 upright stems, or "tillers", 2 to 5 metres tall and 2 to 4 centimetres in diameter. Each stem is a succession of nodes and internodes; each node bears a bud and a band of root primordia. The sugar is stored in the pith, under the hard, waxy bark.
Where is sugarcane grown?
Grown in tropical and subtropical regions, sugarcane is the world's largest crop by production quantity, with 1.8 billion tonnes produced in 2017, with Brazil accounting for 40% of the world total. In 2012, the Food and Agriculture Organization estimated it was cultivated on about 26 × 10. ^. 6 ha (64 × 10. ^.
How big is a sugarcane plant?
Sugarcane is a tropical, perennial grass that forms lateral shoots at the base to produce multiple stems, typically 3 to 4 m (10 to 13 ft) high and about 5 cm (2 in) in diameter. The stems grow into cane stalk, which when mature, constitutes around 75% of the entire plant. A mature stalk is typically composed of 11–16% fiber, 12–16% soluble sugars, 2–3% nonsugar carbohydrates, and 63–73% water. A sugarcane crop is sensitive to climate, soil type, irrigation, fertilizers, insects, disease control, varieties, and the harvest period. The average yield of cane stalk is 60–70 tonnes per hectare (24–28 long ton/acre; 27–31 short ton/acre) per year, but this figure can vary between 30 and 180 tonnes per hectare depending on knowledge and crop management approach used in sugarcane cultivation. Sugarcane is a cash crop, but it is also used as livestock fodder.
What was the food that the Papuans and Austronesian peoples used?
Papuans and Austronesians originally primarily used sugarcane as food for domesticated pigs. The spread of both S. officinarum and S. sinense is closely linked to the migrations of the Austronesian peoples. Saccharum barberi was only cultivated in India after the introduction of S. officinarum.
How much sugar is produced from sugar beets?
Sugarcane accounts for 79% of sugar produced globally (most of the rest is made from sugar beets ). About 70% of the sugar produced comes from Saccharum officinarum and its hybrids. All sugarcane species can interbreed, and the major commercial cultivars are complex hybrids.
What are the pests that can be found in the cane?
Other important pests are the larvae of some butterfly/moth species, including the turnip moth, the sugarcane borer ( Diatraea saccharalis ), the African sugarcane borer ( Eldana saccharina ), the Mexican rice borer ( Eoreuma loftini ), the African armyworm ( Spodoptera exempta ), leaf-cutting ants, termites, spittlebugs (especially Mahanarva fimbriolata and Deois flavopicta ), and the beetle Migdolus fryanus. The planthopper insect Eumetopina flavipes acts as a virus vector, which causes the sugarcane disease ramu stunt.
Where does sucrose come from?
Sucrose (table sugar) is extracted from sugarcane in specialized mill factories. It is consumed directly in confectionery, used to sweeten beverages, as a preservative in jams and conserves, as a decorative finish for cakes and pâtisserie, as a raw material in the food industry, or fermented to produce ethanol.
What is bagasse used for?
Bagasse, the residual dry fiber of the cane after cane juice has been extracted, is used for several purposes: 1 fuel for the boilers and kilns 2 production of paper, paperboard products, and reconstituted panelboard 3 agricultural mulch 4 as a raw material for production of chemicals
Where is sugarcane grown?
It is cold tender and, as such, is primarily grown in tropical regions. In the United States, sugarcane can be grown in Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii and Texas.
Where was sugarcane cultivated?
Sugarcane is cultivated for its sweet sap or juice. Today, it is primarily used as an additive to foods but has was cultivated for use in China and India 2,500 years ago.
How is sugar extracted from cane?
The sweet juice was extracted from the cane by chewing the tough fibers and pulp. The production of sugar by boiling the cane was first discovered in India. Today, the process of making sugar is more mechanized. Sugar factories crush and shred the harvested canes with rollers to extract the juice.
What are the products of molasses?
Other products produced from the molasses include butanol, lactic acid, citric acid, glycerol, yeast and others. Byproducts of sugarcane processing are also useful.
Is sugarcane a laxative?
Sugarcane is also used medicinal ly not only to sweeten pharmaceuticals, but in the past as an antiseptic, diuretic and laxative. It has been used to treat all manner of ailments from stomach ailments to cancer to sexually transmitted diseases.
What is cane sugar used for?
The by-products from cane sugar processing, namely the straw and bagasse (cane fibres), can be used to produce cellulosic ethanol, a second-generation biofuel. Other sugarcane products include molasses, rum, ...
How is sugarcane propagated?
Sugarcane is propagated primarily by the planting of cuttings. The sections of the stalk of immature cane used for planting are known as seed cane, or cane sets, and have two or more buds (eyes), usually three. Seed cane is planted in well-worked fields.
How tall is sugar cane?
Sugarcane ( Saccharum ). The sugarcane plant produces a number of stalks that reach 3 to 7 metres (10 to 24 feet) high and bear long sword-shaped leaves. The stalks are composed of many segments, and at each joint there is a bud.
Where is sugar cane grown?
Most of the world’s sugarcane is grown in subtropical and tropical areas. The plant is also grown for biofuel production, especially in Brazil, as the canes can be used directly to produce ethyl alcohol ...
How much water does sugarcane need?
To attain good yields, sugarcane requires 2,000 to 2,300 mm (80 to 90 inches) of water during the growing period. When precipitation is deficient, irrigation, either by spraying or by applying water in furrows, can make up for the deficiency.
What type of soil is used to grow sugarcane?
Sugarcane is grown in various kinds of soils, such as red volcanic soils and alluvial soils of rivers. The ideal soil is a mixture of sand, silt, and clay particles, with a measure of organic material. The land is plowed and left to weather for a time before subsoiling (stirring up the subsoil) is carried out.
How far apart should sugarcane be planted?
Field of sugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum) in St. George Parish, Barbados. Seed cane is spaced 1.4 to 1.8 metres (4.5 to 6 feet) apart at densities 10,000 to 25,000 per hectare (4,000 to 10,000 per acre).
The Stalk or Stem
Sugarcane stalks are made up of several segments known as joints. At each joint is a node. Nodes are points where the leaves attach. In between the nodes are long sections called internodes. The stem is filled with vascular bundles and is the storage center for the sucrose, or sugar.
The Leaf System
The leaves are long and thin, fuzzy on the underside and smooth on the top. They sprout from the nodes and then grow to wrap themselves around the stem. The sheath is the part that circles the stem and makes up about one-third of the leaf. The remainder is the blade, the part that flops over like your typical blade of grass.
The Root System
Sugarcane has a typical grass-like root system that is just below the surface and has many fibers. In addition, as the plant matures, it sends down anchor roots that can penetrate the earth between 16 and 22 feet deep. Known as buttress roots, they not only support the plant, but pull up large quantities of water from a wide area.
Flowers
Sugarcane allowed to flower produces less sugar because the plant switches its focus from making energy for storage to making energy for reproduction. Commercial sugarcane is usually planted using shoots or cuttings. The plant does produce large plumes, each consisting of thousands of tiny flowers.

Overview
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus Saccharum, tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sucrose, which accumulates in the stalk internodes. Sugarcanes belong to the grass family, Poaceae, an economically important flowering plant family that in…
Etymology
The term "sugarcane" combines the Sanskrit word, शर्करा (śárkarā, later سُكَّر sukkar from Arabic, and sucre from Middle French and Middle English) with "cane", a crop grown on plantations in the Caribbean – gana, Hindi for cane. This term was first used by Spanish settlers in the West Indies in the early 16th century.
Description
Sugarcane is a tropical, perennial grass that forms lateral shoots at the base to produce multiple stems, typically 3 to 4 m (10 to 13 ft) high and about 5 cm (2 in) in diameter. The stems grow into cane stalk, which when mature, constitutes around 75% of the entire plant. A mature stalk is typically composed of 11–16% fiber, 12–16% soluble sugars, 2–3% nonsugar carbohydrates, and 63–73% wat…
History
The two centers of domestication for sugarcane are one for Saccharum officinarum by Papuans in New Guinea and another for Saccharum sinense by Austronesians in Taiwan and southern China. Papuans and Austronesians originally primarily used sugarcane as food for domesticated pigs. The spread of both S. officinarum and S. sinense is closely linked to the migrations of the Austronesian …
Cultivation
Sugarcane cultivation requires a tropical or subtropical climate, with a minimum of 60 cm (24 in) of annual moisture. It is one of the most efficient photosynthesizers in the plant kingdom. It is a C4 plant, able to convert up to 1% of incident solar energy into biomass. In primary growing regions across the tropics and subtropics, sugarcane crops can produce over 15 kg/m of cane. On…
Processing
Traditionally, sugarcane processing requires two stages. Mills extract raw sugar from freshly harvested cane and "mill-white" sugar is sometimes produced immediately after the first stage at sugar-extraction mills, intended for local consumption. Sugar crystals appear naturally white in color during the crystallization process. Sulfur dioxide is added to inhibit the formation of colo…
Production
In 2020, global production of sugarcane was 1.87 billion tonnes, with Brazil producing 40% of the world total, India with 20%, and China producing 6% (table).
Worldwide, 26 million hectares were devoted to sugarcane cultivation in 2020. The average worldwide yield of sugarcane crops in 2020 was 71 tonnes per hectare, led by Peru with 123 tonnes per hectare. The theoretical possible yield for sugarcane is about 280 tonnes per hectar…
Ethanol
Ethanol is generally available as a byproduct of sugar production. It can be used as a biofuel alternative to gasoline, and is widely used in cars in Brazil. It is an alternative to gasoline, and may become the primary product of sugarcane processing, rather than sugar.
In Brazil, gasoline is required to contain at least 22% bioethanol. This bioethanol is sourced from Brazil's large sugarcane crop.