Cultivation of sugar cane

Sugar cane is a giant grass belonging to the genus Saccharum. It requires a lot of sunlight and water. The sugar which amounts to about 15 per cent of the weight of the cane is found in a soft fiber in the interior of the cane.

While nearly all sugar canes are of the same species, differences in growing condition (climate, etc) affect the characteristics of the juice.

For example the sugar content of the juices from sugar canes grown in the tropics is higher than in sugar canes grown in cooler climate.

Sugar cane is a tall perennial tropical grass, which tillers at the base to produce unbranched stems from 2 to 4 m or more tall, and to around 5 cm in diameter. It is cultivated from these thick stems, stalks or canes, form which the sugar is extracted.

The plants take 6 to 12 months to reach maturity. Sugar cane is harvested buy chopping the stems from the plant. The roots are left in the ground to grow new stems, and a new crop.

In the United States, sugar cane is grown primarily in Louisiana, and some is grown in Florida and Hawaii.

Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Philippine, and other countries also produce sugar cane.
Cultivation of sugar cane