Sugar Cane
By: Drayke Eshelman
Sugar Cane Information
Sugar Cane is a species of tall perennial true grasses. Sugarcane has essentially four-growth phases. The germination phase, the tillering phase, the grand growth phase and the maturity & ripening phase.
Where/How Sugar Cane is grown
It is native to the warm temperatures and tropical regions of South Asia. Sugarcane is cultivated in the tropics and subtropics in areas with plentiful supply of water, for a continuous period of more than six to seven months each year. The crop does not tolerate severe frosts. Most of the world's sugarcane is grown between 22 Degrees North and 22 Degrees South, and some up to 33 Degrees North and 33 Degrees South.
Harvesting Information
It is harvested for sugar. To ensure proper harvesting, you should harvest the cane at peak maturity, cut canes to ground level so that the bottom sugar rich internodes are harvested, De-topping at appropriate height so that the top immature internodes are eliminated.
Pest Problems
The Cane Beetle can substantially reduce crop yield by eating roots. It can be controlled with Imidacloprid or Chlorpyrifos. Other important pests are the larvae of some butterfly/moth species, including the Turnip Moth, the Sugarcane Borer, the Mexican Rice Borer. Leaf-Cutting Ants and Termites can also cause damage to the yield of Sugar Cane.
Fun Facts
Sugar Cane was first grown in South East Asia and Western India. Around 327 B.C. it was an important crop in the Indian sub-continent. It was introduced to Egypt around 647 A.D. and, about one century later, to Spain (755 A.D.).