Saccharum officinarum, sugarcane, noblecane

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Taxonomy

cellular organisms - Eukaryota - Viridiplantae - Streptophyta - Streptophytina - Embryophyta - Tracheophyta - Euphyllophyta - Spermatophyta - Magnoliophyta - Liliopsida - commelinids - Poales - Poaceae - PACCAD clade - Panicoideae - Andropogoneae - Saccharum - Saccharum officinarum complex - Saccharum officinarum

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Brief facts

• Sugarcane is a widely cultivated grass of warm regions and is the most important source of sugar in the world.
• By Linnaeus' time, sugarcane was distributed throughout the warmer regions of the world and already of considerable economic importance. Linnaeus classified it in the first edition of "Species plantarum" ("The Species of Plants", 1753) as Saccharum officinarum. Since then, the name has been consistently applied to cultivated sugarcane.
• The word Saccharum, derived from the Sanskrit "sarkara = white sugar", a reminder that the plant reached the Mediterranean region from India.
• Saccharum officinarum is not known to occur in the wild. "Wild" sugarcane, Saccharum spontaneum is concidered an invasive species. Native to tropical Africa and Asia that has spread to other regions including Australia. Not only is the wild sugarcane invasive, it also has the potential to hybridize with commercial sugarcane.
• Conventional sugarcane contains 12-16% fiber and 10-15% sucrose.
• Sugarcane is originated in the South Pacific Islands and New Guinea. It is cultivated as far north as Spain and as far south as South Africa. Introduced to America by Christopher Columbus in 1463, sugarcane has played an important role in history of many Caribbean nations. In the US it is cultivated from Florida to Texas.
• Up until the end of the 19th century most cultivated sugarcanes were clones of the high sucrose Saccharum officinarum which contain 2n = 80 chromosomes. A major breakthrough in breeding occurred with the development of the first hybrids between S. officinarum and the wild vigorous species S. spontaneum. A series of backcrosses resulted in cultivars with higher yields and increased disease resistance. The modern cultivars are developed from these initial hybrids and have between 2n = 100 and 2n = 130 chromosomes. Most modern sugarcane breeding programs rely on extensive intercrossing of elite cultivars derived from these early hybrids.
• Most important products of sugarcane are cane sugar, cane syrup, molasses, and rum. Recently, the ethanol distilled from sugar fermentation products is evolving as a possible replacement of fossil fuel for motor vehicles.

By Nicolas Guillen (10 July 1902 – 16 July 1989), Cuban Poet

Negro
beside the canefield
Yankee
over the canefield.
The earth
beneath the canefield.
Our blood is flowing away!

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Barbados

Road along sugarcane field (on the right)

Ruins of old sugarcane mill

Dominican Republic

Sugarcane plant, which pith is used as a fruit

 

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Developmental stages (life cycle)

Sugarcane is a perennial grass growing erect up to 5 or 6 metres.

Life Cycle Stages

• Seed stage MeSH Although many commercial varieties of sugarcane can produce seeds, seeds are only used in breeding programs, as the proportion of sugarcane seedlings with agronomic qualities near to those of the parental commercial clones is extremely low; sugarcane seed is short lived, loosing 90% of its viability in 80 days at 28°C if not desiccated.
  • Dormant seed
  • Germinating seed MeSH
• Vegetative
  • Emergence Sugarcane is propagated by stem cuttings or sections of the stalks called setts or seed pieces; each sett contains one or more buds; the buds, located in the root band of the node, are embryonic shoots consisting of a miniature stalk with small leaves; the bud sprouts under favorable conditions and gives rise to a primary stalk.
  • Seedling MeSH During nearly one month after germination and emergence (sprouting of the buds), the young plant lives at the expense of the reserves present in the seed piece, and partially using water and nutrients provided for by the first roots.
  • Tillering Also called formative phase; tillering starts from around 40 days after planting and may last up to 120 days; although 6-8 tillers are produced from a bud, ultimately only 1.5 to 2 tillers per bud remains to form canes.
  • Stem elongation Also called grand growth phase; cane formation and stem elongation; frequent and rapid leaf production; under favorable conditions stalks grow rapidly almost 4-5 internodes per month; grand growth phase starts from 120 days after planting and lasts up to 270 days in a 12-month crop.
  • Ripening Ripening and maturation phase in a twelve-month crop lasts for about three months starting from 270-360 days; sugar synthesis and rapid accumulation of sugar takes place during this phase and vegetative growth is reduced; sugarcane is routinely harvested before flowering. Canes that are ready for cutting become tough and turn pale yellow. The canes are cut as close to the ground as possible. The rhizomes will continue to crop for a several years after this.
• Reproductive
  • Flowering Occurrence of flowering under field conditions is variable, influenced by variety as well as by environmental conditions; flower initiation causes the apical meristem to switch from vegetative to floral development, causing stalk elongation to cease; consequently flowering of the crop can affect sugar yields; the ability of sugarcane to reproduce sexually was not recognized until 1888.

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References

• Major topic: Saccharum (articles in PubMed database)
• Reveal JL et al. Typification of Sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum L. (Poaceae). Taxon, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Feb., 1989), pp. 95-97
• Clarke SJ. High-Fiber Sugarcane. BioScience, Vol. 33, No. 7, Biological Clocks (Jul. - Aug., 1983), p. 413
• Tangley L. Sugarcane: Cuba's "Noble Crop" BioScience, Vol. 36, No. 7, Ecology from Space (Jul. - Aug., 1986), pp. 414-420
• LAKSHMANAN P. SUGARCANE BIOTECHNOLOGY: THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol.-Plant 41:345-363, July-August 2005

Websites

• Saccharum officinarum L. (uses, cultivation, ecology, etc., Purdue University)
• Sugarcane (growing guide)
• Morphology of Sugarcane (Ikisan Agricultural Portal)

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