Sugar Cane

Sugar Cane, common name for certain species of perennial herbs of a genus of the grass family. The common sugar cane is extensively cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries throughout the world for the sugar contained within its many-jointed stems. About half of the world’s sugar comes from sugar cane. Sugar cane grows to a height of 3 to 6 m (8 to 20 ft) and has stems 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) thick. The small spikelets are borne in panicles and are surrounded by long, silky fibres. Several horticultural varieties are known, differing in stem colour and height.

Sugar cane has been cultivated from stem cuttings since ancient times; some varieties do not produce fertile seeds. Leading producers of sugar cane today include Brazil and India. In tropical areas such as Brazil, Hawaii, and Cuba, cane has a growth period of from one year to 18 months and is harvested from January to August.

Although several cane-cutting machines have been used with some success, most of the sugar cane in the world is harvested by hand. The cutting instrument most commonly used consists of a large steel blade about 50 cm (18 in) long and about 13 cm (5 in) wide, equipped with a small hook on the back, and set into a wooden handle. Cane is cut at or near the surface of the ground, stripped of its leaves by the knife hook, and trimmed at the top near the last mature joint. The cane is then piled in rows along the ground until picked up by hand or machine, tied in bundles, and transported by cart or truck to the sugar factory, where a grinding mill extracts the sugar from the cane. Sugar cane is also grown in Brazil as a source of alcohol for automobiles. The crushed cane, called bagasse, is used as forage and fuel. See also Sugar Beet.

Scientific classification: Sugar cane belongs to the family Poaceae (or Gramineae). The common sugar cane is classified as Saccharum officinarum.