Sugar Cane

Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species (depending on which<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomic" title="Taxonomic" class="mw-redirect" >taxonomic</a> system is used) of tall <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perennial_plant" title="Perennial plant" >perennial</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poaceae" title="Poaceae" >true grasses</a> of the genus Saccharum, tribe <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andropogoneae" title="Andropogoneae" >Andropogoneae</a>). Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asia" title="South Asia" >South Asia</a>, they have stout jointed fibrous stalks that are rich in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar" title="Sugar" >sugar</a>, and measure two to six metres (6 to 19 feet) tall. All sugar <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane" title="Cane" >cane</a> species interbreed, and the major commercial <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultivar" title="Cultivar" >cultivars</a> are complex <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_(biology)" title="Hybrid (biology)" >hybrids</a>.

Sugarcane belongs to the grass family (Poaceae), an economically important seed plant family that includes maize, wheat, rice, and<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorghum" title="Sorghum" >sorghum</a> and many <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forage" title="Forage" >forage</a> crops. The main product of sugarcane is<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucrose" title="Sucrose" >sucrose</a>, which accumulates in the stalk internodes. Sucrose, extracted and purified in specialized mill factories, is used as raw material in human food industries or is fermented to produce<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol" title="Ethanol" >ethanol</a>, a low pollution fuel. Ethanol is produced on a large scale by the Brazilian sugarcane industry.

Sugarcane is the world's largest crop.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_cane#cite_note-FAOSTAT-0" >[1]</a> In 2010, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAO" title="FAO" class="mw-redirect" >FAO</a> estimates it was cultivated on about 23.8 million hectares, in more than 90 countries, with a worldwide harvest of 1.69 billion tonnes. Brazil was the largest producer of sugar cane in the world. The next five major producers, in decreasing amounts of production, were India, China, Thailand, Pakistan and Mexico.

The world demand for sugar is the primary driver of sugarcane agriculture. Cane accounts for 80% of sugar produced; most of the rest is made from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_beet" title="Sugar beet" >sugar beets</a>. Sugarcane predominantly grows in the tropical and subtropical regions, and sugar beet predominantly grows in colder temperate regions of the world. Other than sugar, products derived from sugarcane include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falernum" title="Falernum" >falernum</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molasses" title="Molasses" >molasses</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum" title="Rum" >rum</a>,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacha%C3%A7a" title="Cachaça" >cachaça</a> (a traditional spirit from Brazil), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagasse" title="Bagasse" >bagasse</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol" title="Ethanol" >ethanol</a>. In some regions, people use sugarcane reeds to make pens, mats, screens, and thatch. The young unexpanded inflorescence of tebu telor is eaten raw, steamed or toasted, and prepared in various ways in certain island communities of Indonesia.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_cane#cite_note-1" >[2]</a>

In India, between the sixth and fourth centuries BC, the Persians, followed by the Greeks, discovered the famous "reeds that produce honey without bees". They adopted and then spread sugar and sugarcane agriculture.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_cane#cite_note-agrisugar1-2" >[3]</a> A few merchants began to trade in sugar - a luxury and an expensive spice until the 18th century. Before the 18th century, cultivation of sugar cane was largely confined to India. Sugarcane plantations, like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton" title="Cotton" >cotton</a> farms, were a major driver of large human migrations in the 19th and early 20th century, influencing the ethnic mix, political conflicts and cultural evolution of various Caribbean, South American, Indian Ocean and Pacific island nations.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_cane#cite_note-3" >[4]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_cane#cite_note-nationalarchives1-4" >[5]</a>

Sugar Cane

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