Sugarcane: Agricultural Production, Bioenergy and Ethanol explores this vital source for "green" biofuel from the breeding and care of the plant all the way through to its effective and efficient transformation into bioenergy. The book explores sugarcane's 40 year history as a fuel for cars, along with its impressive leaps in production and productivity that have created a robust global market. In addition, new prospects for the future are discussed as promising applications in agroenergy, whether for biofuels or bioelectricity, or for bagasse pellets as an alternative to firewood for home heating purposes are explored. Experts from around the world address these topics in this timely book as global warming continues to represent a major concern for both crop and green energy production. - Focuses on sugarcane production and processing for bioenergy - Provides a holistic approach to sugarcane's potential – from the successful growth and harvest of the plant to the end-use product - Presents important information for "green energy" options

This volume is intended for reference by the commercial sugar cane grower. Disciplines are covered for the successful production of a sugar cane crop. A number of good books exist on field practices related to the growing of sugar cane. Two examples are R.P. Humbert's The Growing of Sugar Cane and Alex G. Alexander's Sugarcane Physiology. Volumes of technical papers, produced regularly by the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, are also a source of reference. Perhaps foremost, local associations, such as the South African Sugar Technologists' Association, do excellent work in this regard. In my forty-five years of experience with the day-to-day problems of producing a satisfactory crop of sugar cane, deciding what should be done to produce such a crop was not straightforward. Although the literature dealing with specific subjects is extensive, I tried to consolidate some of the material to provide the man in the field with information, or an overview of the subject matter.

Sugarcane is an important cash crop in many tropical and sub tropical countries and is one of the main sources of sugar production in the world. In addition to several other factors, sugarcane pests and diseases are also responsible for significant losses in yield. Sugarcane crop management, like most of the other disciplines, has advanced tremendously, both quantitatively and qualitatively particular in the last decade. In recent years, advanced biotechnological and molecular biological tools have been applied for identification and management of sugarcane pests. In addition to this, the newly reported alarming pests and diseases of sugarcane are also assuming international interest on account of their etiology, losses and wider occurrence.

Presented here is a comprehensive account of both theoretical and practical aspects of sugarcane production. The first of two parts of the book deals with origin, distribution, soil and climatic requirements, seed bed preparation, cultural and nutrient requirements, fertilization, irrigation, ratooning, weeds, pests, diseases, ripening, and harvest. In thesecond part, energy and fibre cane, cane development, and manufacturing techniques of sugar and by-products are treated in detail. This book will serve as a vademecum for cane growers, sugar and sugarcane technologists, students and teachers.

The sugarcane crop, one of the most important crops commercially grown in about 115 countries of the world, faces a number of problems, such as low cane productivity, biotic and abiotic stresses, high cost of cultivation, postharvest losses, and low sugar recovery. This volume addresses these issues and provides a comprehensive account of the major advancements in sugarcane research. The book is compilation of recent achievements in sugarcane development and cultivation. It covers a number of improvements made in cane and sugar yield using both conventional and new biotechnological approaches by agricultural scientists and researchers. The comprehensive coverage includes sustainable sugarcane cultivation, development, and management of sugarcane production, covering farming and biotechnology, entomology, pathology, breeding, physiology, biotechnology, agronomy, seed production, and more. It also presents research on modern crop production methods in a comprehensive and easily understood manner. With chapters from expert researchers from internationally renowned institutes (primarily in India), the volume presents the latest information from the literature at the international level to make it usable to many agroecological regions of the world. It will be a valuable resource for agronomists, breeders, plant physiologists, farmers, and students of agricultural sciences.

Sugarcane is a C4, perennial, sucrose-storing grass belonging to the genus Saccharum (Arceneaux, 1965) that originated in Asia, and it is a cultivated crop in tropical and subtropical countries throughout the world. Among the countries cultivating sugarcane, Brazil is the largest producer. Sugarcane has been harvested for human and animal consumption for centuries, and in recent decades, it has been used for fuel production by juice fermentation (first-generation ethanol). The primary sugarcane by-products are molasses, used as ruminant feed and as a sugar substitute, and bagasse, a source of fibres for animal diets and bioelectricity. This book discusses the production, consumption and agricultural management systems of sugarcane.

This edited volume focuses on the core aspects of sugarcane production-management under stressful environments as well as innovative strategies for augmenting crop growth & productivity through intrinsic and extrinsic manipulations. The various chapters aim at bringing out comprehensive and advance information on different aspects of sugarcane cultivation under stress environments and impact of climate change on the sustainability of sugarcane production. The book encompasses information about crop production management, physiological & nutritional requirements, ratooning, ripening and post-harvest losses management. It also delineates various technologies that support the continued use and improvement of sugarcane as renewable source of food, fiber and bio-energy. The manipulations at cellular and molecular levels, molecular breeding approaches and post-harvest technologies are also included. The area under sugarcane cultivation is gradually increasing because of its diversification potential. The high productivity and biomass of the cane crop also makes it a key source for use as bio-energy crop and a promising raw material for bio-based agro-industries. However, poor crop & biomass productivity due to abiotic stress is the foremost constraint in its future commercial exploitation as sustainable feed-stock for bio-based industries. It is therefore imperative to understand the cellular-molecular modulation responsible to productivity barrier under specific stress situation(s) for better sugarcane quality and quantum under field condition. Some of these innovative approaches are delineated in this book. This book is of interest to progressive sugarcane growers, millers, industrial entrepreneurs, sugarcane scientists, cane development and extension officers, sugar industry managers and valuable source of reference worldwide.