In this wide-ranging study, Sucheta Mazumdar offers a new answer to the fundamental question of why China, universally acknowledged one of the most developed economies in the world through the mid-eighteenth century, paused in this development process in the nineteenth. Focusing on cane-sugar production, domestic and international trade, technology, and the history of consumption for over a thousand years as a means of framing the larger questions, the author shows that the economy of late imperial China was not stagnant, nor was the state suppressing trade; indeed, China was integrated into the world market well before the Opium War. But clearly the trajectory of development did not transform the social organization of production or set in motion sustained economic growth.

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is considered one of the major bioenergy crops grown globally. Thus, sugarcane research to improve sustainable production worldwide is a vital task of the scientific community, to address the increasing demands and needs for their products, especially biofuels. In this context, this book covers the most recent research areas related to sugarcane production and its applications. It is composed of 14 chapters, divided into 5 sections that highlight fundamental insights into the current research and technology on this crop. Sugarcane: Technology and Research intends to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview in technology, production, and applied and basic research of this bioenergy species, approaching the latest developments on varied topics related to this crop.

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