This document provides information on sugarcane, including its taxonomy, morphology, propagation, cultivation practices, pests and diseases, harvesting, and by-products. Sugarcane is a grass belonging to the genus Saccharum. It has thick stalks that are the main commercial source of sugar. The document describes the taxonomy of sugarcane, the morphology of its stalks, leaves, roots, and propagation through stem cuttings. It discusses soil preparation, sett treatment, fertilization, pests like borers and mealybugs, and diseases like red rot. Harvesting methods include manual and mechanical harvesting. By-products include raw sugar, juices, syrup and molasses.

1. SugarcaneSugarcane
FAP 2433FAP 2433
DS 102DS 102
Section ASection A

2. Introduction
 Sugarcane is the common name for a number of species
belonging to the taxonomic genus Saccharum
 They are tall tropical southeast Asian grasses
 Have thick, solid, tough stems that are the chief
commercial source of sugar
 Sugarcane is one of the most wide-spread plants in the
world
 Found especially in warm temperate areas
 Most important and famous export products

3. Taxonomy
 Sugarcane is a giant grass (Poaceae)
 Tribe: Adropogoneae
 Genus, species: Saccharum officinarum L.
 Saccharum officinarum L. is the so called
‘noble cane’ with long, thick, heavy,
juicy, and sweet stalks
 Other species include:
1. S. barberi,
2. S. robustum
3. S. sinese
4. spontaneum
 Commercial clones are typically 3-part
hybrids

4. Morphology Sugarcane

5. Stalks
 A leaf scar can be found at the node
when the leaf drops off the plant.
 The buds, located in the root band of the
node. The outer small leaves are in the
form of scales. The outermost bud scale
has the form of a hood.
 Normally, one bud is present on each
node, and they alternate between one
side of the stalk to the other.
 The root band also contains loosely
defined rows of root primordia.
 When seed-cane is planted, each bud may
form a primary shoot.
 From this shoot, secondary shoots called
“tillers” may form from the underground
buds on the primary shoot.

6. Leaf
 The leaf of the sugarcane plant is divided into
two parts: sheath and blade, separated by a
blade joint.
 The leaves are usually attached alternately to
the nodes, thus forming two ranks on opposite
sides.
 The mature sugarcane plant has an average total
upper leaf surface of about 0.5 square meter and
the number of green leaves per stalk is around
ten

7. Root
 Two kinds of roots will develop from a
planted seed piece.
 The set roots, which arise from the root
band, are thin and highly branched
 The shoot roots, originating from the
lower root bands of the shoots, are thick,
fleshy and less branched.
 Each new tiller (shoot) will develop its
own roots that eventually take over the
function of the original shoot roots.
 This rejuvenation, governed by the
periodicity of tillering, is important
because it allows the plant to adjust to
changing environmental conditions.

8. Nursery
 Generally sugarcane is grown by planting the seeds setts
directly into the field.
 But some times, when the water is in short supply or the field is
occupied with some other crop, buds or seed setts can be
planted in polybags to raise nursery.
 Polybags of 10x15cm filled with soil and compost mixture (in
1:1 ratio) are arranged closely in an open space, close to water
source.
 Scooped buds are at 1-2 cm depth.
 Cut sugarcane pieces with one bud can also be used for raising
the nursery.
 Insert these cut pieces into the soil, filled bags up to the node
level, keeping buds just touching the soil.
 Irrigate these bags twice a week. Saplings will be ready for
planting in 60 days.

10. Propagation
 Stem Cutting

11. Stem Cutting (Commercial)
 Commercial sugarcane is propagated by
cuttings of the stalk containing usually two
or more nodes with buds.
 The bud, a miniature stalk with its
growing point and root and leaf primordia,
forms the new shoot.
 Seed piece contains root primordia within
its root band, which develop into set roots
which function until the young shoot
develops its own roots.

12. Soil Preparation
 Ploughing and cultivation is essential so that a good
seed bed is prepared.
 A higher amount of organic manures is advantageous for
nursery crops for obtaining a vigorous crop.
 Apply 25 to 30 tonnes of FYM or cured press mud may
be applied about 15 days before planting.

13. Sett Treatment
a. Preparation of setts for planting:
Take seed material from short crop (6 to 7 months age) free from pests and
diseases incidence.
Harvest the seed crop one day before planting to obtain higher percentage and
uniform germination.
Detrash the cane with hand before setts preparation.
Avoid damage to buds while cutting setts.
Planting material or seed cane should be free from aerial roots and splits.
Change the seed material after every two to three seasons. In case if it is inevitable
to use mature cane as seed, the top one-third portion can be used satisfactorily.
b. Sett treatment with fungicide:
The setts should be soaked in Carbendazim (1 gram in 1litre of water)
d. Aerated steam treatment:
Treat setts with Aerated steam at 50 o C for one hour to control primary infection
of grassy shoot disease.

15. Detrashing
 Detrashing refers to removal of unwanted bottom dry
and green leaves at regular intervals
 Detrashing should be taken up after the cane formation
around 150 days after planting.
 Maintaining clean field
 Enhances air movement and enriches Co² with in the
crop canopy providing an ideal micro-climate for
unrestricted growth of cane
 More food material is made available for stalk growth
 Reduces the problem of infestation of several insect-
pests like scales, mealy bug, white flies

17. Propping
 The operation of tying the leaves together using the
bottom dry and green leaves is known as propping.
 It is done to check lodging of cane.
 Usually the trash without removing from the cane is
twisted to form a sort of rope and cane stalks are tied
together.
 This is known as trash-twist propping. Propping can be
either done for each row or two rows can be brought
together and tied

19. Fertilization
 Sugar cane is a heavy consumer of nutrients. Its root
system is shallow and fibrous, therefore, fertigation is
recommended for higher nutrient availability and use
efficiency.
Growth period
Nitrogen (kg/ha)
N
Phosphorus (kg/ha)
P2O5
Potassium (kg/ha)
K20
Emergence and
establishment
30 25
Tillering
Formative phase I
Formative phase II
40
100
35
25
50
10
Grand growth I 80 15 20
Grand growth II 40
Grand growth III 50
Total 250 100 170

20. Pest
 Stalk borer
 Termite
 Mealybugs

21. Sugarcane borer
 Diatraea saccharalis
 Larvae bore into the sugarcane stalks.
 Attack the stalk and tunneling by borers makes the seed
piece susceptible to fungal infection.
 Cause a loss of stalk weight also bored internodes
produce 45% less sugar
Control management :
1. Trichogrammatoidea sp (biological)
2. Detrash the crop on the 150th and 210th day after
planting (cultural)

22. Sugarcane borer

23. Termites
 Microtermes sp
 Can be in light soil and some in heavy soil
 Termite infestation caused 30-60% destruction of buds
 Feeding on the internal tissue until the setts or stalks
are hollowed out
Control management :
1. Use chlorpyriphos (chemical)

24. Termites

25. Mealybugs
 Saccharicoccus sacchari
 Nymphs and adults suck sap
 Reduce the vitality of the crop by excrete honey dew on
which sooty mould grow, due to which internodes
appear black, and cane growth is retarded.
Control management :
1. Detrashing (cultural)
2. Methyl parathion 50 EC or Malathion (chemical)

26. Mealybugs

27. Disease
 Red rot disease
 Sugarcane smut disease

28. Red rot disease
 Colletotrichum falcatum (fungi)
 Yellowing, drying leaves
 Elongated red lesions on leaf midribs which may
develop a straw yellow center
 Splitting open the stalk lengthwise reveals reddish
patches of tissue interrupted by white areas
 Vascular tissue may be red
Control Management
1. Resistant varieties (biological)
2. remove crop debris (cultural)
*Fungicide uneffective

29. Red rot disease

30. Sugarcane smut disease
 Sporisorium scitamineum (fungi)
 Stunted growth of sugarcane stools
 Profuse production of tillers
 Shortened internodes
 Stems thin with narrow, erect leaves
 Black whip-like structure emerging from terminal bud
Control management
1. Resistant varieties
2. Infected plants should be removed
3. Seed treatment

31. Smut

32. Harvesting
 Sugarcane matures in 10-12 month
 Different Indicators of harvesting are leaves become
yellow, plants stops growing and arrows come out, cane
produces metallic sounds, buds swell out and eyes start
sprouting
 Types of harvesting
1. Manual harvesting
2. Mechanical harvesting

33. Manual harvesting
 Hand knives, cutting blade or hand axes
are used for manual harvesting
 Requires skilled labourers as improper
harvest of cane leads to loss of cane
and sugar yield
 Sometimes area is fired before
harvesting to remove the dead leaf
material and some of the waxy coating.
The fire burns at quite high
temperatures but is over very quickly so
that the cane and its sugar content are
not harmed

34. Mechanical harvesting
 Sugarcane is harvested by mechanical harvester which move
along the rows of cane removing the leafy tops of the cane and
cutting the stalk into short pieces
 The field capacity of mechanical cane harvesters varies with the
size (2.5 to 4 ha per day of 8 hours)

35. By-products
Raw sugar Sugarcane Juices

36. Syrup Molasses

38. Gula Padang Terap
 Gula Padang Terap Sdn Bhd (GPT), a key player in
Malaysia's growing sugar industry, is committed to
bringing our customers only the highest-grade sucrose-
based products derived from natural, wholesome
sweetness.
 Established in 1973, GPT over the decades has not only
met domestic and overseas demands for the best grade
sugars, but has also dedicated itself to elevating and
advancing the socio-economic status of the district of
Padang Terap in Kedah Darul Aman.

39. Products

40. Malayan Sugar Manufacturing
 MSM Malaysia Holdings Berhad (MSM), incorporated on 10
March 2011, is Malaysia’s leading sugar producer. It was
listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities
Berhad on 28 June 2011.
 The company offers a variety of products ranging from
white refined sugar of various grain sizes to soft brown
sugar. These are marketed and sold in a variety of
packaging options under two brands – “Gula Prai” and
“Gula Perlis”. The Company also sells molasses, a by-
product of the refining process, to distilleries and
producers of ethanol, animal feed and yeast, among other
products.

41. Products

42. Central Sugar Refinery
 Central Sugars Refinery (CSR) commenced business in 1965
under the name of "United Malay State Sugar Industries"
with an initial raw melting capacity of 150 metric tonnes a
day. Today, after decades of expansion and
modernisation, the refinery achieves a melting capacity of
1,500 metric tonnes a day - a singular feat that can be
solely attributed to the dedication and commitment of our
employees.
 Situated at Batu Tiga, Shah Alam in Selangor with a land
area of about 66,320 sq metres (16.4 acres), CSR was
initially led by a group of Taiwanese investors when it was
established. The major controlling stakeholders, however,
were Malaysians, who comprised more than 55% of the
shareholding.

43. PRODUCTS

44. Yeo Hiap Seng (Malaysia)
Bhd.
 From its humble origins in 1900, Yeo Hiap Seng
(Yeo’s) has now become synonymous with the food &
beverage industry both locally and internationally.
 Taking root from a small little shop making soya sauce
to the leading home-grown food & beverage company
 Having already made a name for itself in Malaysia and
Singapore, Yeo’s took the bold step to establish joint
ventures with several foreign companies as well as
establish direct overseas operations in countries such as
Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Canada, the US and other
parts of the globe.

45. PRODUCTS