The expansion of sugarcane for biofuels is a highly contentious issue. The growth of sugarcane area has occurred simultaneously with a reduction of dairy production in São Paulo state, the primary production region for sugar and ethanol in Brazil. This paper analyses different dairy farm rationales to continue dairy production in the context of a dramatically expanding sugarcane economy. Combin...

In a genome context, sugarcane is a classic orphan crop, in that no genome and only very few genes have been assembled. We have devised a novel exome assembly methodology that has allowed us to assemble and characterize 49 genes that serve as herbicide targets, safener interacting proteins, and members of herbicide detoxification pathways within the sugarcane genome. We have structurally modell...

Sugarcane is cultivated on some 170000 ha of land in south central and southwestern Louisiana. This acreage drains into bayous and rivers that empty into Louisiana's coastal bays and estuaries. For a number of years the state's Department of Agriculture and Forestry and Department of Environmental Quality have collected water quality data from this sugarcane area. Study of these data shows that...

Genetic diversity among sugarcane hybrids (Saccharum spp) is pre-requisite for sugarcane improvement through breeding. Twelve decamer oligonucleotide random-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were utilized to investigate the genetic potential among 24 sugarcane cultivars. A total of 120 fragments were originated by 12 RAPD primers. An average number of fragments were obtained as 11.42 fra...

Sugarcane is an important crop worldwide for sugar and first generation ethanol production. Recently, the residue of sugarcane mills, named bagasse, has been considered a promising lignocellulosic biomass to produce the second-generation ethanol. Lignin is a major factor limiting the use of bagasse and other plant lignocellulosic materials to produce second-generation ethanol. Lignin biosynthes...

Increasing demand for biofuel has intensified land-use change (LUC) for sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) expansion in Brazil. Assessments of soil quality (SQ) response to this LUC are essential for quantifying and monitoring sustainability of sugarcane production over time. Since there is not a universal methodology for assessing SQ, we conducted a field-study at three sites within the largest...

In field trials planted in the Midlands North and Gingindlovu areas, Melinis minutiflora Beauv. was intercropped in various ways with sugarcane in fields bordered by Cyperus dives C.B. Cl. to determine whether the presence of this grass reduced Eldana saccharina Walker numbers and infestation levels in sugarcane. Results showed E. saccharina populations were decreased by up to 50% and E. saccha...

Sugarcane is one of the most important crops in India. Indian sugar industry is the second largest agro based industry, next only to the textiles. But, being a long durational crop, sugarcane is prone to the number of disease caused by pathogens viz. fungi, bacteria, viruses and phytoplasmas like organisms. Image processing techniques have been proved to be changing the scenario of agriculture ...

Sugarcane is one of the most important field crops grown in the tropics and sub-tropics. Conventional and biotechnological research inputs have contributed in solving some of the constraints limiting crop productivity. However, limitations such as complex genome, narrow genetic base, poor fertility, susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses and long duration to breed elite cultivars, hinder...

This article assesses sugarcane yield gaps (YG) in Brazil to determine the degree to which production can be increased without land expansion. In our scenario assessments, we evaluated how much of the projected sugarcane demand to 2024 (for both sugar and bioethanol) can be satisfied through YG closure. The current national average yield is 62% of yield potential estimated for rainfed condition...