Sugarcane

About this book

From enhancing the flavour of food to providing a substrate for fermentation, sugar is renowned worldwide for its importance as a commodity. For many centuries sugarcane has been cultivated and developed, and we now have a huge range of crop varieties. Based on Blackburn's highly successful Sugarcane, originally published in 1984, this new edition has been fully revised and expanded by an international team of widely respected sugarcane specialists. Focussing on the agricultural aspects of the crop, this book follows a logical progression from the botany and breeding through to planning cultivation, control of weeds, pests and diseases, harvest management and payment for cane. An invaluable asset to those involved in planning or running sugar estates as well as small producers An easy-to-follow reference for students and agriculturalists alike Comprehensive reference sections and further reading

Contents

Foreword Preface An Introduction to Sugercane The origins and spread of sugarcane; Movement and development of the noble canes; The ancestry of cultivated sugarcane; The early commercial cane varieties; The botany of sugarcane; Cultivation of sugarcane; The production of sugar; Research; Developments in the twentieth century; References. Plant Improvement of Sugarcane Introduction; Germplasm; Cross-pollination; Selection; Breeding objectives; Future options; Conclusions; Acknowledgements; References. Diseases Introduction; Principles of disease control in sugarcane; Selection of varieties for disease resistance; Fungal diseases; Bacterial diseases; Viral diseases; Phytoplasmal diseases; References. Pests of sugarcane Introduction; Stalk borers; Soil pests; Sap feeders; Leaf feeders; Vertebrate pests of sugarcane; References. Sugarcane Agriculture Introduction; Systems of cultivation; Yield; Ratoons and ratooning; Land preperation; Seedcane production; Planting; Ratoon management; Weed control in sugarcane; Irrigation and drainage; References. Sugarcane Agronomy Soil management problems; Site selection; Clearing; Planning and layout; Field design; Land preperation; Nurseries; Commercial planting; Crop management; Crop control; Harvest; Field factors and cane quality; Ratooning; Monoculture; Specialty crops; Inter-cropping; Basic economics; References. Harvest Management Pre-harvest burning; Green cane harvesting; To burn or not to burn; Unplanned cane fires; Fire control measures; Fire control equipment; Reaping and transport; Cane storage; Co-ordination and control of harvesting; References. Cane Payment Systems Introduction; Different types of cane payments systems; Payment for which sugar products?; Incentives to improve technical performance; Sampling and testing of cane; Systems based on the average quality of growers' cane; Incentives to expand production; Impact on incentives for different socio-economic groups; Recent performance of cane payment systems; Conclusion. Project Planning Introduction; The role of the consultant; Pre-feasibility study; Feasibility study; Further reading. Author Index Subject Index

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