Saccharum officinarum

Saccharum officinarum is a large, strong-growing species of grass in the sugarcane genus. Its stout stalks are rich in sucrose, a disaccharide sugar which accumulates in the stalk internodes. It originated in New Guinea, and is now cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries worldwide for the production of sugar, ethanol and other products. It is one of the most productive and most intensively cultivated kinds of sugarcane.

Description

A tall thick stemmed clumpy grass. It has many nodes. It grows 1-6 m tall. It spreads 100 cm wide. A large number of different cultivated varieties occur. The leaves are long and narrow. They taper to the tip. They are rigid and droop at the tip. The cane varies in thickness, length of nodes, colour etc. The stalks have distinct nodes and the bottom of the leaf is wrapped in a sheath around the stalk. The flower is brownish. It is surrounded by dense silky white hairs.

Edible Uses

The stems contain a very sweet sap extracted by crushing. It can be drunk as a refreshing sweet beverage, or more commonly concentrated into syrups or dried to produce sugar, molasses, and similar products. The core of fresh stems is also chewed directly as a sweet refreshment.

Traditional Uses

The stems are chewed. The flowers can be cooked and eaten before the flower opens. The stems are the source of cane sugar. This is used as a sweetener in many foods and drinks.

Medicinal Uses

Leaf ash is used to treat sore eyes. Stem juice is used for sore throats and, on its own, to treat snakebite and wounds from poison arrows. Mixed with an infusion of wallaba (Eperua sp.), it is used against curare poisoning. A decoction of the young leaves is used to treat urinary conditions.

Known Hazards

Leaves and sheaths of some varieties are covered with a large number of siliceous hairs. These hairs penetrate the skin of cane cutters and are most unpleasant; hence cane cutters prefer varieties with few hairs or burnt cane. (Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling )

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It occurs throughout the country of Papua New Guinea up to 2,750 m above sea level. It needs a temperature over 21°C for sprouting. It is frost sensitive. In Nepal it grows up to about 1400 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh*, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bougainville, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Caroline Islands, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, China, Chuuk, Colombia, Congo DR, Congo R, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Easter Island, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, French Guiana, FSM, Ghana, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Hispaniola, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Kosrae, Laos, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mariana Islands, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea*, PNG, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pohnpei, Reunion, Rotuma, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, West Africa, West Indies, Yap, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

The plant grows best in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 1,500 - 2,000mm, tolerating 1,000 - 5,000mm. It prefers a mean annual temperature within the range 24° - 37°c, though can tolerate 15 - 41°c. There are large differences between different cultivars in their tolerance to cold and susceptibility to frost. Generally, long-term exposure to temperatures below 10c can be lethal, whilst even short periods at 0°c causes the leaves to become chlorotic, at about -3°c young plants turn brown and the terminal buds and leaves of mature cane die, when the temperature reaches -11.5c the whole plant dies. Grows best in a sunny position. A very greedy plant, soon exhausting the soil of nutrients. The plant is considered to be moderately tolerant to saline soil conditions and relatively tolerant of acid soils. Grows best in a position sheltered from strong winds. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 8, but can tolerate 4.5 - 9. Well-grown plants can become invasive. When irrigated, yields of 100 - 150 tons of cane can be obtained from mature plants. Young plants can yield 60 - 90 tons. There are many named varieties. The roots develop from the growth ring on the original planting piece and also from the new shoots that develop. The majority of the roots are thin and superficial with four fifths of the roots commonly found in the top 25 - 50cm of the soil. Thicker roots will penetrate to depths of 4 metres or more. Flowering Time: Late Winter/Early Spring. Bloom Color: White/Near White.

Propagation

Propagate by cuttings of 2–3 joints taken from the upper part of a vigorous, healthy stem. Place them in the ground with only 2–5cm projecting above the surface. Within about two weeks, the eyes at each node will produce shoots and roots will grow from the nodes themselves. As shoots develop, the parent stem decays and the young plants establish their own root systems.

Other Uses

A wax extracted from the stems resembles carnauba wax and is used in furniture, shoe, and leather polishes, electrical insulating materials, and waxed paper. The stem sap can be converted into alcohol for use as fuel in internal combustion engines. Stems are also a source of fibre for papermaking. Bagasse — the residue left after sugar extraction — is used as fuel and in the manufacture of fibreboard, paper pulp, plastic, furfural, and cellulose. As an agroforestry crop, sugar cane exhausts soil quickly; in some regions it is intercropped with indigo or other legumes between rows when first planted, and these are turned into the soil while still green and succulent with beneficial results. Nitrogen fixation during decomposition of sugar cane is an important nutrient contribution in traditional dryland agricultural systems in Hawai'i.

Production

Plants mostly take 14-18 months until they are ready for harvest.

Other Information

Chewing canes are a very important snack and social food in all areas of Papua New Guinea. Over 1 billion tons are produced each year worldwide. It is cultivated.

Notes

It is used as a sweetener.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Ampow, Angarigai, Angou, Api wira, Arekie, Ase, Bai ile, Bo, Bos, Bur-shing, Bus, Cana de acucar, Cana sacarina, Canna da zuccehero, Canne a sucre, Cheruku, Dovu, Ebikajjo, El, Fo'u, Ganiesi, Ganna, Guru, Hetaru, Ho, Hon, Hong gan zhe, Ibia malen, Ikshu, Karimbu, Karumbu, Kelju, Khanda, Kolchu, Kono, Kyan, Magi, Maphu, Menhet, Mihali, Misale, Mlungo muwa, Moko, Mukuku, Munse, Mushwati, Mzimbe, Nea gati, Njuwa, Oy, Paat, Patta patti kabbu, Paunda, Po, Poovan, Pundia, Rake, Rosan, Sapuk, Sarkara, Satou kibi, Sau, Sehu, Seo, Seu, Suti, Sutsapa'cco, Tain, Tebu, Te kaisoka, Te taiokeken, Ti, Tiwu, To, Toi, Tolo, Tsi, Tu, Tubo, Tuh, Tupu, Udhdhandi, Uk-gas, Ukhu, Wali, Weli, Wol, Woow, Ze, Zi, Zuckerrohr

References (89)

• Ali, A. M. S., 2005, Homegardens in Smallholder Farming Systems: Examples from Bangladesh. Human Ecology, Vol. 33, No. 2 pp. 245-270
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 537
• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 220
• Balkrishna, A., et al, 2022, Indigenous Uses of Plants among Forest-dependent Communities of Seijosa, Arunachal Pradesh. International Journal of Economic Plants 2022, 9(1):064-080
• Barfod, A. S. & Kvist, L. P., 1996, Comparative Ethnobotanical Studies of the Amerindian Groups in Coastal Ecuador. Biologiske Skrifter 46. Copenhagen. p 76

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