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{{SPlantbox
| name = ''Saccharum''
|familia=Poaceae
| common_names = Sugarcane
|genus=Saccharum
| growth_habit = grass
|habit=grass
| high = <!--- 1m (3 ft) -->
|habit_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
| wide = <!--- 65cm (25 inches) -->
|lifespan=perennial
| origin = <!--- Mexico, S America, S Europe, garden, etc -->
|life_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|exposure=sun
|features=edible
| exposure = <!--- full sun, part-sun, semi-shade, shade, indoors, bright filtered (you may list more than 1) -->
|Temp Metric=°F
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
| features = edible
|image=Cut sugarcane.jpg
| hardiness = <!--- frost sensitive, hardy, 5°C (40°F), etc -->
|image_width=240
| bloom = <!--- seasons which the plant blooms, if it is grown for its flowers -->
| image = Upload.png <!--- Freesia.jpg -->
| image_width = 240px <!--- leave as 240px if horizontal orientation photo, or change to 180px if vertical -->
}}
}}
'''Sugarcane''' is any of six to thirty-seven species (depending on taxonomic system) of tall [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[Poaceae|grasses]] of the genus ''Saccharum'' (family [[Poaceae]], tribe [[Andropogoneae]]). Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of [[Asia]], they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in [[sugar]], and measure two to six meters (six to nineteen feet) tall. All sugar [[cane]] species interbreed, and the major commercial [[cultivar]]s are complex [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]].
{{Inc|
{{Inc|
Saccharum (saccharon, old Greek name for sugar). Gramineae. The sugar-cane group, little grown for ornament, although making bold specimens.
Saccharum (saccharon, old Greek name for sugar). Gramineae. The sugar-cane group, little grown for ornament, although making bold specimens.
Tall grasses with stout culm and ample panicles, the branches many-jointed: spikelets small, slender, 1-fld., surrounded by long silky hairs.—Species 12, in tropical regions, mostly of the Old World. Differs from Erianthus in having awnless spikelets. The most important species is the sugar-cane, which is extensively cult. in tropical and subtropical countries for the production of sugar. Prop. by cuttings of the st. Native country unknown, but probably E. Asia. Cult. from time immemorial by cuttings, for which reason many varieties have lost the power to flower or at least to produce fertile seed. Rum is produced from the fermented molasses.
Tall grasses with stout culm and ample panicles, the branches many-jointed: spikelets small, slender, 1-fld., surrounded by long silky hairs.—Species 12, in tropical regions, mostly of the Old World. Differs from Erianthus in having awnless spikelets. The most important species is the sugar-cane, which is extensively cult. in tropical and subtropical countries for the production of sugar. Prop. by cuttings of the st. Native country unknown, but probably E. Asia. Cult. from time immemorial by cuttings, for which reason many varieties have lost the power to flower or at least to produce fertile seed. Rum is produced from the fermented molasses.
}}
{{Inc|
syn. Erianthus (Greek, erion, wool, and anthos, a flower). Gramineae. Plume-grabs. Tall reed-like ornamental perennials with large woolly plume-like inflorescence.
Spikelets in pairs, one sessile, the other pedicellate, as in Andropogon, arranged in spikes, and these in a large terminal panicle, clothed with long hairs, especially around the base, the fertile lemma awned.—Species about 18, warmer regions of both hemispheres.
}}
}}
==Cultivation==
==Cultivation==
{{edit-cult}}<!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
[[Image:Sugar cane madeira hg.jpg|thumb|left|Sugar cane field on [[Madeira]]|alt=Photo of standing and fallen cane]]
Sugarcane cultivation requires a [[tropical]] or [[temperate]] climate, with a minimum of {{convert|60|cm|in}} of annual moisture. It is one of the most [[Photosynthetic efficiency|efficient]] [[Photosynthesis|photosynthesizers]] in the [[plant kingdom]].
Harvesters by cutting the cane just above ground-level using [[cane knife|cane knives]] or [[machete]]s.
Once cut, sugarcane begins to lose its sugar content.
===Propagation===
===Propagation===
Although sugarcanes produce seeds, modern stem cutting has become the most common reproduction method. Each cutting must contain at least one bud. Once planted, a stand can be harvested several times; after each harvest, the cane sends up new stalks, called '''ratoons.''' Successive harvests give decreasing yields, eventually justifying replanting. Two to ten harvests may be possible between plantings.
===Pests and diseases===
===Pests and diseases===
The cane grub can substantially reduce crop yield by eating roots; it can be controlled with [[Confidor]] or [[Lorsban]]. Other important pests are the [[larva]]e of some [[lepidoptera|butterfly/moth]] species, including the [[turnip moth]], the [[sugarcane borer]] (''Diatraea saccharalis''), the Mexican rice borer (''Eoreuma loftini''); leaf-cutting ants, [[termites]], [[spittlebug]]s (especially ''Mahanarva fimbriolata'' and ''Deois flavopicta''), and the [[beetle]] ''Migdolus fryanus''. The planthopper insect ''[[Eumetopina flavipes]]'' acts as a [[phytoplasma]] vector, which causes the sugarcane disease [[ramu stunt]].<ref>[http://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/sugarcane_nov.html ''Eumetopina flavipes'' and Ramu Stunt]</ref>
Numerous pathogens infect sugarcane. See the [[List of sugarcane diseases|list of sugarcane diseases]]. [[Sugarcane Grassy Shoot Disease|Grassy Shoot Disease]] [[(SCGS)]] caused by ''[[Phytoplasma]]'', [[Whiptail disease]] caused by [[smut]] (''[[Ustilago scitaminea]]''), [[Pokkah Boeng]] caused by ''[[Fusarium moniliforme]]'', [[Red Rot]] disease caused by ''[[Colletotrichum falcatum]]'' are important and widely found diseases of sugarcane. Among [[viruses]], [[Sugarcane mosaic virus]], [[Maize streak virus]], [[Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Virus]] are found seldom.
==Species==
==Species==
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