Where Are Sugarcane Growing Regions? These Methods Can Increase Sweetness

Sugarcane is a major cash crop in sugar-producing countries. Its stalks are an important raw material for sugar making, its cellulose can be used to make paper, and its stalk tips and leaves are used as feed for cattle, sheep and other livestock, giving it a very wide range of uses. So where are sugarcane growing regions? How can sweetness be increased?

1. Where are sugarcane growing regions?

1. Sugarcane growing regions

From a global perspective, sugarcane is abundantly produced in the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the islands of Oceania, and Cuba.

Judging from the current state of sugarcane cultivation in China, it is mainly concentrated in Hainan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hunan and the southern part of Yunnan.

It is also worth mentioning that China is the world's third-largest sugarcane producer, and Guangxi is the largest sugarcane-producing region in China.

2. Types of sugarcane

However, due to differences in climate and geography from place to place, the sugarcane varieties grown also differ. They are mainly divided into 3 major categories:

(1) High-sugar varieties

These refer to sugarcane varieties whose sucrose content reaches 17-18% when mature, such as New Taitang No. 25, New Taitang No. 20, and Yuanlin No. 1.

(2) Medium-sugar varieties

These refer to sugarcane varieties whose sucrose content reaches 16-17% when mature, such as New Taitang No. 16 and No. 26.

(3) Low-sugar varieties

These refer to varieties whose sucrose content is below 15% when mature, such as New Taitang No. 21 and New Taitang No. 23.

2. How can sugarcane sweetness be increased?

So besides choosing sugarcane varieties with a high sucrose content, what other methods can increase sugarcane sweetness?

1. Use gibberellin

Practice has shown that starting at the early jointing stage of sugarcane, gibberellin should be sprayed once. After that, it can be sprayed once every 15 days, for 3-4 consecutive applications. This not only increases the length of the basal internodes and makes growth visibly vigorous, but also makes the sugarcane crisp in texture and high in sweetness.

2. Apply biological fertilizers

Applying biological fertilizers can not only increase sugarcane yield but also improve sugarcane quality, and one of the more obvious effects is increasing sugarcane sweetness. According to the actual practices of sugarcane farmers, the sucrose content of sugarcane treated with biological fertilizers is much higher than that treated with chemical fertilizers.

Friendly reminder:

Growing sugarcane in northern China is different from growing it in the south; artificial seedling raising must be adopted in production, and this is the key to successfully growing sugarcane in the north. For example, in Hebei and the Beijing-Tianjin region, seedlings are generally raised around the 2nd lunar month, and after 45 days in the seedling stage they can be transplanted to the field. Each place can, according to its own conditions and sugarcane planting area, carry out seedling raising in greenhouses, plastic tunnels or large arched sheds with nutrient pots at the appropriate time.