What is sugar cane?

Sugar cane is perhaps best known as a source of white sugar, but is also a source of biofuel and syrup. In fact, the plant itself is grass with strong stem and plumage leaves, and in some parts of the world it has been grown as a food crop from at least 6000 ° C. Sugar cane requires rich soils to be successful, and do best in a tropical or subtropical environment.

In the right conditions, sugar cane can reach a height of up to 13 feet (4 m). However, larger ones are not always better and soils that are too rich can produce larger sticks with a lower sugar content. If the growth is allowed long enough, feathers similar plumes protrude from the upper part of the cane. Usually harvested before the flower; If the sticks are limited to the ground, they abandon the next cycle. The plants are described by the thickness of the cane; Thin sticks are known as that, while the more required thick sticks with higher production are known as noble sticks.

Time that requires sugar cane is reached between sixAnd 24 months, depending on where it is grown and the type of plant. In commercial settings, the sticks are generally limited and left to grow again until they stop being productive. When this happens, a new crop is planted. Instead of using seeds that bring plants completely different from parent plants, slices are taken from adult wands and planted to start a process called vegetative spread. New plants develop from the old parts and are genetically the same as the original plants.

Originally from New Guinea, sugar cane spread first through Asia and India, then to the Mediterranean. It was not brought to North America until Columbus had included him in his load and has since remained a popular crop. Growing outdoors in areas where the temperature does not drop under freezing is also grown inside in a colder climate.

In addition to the traditional crystal form of sugar, it is also possible to use pieces of sugar cane to distill a sweet syrup called jaggery that can be used assweetener similar to sugar crystals. In India, this syrup is also used in alcohol cooking. Pieces of sugar cane can also be chewed as harvested, and sticks from sticks are often consumed as a vegetable bowl in Asia. Sugar cane can also be used to make paper, floor waxes and varnishes and are found in several kinds of cosmetics.