Sugarcane for bioenergy production: an assessment of yield and regulation of sucrose content

Abstract

SummaryAn increasing number of plant scientists, including breeders, agronomists, physiologists and molecular biologists, are working towards the development of new and improved energy crops. Research is increasingly focused on how to design crops specifically for bioenergy production and increased biomass generation for biofuel purposes. The most important biofuel to date is bioethanol produced from sugars (sucrose and starch). Second generation bioethanol is also being targeted for studies to allow the use of the cell wall (lignocellulose) as a source of carbon. If a crop is to be used for bioenergy production, the crop should be high yielding, fast growing, low lignin content and requiring relatively small energy inputs for its growth and harvest. Obtaining high yields in nonprime agricultural land is a key for energy crop development to allow sustainability and avoid competition with food production.Sugarcane is the most efficient bioenergy crop of tropical and subtropical regions, and biotechnological tools for the improvement of this crop are advancing rapidly.We focus this review on the studies of sugarcane genes associated with sucrose content, biomass and cell wall metabolism and the preliminary physiological

Side by Side Comparison of Chemical Compounds Generated by Aqueous Pretreatments of Maize Stover, Miscanthus and Sugarcane Bagasse

“…Sugarcane bagasse is also an attractive feedstock for biorefineries (on average 11 tons/ha [6]) as it constitutes a by-product of the sugar and first-generation biofuel industries in tropical countries such as Brazil. In Brazil, a typical sugar processing plant produces on average 90 tons DM/ha of bagasse [8]. This bagasse has been partially incorporated into the sugarcane industry for energy generation by burning in power plants that generate heat and electricity for the sugar mills and export the excess into the grid.…”

“…This bagasse has been partially incorporated into the sugarcane industry for energy generation by burning in power plants that generate heat and electricity for the sugar mills and export the excess into the grid. The utilisation of bagasse for cellulosic ethanol is an attractive possibility for increasing the sustainability around the sugarcane industry [8]. Miscanthus is a dedicated perennial energy crop and has been proposed as a model of a low input agricultural crop.…”

Development, yield and quality attributes of sugarcane cultivars fertigated by subsurface drip irrigation

“…In this context, the sugar-energy sector expanded the sugarcane cultivation area in order to meet the demand for bioenergy (UNICA, 2013). Despite the expansion in cultivation areas, the national mean yield was 74.8 t ha -1 in the 2013/2014 season (CONAB, 2013), which can be surpassed considering the potential of the crop of 380 t ha -1 (Waclawovsky et al, 2010).…”

Genetic diversity in sugarcane varieties in Brazil based on the Ward-Modified Location Model clustering strategy

“…According to Waclawovsky et al (2010), the average world yield is 80 t/ha and the theoretical maximum sugarcane yield is 380 t/ha. The average yield of Brazilian varieties (68 t/ha in 2011) falls quite short of what can actually be achieved with the genetic potential of the crop, which emphasises the necessity of breeding programs in achieving this objective.…”