Sugar crops
Sugar crops — a group of agricultural crops that serve as raw materials for sugar production.
Sugar crops are often grouped together with starch crops. Previously, the domestic classification used a division into root crops (sugar-bearing) and tuber crops (starch-bearing).
Representatives
The main representatives of sugar crops are:
- cultivated sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.);
- sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.).
Sugarcane is a perennial plant of the grass family (Poaceae). It is cultivated in countries with tropical and subtropical climates: India, southern China, Central and South America, and Africa. There are more than 70 sugarcane-producing countries in the world. Cuba is the leader in the amount of sugar produced per capita. The content of sugars (mono- and disaccharides) in the stems is 16–20%.
In countries with a temperate climate—in Europe and Russia—the main sugar crop is sugar beet. In total, 44 countries cultivate sugar beet worldwide.
Economic importance
According to FAO, in 1980–1981, over 60% of all sugar produced came from sugarcane processing.
The sugar yield of sugarcane is 6–9% of raw mass, and that of sugar beet is 11–13%.
List of sources
- Kolomeichenko V. V. (2007). Crop Production/Textbook. Moscow: Agrobusinesscenter.
- Vavilov P. P., Gritsenko V. V., Kuznetsov V. S. et al. (1986). Crop Production. Ed. by Vavilov P. P. 5th ed., revised and enlarged. Moscow: Agropromizdat.
- S_4
