Morphology of sugarcane

Sugarcane is a monocotyledon and member of the family graminea tribe andropogoneae and is
classified in the genus saccharine.

Sugarcane is extensively grown in India, Cuba, Brazil, Java, West Indies, Australia, Central America etc.
Numerous varieties are grown in both tropics and subtropical. India export sugar large quandities to.
The U. S. A and European countries though it is grown on a large scale in many states of India. In Kerala
it is widely distributed in palakkad.

It is a tall perennial tropical grass, which tillers at the base to produce unbranched stem from 2to 4 or
more tall and to around 5cm in diameter. It is cultivated for these thick stems. Stalks or canes from
which the sugar cane is extracted.

Although sugarcane grows best under warm conditions with high light intensity and fertile soil, standing
cane will endure drought and flooding, heat and some cold, altitudes above 1000 m, and soils of diverse
character. Standing cane can neither endure nor survive temperatures below -6°C even for a few hours,
escaping death only through the regenerative ability of its below-ground stubble piece. It is this
susceptibility to cold injury in a crop with a long growing period which limits sugarcane to the tropics
and milder temperate

Sugarcane composed of four principal parts. Root system, stem, leaf, inflorescence, flower.

Root system:

Soon after a seed-piece or sett is planted, two kinds of root will develop: first the sett roots and later the
shoot roots, Sett roots develop from the initials on the root band. Sett roots are thin and branched, and
absorb water and nutrients to feed the young. developing shoot. They are usually short-lived (2-3
months), and their function is taken over by shoot roots. These develop from primordia on the lower
portion of developing shoots and are thick, white and not much branched initially. The root system of
the stool can be divided into three types of roots, namely superficial,buttress and rope. The superficial
roots are thin and branched with numerous rootlets which have root hairs; they exploit the top layers of
the soil where they absorb water and nutrients. The buttress roots are thicker and grow at an angle
from the stalk, one of their main func tions being anchorage. The rope roots can grow in a group
vertically down to considerably great depths to tap water and help the plant to resist drought
conditions.
Stem

The solid, unbranched stem, roughly circular in cross-section, is clearly

differentiated into joints each comprising a node and an internode. The node
consists of a lateral bud situated in the axil of the leaf, a band containing root
primordia, and a growth ring The buds, which can be situated on, or just above,
the leaf scar, may be round, small and adpressed to the stalk, or more prominent
and pointed, depending on the variety In certain varieties a bud groove or furrow
can be found on the surface of the internode above the bud. Normally only one
bud occurs at each node, and these buds are situated on alternate sides of the
stalk. On occasion, however, more than one bud may be formed at a node. Each
bud is an embryonic shoot consisting of a miniature stem with small leaves, the
outermost ones having the form of scales.
Generally, the nodes are spaced at intervals of around 15 to 25 cm; but are much
closer at the top of the stall where elongation is taking place. The nodes are also
much closer at the base.
In the region of the node, a bud, a root band, a leaf scar, a wax band and a growth
ring may be recognized.. One lateral bud or eye is present at each node, except
for the three or four nodes below the inflorescence, which are budless. The bud is
an embryonic shoot with the outer leaves modified to form scales to protect the
growing point. The leaf scar is the former region of attachment of the leaf sheath.
The root band is just above the leaf scar and it has one or more rows of root
primordia. Above the root band is a ring of lighter colour known as the growth
rigs. The colour and handness of the stalks vary with the variety, and the stalks
can range in diameter from around 2.5 cm to around.
Leaf
The leaves are attached to the stem at the bases of the nodes, alternately in two
rows on opposite sides of the stalk. Each leaf consists of two parts: the sheath and
the blade or lamina .The leaf sheath is tubular, encircles the stem, and its outer
surface may bear variable numbers of hairs. At the upper edge of the leaf sheath
margin, ear-like appendages known as auricles may be pres ent. At the junction of
the leaf sheath and leaf lamina is the leaf joint, on the internal surface of which
there is a membranous appendage called the ligule. The inner surface of the joint
is known as the throat, whilst the outer region is known as the collar or dewlap.
Dewlaps are more or less triangular in shape and vary in colour from light green
to deep pur ple. Size, shape and colour of these morphological parts of the leaf
help to distinguish varieties.The leaf blade is long, thin and gradually tapers
towards the tip. It is supported by a midrib extending from the joint to the tip.
The leaf margins are generally serrated with sharp marginal teeth inclined
towards the tip of the leaf. Trichomes, one or two-celled hairs, develop from
epidermal cells lying between the veins .The leaf has a strong midrib, which is
usually white and concave on the upper or adaxial sur face, and pale green and
convex on the abaxial side.
An undesirable characteristic in commercial canes is the development of siliceous
cells to form hairs or spines on the leaves or leaf sheaths, or to give sharp cutting
edges to the leaf blades.
Flowering and floral biology.

Flowering of sugar cane is seasonal. It extends from late September to December

in the northern hemisphere and from late April to early June in the southern
hemisphere. The first sign of flowering is the successive reduc tion in the length of
the leaf blades. Then the last leaf (flag or boenting) appears. The boot sheath
encloses the developing inflorescence. The large in florescence known as 'arrow'
emerges well above the mass of foliage, the extent of its extension is distinctly
varietal. The length, breadth and denseness of the arrows varies widely between
varieties. Similarly, the time taken from the emergence of the tip of the
inflorescence to spikelet opening, and the first spikelet opening to the complete
opening of the last spikelet also differ between varieties. The propensity of
flowering in a variety also greatly varies.
The panicle has a main axis. The lateral branches arise in irregular whorls from the
main axis. They may branch and re-branch, producing secondaries and tertiaries.
Branching is extensive in the lower part of the panicle and becomes progressively
less. The branch length reduces towards the apex giving the panicle a distinct
arrow shape. Hence the term 'arrow' is also used to designate the panicles. The
spikelets occur in pairs, one pedi cellate and one sessile at each node. In
commercial cultivars the sessile flower opens first if they do not open
simultaneously.
Each spikelet has an outer glume, an inner glume, sterile lemma, a fertile palea,
two lodicules, three anthers, an ovary consisting of a branched style, and two
feathery stigma. In many commercial cane varieties, in addition to the four
glumes described earlier, another glume (fertile lemma) is also pre sent. This is
characteristic of S. spontaneum. The ovary has a single anatro pous ovule.
Seed:
Sugar cane seed is a dry one-seeded fruit or caryopsis. Seeds are ovate, light
brown to dark brown in colour and are very small. It may take 25 to 30 days for
the seeds to mature. When the seeds mature the individual flo rets breaks off at
the nodes. With the help of the silky callus hairs, the seed flies off in wind. The
dried florets with pappus hair and seeds are known as t 'fuzz'. The seed has no
dormancy and under normal environmental conditions the viability is lost rapidly.
However, sugar cane seeds can be stored under low temperature conditions, if
necessary. Germination of the seeds takes place within four to seven days after
sowing. Commercial varieties differ widely in their capacity to set viable seeds
even under ideal environmental conditions. The range of seed set is from nil to a
few thousands per arrow.
Reference:
 Sugarcane anatomy, morphology and physiology
MHR Julien, JE Irvine, GTA Benda

 Sugarcane

Glyn James, Booker Tate

Blackwell Science, 2004

 PLANT BREEDING - EDITOR V. L. CHOPRA