REFLECTIONS ON SUGAR-CANE

The author presents a critical discussion of various aspects of sugar cane, including cane breeding, the success and exploitation of new varieties, harvesting, crop physiology biotechnology and biomass canes. Many of the new ideas concerning cane cultivation are dismissed as flawed, and the author emphasizes the need to get cane technology right. He compares cane and beet, particularly regarding energy implications, but concludes that the politics of rich countries versus poor ones are the dominating influence.