Processing of total, close-spaced cane

Limited tests were conducted in Audubon Sugar Factory during Fall, 1976, to determine the processibility of the whole cane plant (tops and leaves included). Also tested was the processibility of cane grown under special, close-spaced (12 inch) conditions. These tests were part of the Energy from Crops program sponsored by the Energy Research and Development Administration and coordinated by the Battelle Columbus Laboratories. Cane was supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Sugarcane Laboratory (Houma) and the Sugar Experiment Station of LSU at St. Gabriel. Very high cane yields per acre were achieved by the USDA in their close spacing experiments. These high cane yields more than offset any drop in cane quality which amounted to no more than 15 to 20% in sugar yield per ton of cane. Thus, sucrose yields per acre can apparently be substantially increased by close spacing. The same is true of total fermentables, should one be growing sugar cane for alcohol production. In general, the effect of including tops and leaves was proportional to their quantity and quality. Compared to clean stalks, total cane produced more bagasse and less juice with some drop in mixed juice purity, and, of course, a loss in predictedmore » yield. The tops and leaves contribute mainly fiber. There seems to be no incentive for including this non-productive fraction in the mill feed. If one wishes to recover tops and leaves for maximizing fiber production, it may be best to handle them separately.« less