Inoculants for Sugar Cane: The Scientific Bases for the Adoption of the Technology for Biofuel Production

Sugarcane is propagated vegetatively via stem pieces (setts) and a considerable quantity of sucrose is present and starts to decompose as the sett germinates. This decomposition pathway liberates sub-products normally used by different microorganisms, including diazotrophs, present in the soil and plant. The selection for use of an inoculant containing a mixture of diazotrophic bacteria, based on the knowledge of the ecological behaviour of the species involved (Oliveira et al., 2006), is the key to obtaining high BNF contributions to this crop.