Plants

sugar cane

Saccharum officinarum L.

Family: Poaceae · Genus: Saccharum

sugarcane

Placenta II Emergent Mulch biomass 🪓 Coppices after cutting

Perennial grass with very high production of cover biomass. Pasini lists it in the emergent stratum (Tabela 3). Cut periodically in syntropic agroforestry systems for soil cover; Götsch cites it explicitly in 'Homem e natureza' (1997) as part of the initial consortium.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage: Placenta II
Ecological role: Pioneer
Primary stratum: Emergent
Strata: Emergent, High
Biomass class: Mulch biomass

Environment

Light requirement: Full sun
Water requirement: High
Drought tolerance: Low
Waterlogging tolerance: Moderate
Soil pH range: 5–8
Preferred soil texture: Loamy, Clayey

Morphology

Mature height: 2–5 m
Recommended spacing: 0.5–1.5 m
Root system: Fibrous
Root depth: Medium
Growth rate: Very fast
Lifespan: 3–8 years

Biomes & climate

Atlantic Forest Naturalized
Cerrado Naturalized
Amazon Naturalized

Köppen classes

Tropical rainforest (Af) Suitable
Tropical monsoon (Am) Suitable
Tropical savanna with dry winter (Aw) Suitable
Humid subtropical (Cfa) Suitable

Where it fits in a guild

Sugar cane takes the Emergent stratum in the Placenta II phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

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🪴 Cultivation

Grows on a wide range of well-drained soils, requiring full sun; on heavy soils, plant on raised beds. Needs 1,500–2,500 mm/yr rainfall or irrigation. Withstands short drought (with sucrose loss) and short flooding, but waterlogging at maturation causes lodging; tolerates salinity to ~4.4 dS/m. Propagated from setts (stem segments with buds).