August 2024 issue

Volume 69, Issue 8

Sugarcane is a tropical tallgrass with stalks containing sucrose-rich cane juice, which is harvested, extracted, and processed through a variety of methods to become the sugar we add to our coffee and bake in our chocolate chip cookies. A new article in the Journal of Plant Registrations tells the story of the development of an important sugarcane variety in Louisiana, LCP 85–384, which was a cooperative effort among a land grant university, the federal government, and industry. The development of this high-performing variety, along with the machinery needed to handle it, led to sugar yield increases in the state of 22% and the rapid expansion of the industry. Cover photo courtesy of Adobe Stock/angkhan.