Question

Which one of the following combinations would a sugarcane farmer look for in the sugarcane crop?
A. Thick stem, long internodes, high sugar content, and disease resistant
B. Thick stem, high sugar content, and profuse flowering
C. Thick stem, short internodes, high sugar content, disease-resistant
D. Thick stem, low sugar content, disease-resistant

Answer 1

Sugarcane is one of the major sources of sugar all over the world. The sugar is obtained from the juice of the sugarcane stems and it is always beneficial to have specific characteristics to obtain more yield. It is always more profitable for the farmer to have sugarcanes with good morphology.

Complete answer:
Sugarcane belongs to the family of tall perennial grasses, mostly cultivated in tropical regions of southeast Asia. These plants have a rich source of sucrose which accumulates within the internodes of the stem. When considering a farmer, he would always look for ways to grow crops which would increase his profits. In the case of sugarcane, for example, a thick stem is preferred, as thicker stems directly correspond to more biomass and more juice can be extracted. Thicker stems also enable longer storage, which is crucial when considering logistics as the sugar content tends to reduce immediately after harvesting. Internodes are regions where most sucrose tend to accumulate and having long internodes ensures more sugar content, which directly results in an increased yield. High sugar content is crucial as it would give him a higher yield for the same biomass of sugarcane harvested than with crops of low or moderate sugar content. When considering any form of farming, growing disease-resistant crops is of the most importance, as the loss is mostly incurred by pest infestation and disease in crops. Having a disease-resistant variety would ensure less dependence on pesticides and insecticides and overall high harvest yield.
Thus, the correct answer is option A.

Note: All characteristics of the crops must be considered to increase the overall yield. A common example would be Saccharum barberi and Saccharum officinarum. They are two different species of sugarcane, one grown in north India and the other in the south. Saccharum barberi has low sugar content and low yield but, long internodes and high disease resistance. Saccharum officinarum had high sugar content and thick stems, but prone to drought and disease.