Abstract
A late fall frost may significantly affect sugar crops’ stem sugar composition, yield and juice quality for biofuel and bioproduct manufacture. Research on the effects of late fall frost in sugarcane is well documented, but information is lacking for sweet sorghum. Three and six commercial cultivars of sugarcane and sweet sorghum, respectively, were selected and evaluated for exposure to a late fall frost (-2.8°C) in Griffin, Georgia, USA. Under the same controlled environmental conditions in a screen house, the late fall frost induced more damage to sugarcane than sweet sorghum stems. The frost caused damage to sugarcane tissue and for juice to exude from stems, whereas similar behavior was not observed for sweet sorghum. In both sugarcane and sweet sorghum, the glucose/fructose ratio was significantly reduced, but this change may not be totally directly related to the frost effect. Overall, these initial results suggest that sweet sorghum may have a better tolerance to fall frost than sugarcane. Two sweet sorghum cultivars, Grassl and M81E, responded well to the late fall frost, and they can possibly be used as feedstocks for biofuel/bioproduct manufacture in areas susceptible to frosts including northern regions of the Southeastern US.
Highlights
Sugarcane (Sacharum officinarum L.) and sweet sorghum
In the USA, the harvested stems from sugarcane are primarily used for the large-scale manufacture of sugar, whereas the harvested stems from sweet sorghum are currently used for making syrup and molasses mostly on a small-scale
Thirteen days prior to the frost on October 29, the stems from sugarcane and sweet sorghum were harvested
Summary
Sugarcane (Sacharum officinarum L.) and sweet sorghum Moench) are C4 grass plants with high photosynthetic efficiency Both of these sugar crops can be grown in sub-tropical and tropical climates, but sweet sorghum can be grown in temperate climates [1]. Both crops produce high yielding juicy stems for harvest. Neither sugarcane nor sweet sorghum can usually produce a year-round supply for a biorefinery As these two crops may be planted and harvested at different times or seasons, it could be possible to use them as complementary feedstocks to extend the time window for feedstock delivery and processing at biorefineries. One of the current major challenges to extend the feeding window is to develop cultivars or hybrids of these sugar crops with tolerance to abiotic stresses such as late fall (autumn) frost tolerance for harvesting or early spring cold tolerance for planting
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
