Author
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Glaz, Barry |
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Submitted to: Sugar Journal
Publication Type: Trade Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2007 Publication Date: 9/4/2007 Citation: Glaz, B.S. 2007. Sugarcane Variety Census:Florida 2006. Sugar Journal. Interpretive Summary: Florida sugarcane farmers produce about 25% of the sugar produced in the U.S., more than is produced in any other state. Their cultivars come from a private program of the United States Sugar Corporation in Clewiston, Florida and a public program at Canal Point, Florida. The public program is supported by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and the Florida Sugar Cane League, Inc. This census reports total Florida sugarcane acreage, total acreage by cultivar for cultivars grown on more than 1% of the Florida sugarcane acreage, cultivar use on organic and sand soils, cultivars planted in a fallow or continuous planting system, and cultivars planted manually or mechanically. Official Florida sugarcane acreage is reported by the USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the acreages estimated in this census are usually similar to the officially reported acreages. The information summarized in this census was supplied by growers and mill managers. In 2006, there were 401,723 acres of sugarcane grown in Florida. From 2005 to 2006, sugarcane acreage in Florida decreased by 2869 acres. Cultivars from the public program (Canal Point or CP cultivars) comprised 98.5% of Florida’s total 2006 sugarcane acreage. Of this total acreage, 79.4% was on organic soil and 20.6% on sand soil. Of the planted sugarcane, 54.9% was planted in a fallow rotation and 45.1% was planted in a successive rotation. For manual versus mechanical planting, only 63% of the acreage was reported; it was estimated from this non representative sample that 94.5% of Florida’s sugarcane was planted manually and 5.5% mechanically. CP 89-2143, with 26.8% of the total acreage, was the leading cultivar in Florida, and CP 78-1628 (13.1% of total acreage), the fourth most widely grown cultivar overall, was the most widely grown on sand soils with 41.6% of that acreage. CP 80-1743 (22.7% of the acreage) and CP 88-1762 (18.4% of the acreage) were the second and third place cultivars, respectively. The census quantifies cultivar use among Florida growers, and helps scientists plan experiments with the cultivars, planting systems, and soil types that best represent current industry operations. Technical Abstract: The Florida sugarcane industry produces about 25% of all sugar produced in the U.S. Varieties originate from two sources, a private breeding and selection program of the United States Sugar Corporation in Clewiston, Florida and a public program at Canal Point, Florida supported by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, the University of Florida-Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and the Florida Sugar Cane League, Inc. The purpose of this article is to report the results of a 2006 survey of all Florida sugarcane growers requesting information on relative use among commercial sugarcane varieties, amount of sugarcane grown on organic and sand soils, percentages of sugarcane planted in the regular and successive planting cycles, as well as by mechanical and manual planting systems. The information summarized in this census was supplied by growers and mill managers. Varieties from the Canal Point breeding and selection program comprised 98.5% of the total Florida sugarcane acreage and varieties from the Clewiston program comprised 1.5% of Florida=s sugarcane. CP 89-2143 with 26.8%, CP 80-1743 with 22.7%, CP 88-1762 with 18.4%, and CP 78 1628 with 13.1% of the acreage were the four most widely grown varieties among Florida=s 401,723 sugarcane acres. Of these total acres, 79.4% were organic soils and 21.6% sand soils. Of the total planted acres, 54.9% were planted in the regular planting system and 45.1% in the successive planting system. |
