LSU AgCenter research has demonstrated that conventional, whole-field soil-sampling schemes and field-averaged yields do not satisfactorily describe the variations of yield and soil attributes present in several sugarcane fields. Research suggests a precision management approach.

Environmentally conscientious sugarcane growers voluntarily use best management practices (BMPs) to control runoff from production areas. Post-harvest residue management in sugarcane is one area in need of research-based information to determine the best management approach.

At one time the Louisiana sugarcane crop was harvested using mechanical whole stalk harvesters, where stalks were piled in the field and burned to remove leaves before transporting to the mill. Beginning in the mid 1990s, growers shifted to chopper harvesters, where stalks are cut into billets, loaded directly into wagons and transported to the mill.

In recent years purple nutsedge has become more problematic in Louisiana sugarcane fields. Purple nutsedge is considered among the world’s worst weeds because of its perennial nature and ability to produce abundant and viable underground tubers.

In Louisiana sugarcane, row shoulders and middles are intensively cultivated to promote crop growth, eliminate ruts, incorporate fertilizer and control weeds. Sugarcane growers have been slow to adopt reduced tillage practices because of concerns over reduced yields and weed control.

In Louisiana, four to six harvests are made from a single planting of sugarcane. After that, the sugarcane must be replanted because of disease and weed pressure. During the fallow period, weeds must be managed to maximize yields for the next few years.

The bacteria and viruses that cause diseases of sugarcane in Louisiana are distributed throughout an infected plant.

Sugarcane is affected by two diseases known as rusts because of the color of the lesions caused in the leaves and reproductive spores produced by the pathogens. One disease is called brown rust, and the other is called orange rust, based on differences in lesion and spore color.

The Biomass Research and Development Initiative in the 2002 farm bill sets a goal of a 12 percent increase in production of chemicals and materials from biomass by 2010.

LCP 85-384 is a sugarcane variety that will occupy a special place in the history of sugarcane in Louisiana. It ultimately occupied a record-setting 91 percent of the industry acreage in the state during 2004, and its widespread cultivation caused a major shift in harvesting practices that created many new research questions.