sugarcane

Sugarcane is a giant grass growing 10 to 20 feet high about 2 inches in diameter.

Commercial sugarcane is never planted from seeds, but from cuttings of the sugarcane stalks.  Cuttings are dropped into furrows and lightly covered with soil.  Several shoots grow from each joint, forming a cluster of sugarcane.  The large number of sugarcane stalks have no branches, but narrow leaves.

After harvesting, the plants sprout successive crops of stems called "ratoons," which mature in about the same time as the original crop.  Three to five crops are obtained from each initial planning.

Every move of the harvesting activity is precisely orchestrated to ensure a constant flow of harvested sugarcane.