STUDY OF SUGAR CANE CULTIVATION AND SUGAR PROCESSING & LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Abstract

Sugar cane plays a significant role in the plant kingdom of the world. About 60 % of sugar is produced from sugar cane in the world. The growth of sugar cane is affected by several factors.They are environmental and cultural factors. Before growing sugar cane the T T factors such as the moisture content o f the soil, nutritional condition of the soil,value of PH.temperature and the varieties of cane should be considered as importantln addition to it,the other factors such existence o f pests and diseases, the rapid growth of weeds and other natural firing affect adversely the growth o f sugar cane and its yield.The proper use of land preparation,planting methods, irrigation systems, fertilizer applications, weed control methods and the inter cultivation practices are the major steps should be taken in an appropriate time. The capacity of sugar production and the quality of sugar depend on the quality of cane juice. The cane feeding,milling,purification,evaporalion, crystallization and bagging are the six major steps the processing of sugar. A proper milling system is indispensable for the extraction of entire juice of cane as much as possible.The separation of molasses, filter mud and the bagasse are major by-products of sugar production.The by- products of sugar production are used for a wide range of purposes.Alcoholic products are mainly produced from the molasses. Bagasse is burnt in the boiler to generate power and the filter mud is used as fertilizer. The laboratory analysis plays a key role in controlling the processing stages of sugar and determining the harvesting periods of sugar cane. Every stages of processing is analyzed at every single hour period in the laboratory of PSC.The dextran affects some processing stages and the quality of sugar greatly.Hie analysis of dextran is commonly done at weekly intervals in the laboratory of PSC. The higher quantity of Brix and Pol which are lost with molasses,filter mud and bagasse are minimized by this continuous analyzing of the programme.