| Abstrakt: |
Ecuador's sugar industry is relatively small compared to those in other Latin American countries. Sugarcane is used for sugar and ethanol production. The total area of sugarcane cultivation is 82,377 ha, producing about 500,000 tons of sugar per year. Despite Ecuador being in the tropical area and very close to the Equator, the climatic conditions are not the most favorable for sugarcane cultivation. Net radiation barely reaches 2 h on a daily average, with a low thermal oscillation of just 7 h throughout the year. This growing condition causes sucrose build-up to drop, resulting in high cane tonnages and low sugar yields. Because of these challenging climatic conditions, the sugar industry has established a research center, called CINCAE, to develop locally adapted varieties and the crop production technologies, including pest and disease management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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