Sugarcane Biomass, Dry Matter, and Sucrose Availability and Variability When Grown on a Bioenergy Feedstock Production Cycle Paul M. White Jr. 1 & Charles L. Webber III 1 & Ryan P. Viator 2 & Giovanna Aita 3 # This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply 2018 Abstract Sugarcane grows on over 170,000 ha in the state of Louisiana as part of a sugar industry that generates over $2 billion in annual economic impact. The multipurpose crop produces sugar, molasses, bagasse, boiler fly ash, filter press mud, water, and electricity. As a component of a theoretical bioenergy economy, bagasse and sugarcane itself may find a value-added niche as a renewable feedstock source. The objectives were to characterize yields of ‘Ho 02-113’ at two locations over 2 years and compare two harvest strategies, green-cane harvest (stalks-only), or complete biomass harvest (intact plants). The first- and second-ratoon crop and the plant-cane and first-ratoon crop were harvested monthly at the Ardoyne Farm or Spanish Trail, respectively. Total biomass yields of 120 Mg ha -1 and up to 35 Mg dry matter (DM) ha -1 at the Ardoyne Farm and total biomass > 140 Mg ha -1 and 50 Mg DM ha -1 at Spanish Trail were observed. Sucrose levels ranging from 2000 to 8000 kg ha -1 were recorded between August and September of each year. However, freezing conditions rapidly reduced sucrose levels from as high as 12,000 kg ha -1 to below detection limits within 60 days. Dry matter energy content of intact plants, stalks, and dry leaves was 17.0, 17.4, and 16.5 kJ g -1 , respectively. The overall energy yields were 530 and 620 GJ ha -1 for the Ardoyne Farm and Spanish Trail, respectively. Results demonstrate that Ho 02-113 is a versatile feedstock and can meet sucrose and/or lignocellulosic feedstock needs in areas with temperate to subtropical temperatures. Keywords Sugarcane and energycane . Bioenergy feedstock production . Dry matter and sucrose yield . US biomass Introduction Sugarcane, a complex hybrid of Saccharum species, produc- tion encompasses over 170,000 ha in the state of Louisiana. In 2016, growers harvested and delivered 11.7 million metric tons of sugarcane to sugar mills for processing into sugar and molasses. The Louisiana sugar industry contributes over $2 billion in economic impact annually. Milling of sugarcane produces sucrose, water, bagasse, boiler fly ash, filter press mud, and electricity [1]. Boiler fly ash and filter press mud are reused as fill dirt, fertilizer, and vegetable potting medium and bagasse is used to produce biochar for use as a soil amendment to improve soil properties [2, 3]. As a component of a bioenergy economy, bagasse and cane itself may find a value-added niche as a renewable feedstock source. The US’ s Energy Independence and Security Act (2007) and the Renewable Fuel Standard program created and expanded re- newable fuel requirements for biomass-based diesel, cellulos- ic biofuel, advanced biofuel, and conventional renewable fuel [4]. Production volume of cellulosic-based biofuels, derived from cellulose, hemicellulose, and/or lignin, was set at 1,090,000 m 3 for 2018. Commercial sugarcane yields 23.3 to 37.0 t dry matter (DM) ha -1 year -1 of structural carbohydrates (lignocellulose) and nonstructural carbohydrates combined, comparing favor- ably to Miscanthus x giganteus (19.6 to 23.4 t DM ha -1 year -1 ), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) (10.4 to 20.5 t DM ha -1 year -1 ), giant cane (Arundo donax) 25.1 to 37.3 t DM ha -1 year -1 , and elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) 21.1 to 24.1 t DM ha -1 year -1 [5–8]. A lack of freeze tolerance confines commercial sugarcane to tropical and subtropical climates. Short durations of less than 12 h at 0 °C will kill the sugarcane growing point and damage the stalks of the plant, allowing bacteria (Leuconostoc sp.) to invade cracked * Paul M. White, Jr. paul.white@ars.usda.gov 1 Agriculture Research Service, Sugarcane Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Houma, LA, USA 2 Viator Consulting and Research, LLC, Houma, LA, USA 3 Audubon Sugar Institute, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Gabriel, LA, USA BioEnergy Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-018-9951-y