USDA Sugarcane Research Unit Hosted 100th Anniversary Cane Field Day

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Sugarcane Research Unit in Houma hosted a June 1, 2023 sugarcane field day at its Schriever farm to highlight its centennial of cane research activities in Louisiana.

In the 1920s, when the Louisiana sugar industry was nearly decimated because of cane disease, United States Department of Agriculture Sugarcane Research Unit signed a three-way agreement—still in effect—with the American Sugar Cane League and the LSU Ag Center specifically designed to improve production through research and variety development.

The USDA has been working with the American Sugar Cane League since that time. The Louisiana sugarcane has enjoyed unprecedented growth over the last three decades and much of its success is due to the collaboration between the USDA, the LSU AgCenter and the American Sugar Cane League. The photo gallery highlights some of the work the USDA scientists have studied over the past year. The USDA research leader is Dr. Paul White.

The Sugarcane Research Unit leads sustainable sugarcane research & variety development using breeding, genomics, precision ag, integrated pest management, soil science, & plant physiology. For more information about the SRU, watch the video Louisiana ARS leads Sugarcane Research & Variety Development