Question

How are the two following varieties of sugarcane different from each other?

1. Saccharum barberi
2. Saccharum officinarum

Answer 1

The two varieties of sugarcane differ as follows:

1. Saccharum barberi has poor sugar content and yield.
2. Saccharum officinarum has thicker stems and higher sugar content but does not grow well in North India.

This difference is commonly cited in plant breeding contexts, and hybridisation between these two to combine desirable traits is practised to get high-yielding sugarcane varieties suitable for North India.