Teachers’ Resource
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Teachers’ Resource
2 0 1 2
Key Learnings
Sugarcane Module:
Sugarcane farmers and their relationship with their natural environment
Science Outcomes
Lesson Summary
Students will be able to:
Students will be able to:
Assessment Opportunities
ave a basic understanding of
sugarcane farming in Australia
sugarcane
farmers have with the environment
what sugarcane farmers are doing to
help protect soil and water
ty sheets
ave an understanding of where
sugarcane is grown in Australia
ave basic knowledge of sugar as a
carbohydrate and why the body needs
this type of energy
watch video on sugarcane
versatility of
sugar, the products and the clean way it
is manufactured.
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Teachers’ Resource
2 0 1 2
Classroom discussion notes: Sugarcane and its relationships
Relationships
Growing sugarcane requires 4 elements: water, sunlight, soil and nutrients. Each element has a relationship with the sugarcane and
determines how well it will grow. It is the sugarcane grower’s job to also build a relationship with the sugarcane and its elements.
How the grower achieves this comes with experience, knowledge and data. Each element has an en
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website on www.canegrowers.com.au
Sun
Water
Nutrients
and soil
How much sun is needed to grow sugarcane?
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How much water is needed to grow sugarcane?
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water are used?
How man&wa&water sugarcane?
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How does the grower get the nutrient recipe right?
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kept in the soil?
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How does the growers stop soil erosion & w
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How does the grower ensure w
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competition discussion question
How does the grower stop soil erosion and water running
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Teachers’ Resource
2 0 1 2
Sugarcane armers and their relationship
ith their natural en ironment
se these eachers’ otes to urther engage classroom discussion and learning on the relationship between the environment
and growing sugarcane.
Sugarcane:
Relationship Notes
ugarcane is a giant tropical grass. It requires 4 elements to grow: water, soil, sunlight and nutrients.
Water:
o much ater is needed to gro sugarcane
nswer: pproximatel 1 00mm a ear, but like most plants, the amount o water needed varies in each region
depending on the soil, rain all and sun. he amount o water needed is also determined b the si e o the crop and
the time o ear.
What sources o
ater are used
nswer: here are man sources o water that can be used. ainwater alling naturall or collected in on arm
dams, water pumped rom nearb rivers, allocated water rom large dams which can also be rec cled waste water
rom townships or sugar mills. his is a new technolog being tried in a ew places in ueensland and allows the
re use o our precious water to grow crops such as cane.
o man
a s are there to ater sugarcane
nswer: ain alling naturall is the most common wa to water sugarcane. ugarcane can also be watered using
irrigating equipment. here are man t pes o irrigating equipment which include pumping and spra ing water
such as a giant garden sprinkler to overhead irrigators. his is a giant metal rame with water no les that can
shower down onto the sugarcane or urrow irrigation using gravit to use w-
Sunlight:
unlight is needed in order or the natural reaction photos nthesis to occur in the plant leaves, which makes the
sugar that is stored in the sugarcane stalk.
ithout sunlight, no sugar can be naturall produced.
oes heat a ect the sugarcane
nswer: es, it can. oo much heat means higher water evaporation and the plant will require more water. eing
a tropical plant, heat is required or germination and crop growth. I the plant gets too cold, it will slow down its
growth and sugar production.
continued...
3
Teachers’ Resource
2 0 1 2
Sugarcane armers and their relationship
ith their natural en ironment
se these eachers’ otes to urther engage classroom discussion and learning on the relationship between the environment
and growing sugarcane.
Sugarcane:
Relationship Notes
ugarcane is a giant tropical grass. It requires 4 elements to grow: water, soil, sunlight and nutrients.
Water:
o much ater is needed to gro sugarcane
nswer: pproximatel 1 00mm a ear, but like most plants, the amount o water needed varies in each region
depending on the soil, rain all and sun. he amount o water needed is also determined b the si e o the crop and
the time o ear.
What sources o
ater are used
nswer: here are man sources o water that can be used. ainwater alling naturall or collected in on arm
dams, water pumped rom nearb rivers, allocated water rom large dams which can also be rec cled waste water
rom townships or sugar mills. his is a new technolog being tried in a ew places in ueensland and allows the
re use o our precious water to grow crops such as cane.
o man
a s are there to ater sugarcane
nswer: ain alling naturall is the most common wa to water sugarcane. ugarcane can also be watered using
irrigating equipment. here are man t pes o irrigating equipment which include pumping and spra ing water
such as a giant garden sprinkler to overhead irrigators. his is a giant metal rame with water no les that can
shower down onto the sugarcane or urrow irrigation using gravit to use w-
Sunlight:
unlight is needed in order or the natural reaction photos nthesis to occur in the plant leaves, which makes the
sugar that is stored in the sugarcane stalk.
ithout sunlight, no sugar can be naturall produced.
oes heat a ect the sugarcane
nswer: es, it can. oo much heat means higher water evaporation and the plant will require more water. eing
a tropical plant, heat is required or germination and crop growth. I the plant gets too cold, it will slow down its
growth and sugar production.
continued...
Teachers’ Resource
2 0 1 2
Nutrients and Soil:
Relationship Notes
What are nutrients
nswers: utrients are ood or the plant and can be natural within the soil be ore man started arming or can be added
b man as ertiliser or rom allow crops such as legumes which take nitrogen gas rom the atmosphere and convert it and
breaks down soil or use b sugarcane.
Wh are the important
nswer: he provide the soil health mixture which eeds the sugarcane and makes it a health crop.
.
rash mulch to the ground to protect the soil.
hat makes growing
o does the gro er get the nutrient recipe right
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that the plant is provided with the nutrients that the soil lacks on that paddock.
What nutrients are ept in the soil
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.h drogen and ox gen come rom the atmosphere.
major nutrients are:
.
.
.
.
.
4
5...
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.
o do armers eed the cane
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5er.
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what each soil t pe can contribute and then the make up an short all with ertili5er. his can be complex because not all
soil t pes are the same. he soil t pe can var rom paddock to paddock and also within each paddock. owada&.
quite a lot o soil testing and soil mapping which occurs to ensure that armers are onl appl ing the exact nutrient needed
on their di erent soil t pes.
What happens hen there is too much nutrient
nswer: his will be a waste o mone and time to the sugarcane armer.
moving o the arm and into the waterwa s.
here is an increased chance o some nutrients
What happens hen there is too little nutrients
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stalk. It will usuall not be a health looking crop and will have short skinn stalks with ellow leaves.
o does the gro ers stop soil erosion
ater run o
rom the arm
nswer: here are man wa s to do this. ne wa is to use trash blanketing.
ter harvesting the crop.over leaves all
to the ground suppl ing a so t blanket o trash which is used as mulch to k.water & nutrients in place.
o does the gro er ensure ater run o
rom the arm is not carr ing soil or nutrients
nswer: here are man natural & man made techniques to ensure that the water coming o the arms is not harming the
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rasslands be ore it travels o the land.