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Abstract
Since 1985 environmental conservation studies have centered on the Saccharum spontanem» cultivar US 67-22-2, a BCi hybrid of the S. spontaneum parent Paseorean. Bred in Louisiana as a sugar system, and imported as a parental line for the AESUPR sugarcane breeding program in 1975, this cultivar has displayed remarkable potentials as a commodities integrator system that closely accommodates modern precepts of low-input sustainable agriculture. Outstanding properties include high productivity with minimal inputs, extended longevity of original plantings (at least 18 years), massive depositions of organic residues, a deep root profile, self weed and erosion control, high tolerance of drouth and flooding, an expansive green-leaf canopy (photosynthetic atmosphere conservation), and dense shelter for wildlife conservation. By 1991 sufficient experience had been gained to employ US 67-22-2 as an integrator system in a model wetland conservation farm enjoining together crops, livestock, wildlife, and precepts of environmental conservation and regulations compliance. In this capacity it serves as a whole-plant greenfeed for livestock, compost and fertilizer for food crops, weed and erosion control agent for seasonal crop seedbeds, wildlife conservation areas, and photosynthetic conservation of atmosphere. US 67-22-2 has assumed the common name "environmental· sugarcane", and locally also "la cana de agita". Properties and current studies of environmental cane are presented herein.