Sugarcane is a perennial crop whose C4 metabolism makes it one of the most efficient species in carbon conversion. It is one of the most productive amongst all cultivated crops as well as the main feedstock for sugar production, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the world’s production. With molecular genomics, the sugarcane genome has become less mysterious, although its complexity has been confirmed in many respects. This chapter presents a general discussion of molecular bases and biotechnological processes, as well as their application and prospective advances in the sugar–alcohol sector. The topics are not addressed in detail, as the theme is very broad, the generation of new information highly dynamic and the amount of information exponential.
