The structural changes, lignin content and enzymatic hydrolysis of dilute acid pretreated bagasse from 19 varieties of sugarcane were investigated. Chemical compositions varied significantly between the materials. Glucose yield after enzymatic hydrolysis also differed significantly among the samples. The differences in glucose yields were not eliminated by increasing the pretreatment severity. Glucose yield showed a positive correlation with total dye and orange dye adsorption, whereas with blue dye adsorption it showed a weak correlation. The crystallinity index increased with the increasing pretreatment severity as a result of the removal of the amorphous components of the biomass. The degree of polymerization decreased with the increase in pretreatment severity. However, the change in either crystallinity index or degree of polymerization did not correlate with glucose yield. The results suggest that the lignin modification/real-location is a key factor for improving cellulose accessibility of sugarcane bagasse. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.