Effect of Harvesting Ages on Yield and Yield Components of Sugar Cane Varieties Cultivated at Finchaa Sugar Factory, Oromia, Ethiopia

This study was initiated with the objective of determining the effect of different harvesting ages (12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 months) on yield and yield components of selected the two sugar cane varieties (B52/298 and NCo 334) grown in Finchaa sugar factory, Oromia, Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted at Finchaa sugarcane plantation using a randomized complete block design of a factorial arrangement of 2 × 5 with three replications. The data were performed using SAS version 9.3, and a significant difference was considered at p ≤ 0.05 . The results showed that B52/298 variety had a higher estimated recoverable sucrose than NCo 334 variety. The results also indicated that as harvesting ages increase yield, yield components of sugar cane quality are increased. The maximum sugar yield of 1.89-ton ha-1 month-1 was obtained at the harvesting age of 15 months. There was a significant difference ( p < 0.05 ) between harvesting age and sugarcane varieties on cane yield, sugar yield, brix percent juice, pol percent, and recoverable sugar. Generally, the findings imply that as harvesting ages in month increase, brix percent juice, estimated recoverable sucrose, and sucrose percentage in both varieties were simultaneously increased. The findings suggested that B52/298 sugar cane variety with harvesting age between 14 and 16 is highly recommended to obtain optimum sugar cane yield and yield components at the tropical areas of Finchaa sugar factory.

Potassium application for sugarcane in a sandy loam Oxisol of the Brazilian Cerrado

The objective of this work was to evaluate rates and methods of potassium application for plant cane (Saccharum spp.) grown in a dystrophic Typic Haplustox with a sandy loam texture in the Brazilian Cerrado. The experiment was carried out in the municipality of Aporé, in the state of Goiás, using the RB92579 sugarcane variety. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks, with three replicates, in a 5x3 factorial arrangement, with five potassium rates (0, 60, 110, 160, and 200 kg ha-1 K2O as potassium chloride) and three application methods (100% at the bottom of the planting furrow and covered with soil, 100% side-dressed on the sugarcane rows 60 days after planting, and 50% in the planting furrow and 50% side-dressed). The amount of potassium in the stalks in the control treatment was greater than that of the potassium stock extractable by Mehlich-1 in the 0-60 cm soil layer. Stalk and sugar yields increase linearly with potassium rates, approximately 20% with 200 kg ha-1 K2O compared with the control treatment (without potassium). Potassium content in stalks also increases with potassium rates. There is no significant effect of the potassium application methods on stalk and sugar yields and on cane quality variables.

Chains of Causes and Conditions in Reed Work

The condition of the bassoon, breath support, cane quality, bocal, and fingerings all affect the success of our reeds; how to get to the primary causes of problems.

Competitiveness of different sugarcane industries in an era of low sugar prices

A surplus in global production over consumption in 2017-18, initially projected at 10 mn t of sugar mainly from boosted production in India, Thailand, European Union and other countries, resulted in a 10-year low price of sugar in August 2018. Due to the low price environment seen in 2017-18, even the most efficient sugar producing countries such as Brazil had production cost higher than the world market price. It was opportune to study the competitiveness of different sugarcane industries in Southern, Eastern, Central and Western Africa in comparison with large producers such as Brazil, India, Thailand and Australia. Parameters measured included the general situation of each industry, the production of cane (area cultivated, yield, productivity, cane quality, harvest and control, performance of small producers, price of cane and research, development and extension), milling of cane (number of factories, sugar production, milling efficiency, price of sugar locally and internationally) and diversification (biofuel, electricity cogeneration and others). The technical performance indicators usually used by sugar analysts across the world were used to compare the technical efficiency of the industries concerned in relation to their regional and world competitors. National policies implemented in each country were analysed. Explicit lessons were drawn from the complexity and diversity of sugar policy applied to industries around the globe. Armed with these lessons, stakeholders should be able to develop a reformed policy tool box for the sugar industry that will allow it to achieve the required efficiency at all levels.

Seasonal chemical sucrose losses in upstream and downstream products at a cane sugar factory

Measurement of sucrose losses across a cane sugar factory are notoriously difficult to measure directly or indirectly. Six loss trials were conducted at one factory across a Louisiana processing season; per trial, 40 samples were collected across four upstream and downstream unit processes. Sucrose losses were directly measured with gas chromatography using two equations based on (1) an increase in glucose/sucrose ratios on a RDS basis across a process, or a (2) a decrease in sucrose/RDS. When actual losses were <0.5%, eq. (2) did not detect losses due to the experimental error of the method being greater than the loss. Conversely, when high sucrose losses occurred, i.e., >0.5%, sucrose losses based on eq. (1) were lower than those based on eq. (2), because concomitant acid degradation of glucose occurred. Mean season losses were 2.56% equivalent to 4.89 lbs sucrose lost per short ton of cane and USD1,404,000, with values being much higher than previously reported. Mean losses were 2%, 24.8%, 58.6%, and 14.8% across the MJ tank, clarifier, two pre-evaporators (in series), and from the pre-evaporators to the final evaporator, respectively. 53% of total season losses occurred in early season when the cane quality was worst.

Exploitation of somaclonal variations for improvement of sugar recovery in sugarcane

Somaclonal variations present an excellent approach to introduce genetic diversity in sugarcane. Somaclones of NIA-2010, a high yielding variety with moderate sugar recovery, were developed through callus culture. After initial selection, fifteen somaclones were transplanted in field along with the parent, for two consecutive years. Some of the somaclones illustrated improved quantitative traits viz. height, girth, internodes length, and tillers per plant; whereas, cane quality related characters including CCS, sugar recovery and purity were enhanced in most of the tissue culture derived plants. However, none of the somaclones could surpass the parent in terms of sugar yield per ha. Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated a strong positive correlation of the cane quality related traits among each other. Analysis of genetic parameters depicted considerably greater genotypic variance than the environmental variance, and high heritability for all the characters studied. Two somaclones i.e. 1026-P24 and 1026-P12 showed exceptionally high cane quality traits as compared to other somaclones and the parent. Hence, they can serve as potential candidates for cultivation and adoptability in Pakistan.

Design and Experiments of Coaxial Contra-Rotating Sugarcane Base Cutter with Time-Frequency Control

A laboratory-based cutting platform with speed control was developed to investigate the cutting mechanism for the support-cutting of sugarcane. A coaxial contra-rotating base cutter was designed to facilitate sugarcane support-cutting in a laboratory setting. The cutting platform, which consists of two discs with cutting blades, was driven by two variable-frequency electric motors. To manipulate the speed of each motor independently, a time-frequency controller was designed to handle system nonlinearity and to maintain system stability subject to speed variation. To validate the cutter design, a series of idle running tests and cane-cutting tests were implemented using the laboratory-based cutting platform. The results indicated that the rotating speed of the two cutting discs could be adjusted smoothly. The controller capped the overshoot under 1% in the speed step response and kept the fluctuation of the speed difference of the two cutting discs at less than 2.5 rpm. Evaluating the cane quality of support-cutting against free-cutting showed that support-cutting decreased the stubble damage rate from 22.67% to as little as 6.67%. The results also suggested that the time-frequency-controlled cutting platform was feasible for subsequent investigation for a better understanding of sugarcane support-cutting, such as the variation of energy consumption or stubble damage rate with different rotating speed or different blade shape, which will provide constructive suggestions for the future base cutter design. Keywords: Base cutter, Support-cutting, Cutting platform, Time-frequency control.

Improving biological control of stalk borers in sugarcane by applying silicon as a soil amendment

The sugarcane stalk borers, Sesamia spp. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are the most destructive sugarcane insect pests in Iran. The efficiency of Telenomus busseolae Gahan (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) used alone or in combination with silicon fertilization was investigated for controlling the sugarcane stalk borers under field conditions. The treatments were: a combination of silicon plus multiple releases of 2,500 T. busseolae, and multiple releases of 5,000, 2,500 and 1,250 T. busseolae alone. Plots receiving no soil amendment or parasites were included as the controls. Three weeks after the first application of each treatment, 100 shoots were selected randomly from each plot and the percentage of dead heart was determined. Then, three months after the first application of parasites, the percentage of stalks damaged, the percentage of internodes bored, and the level of parasitism were determined. Finally, at harvest the percentage of stalks damaged, the percentage of internodes bored, and sugarcane quality characteristics were determined. Results indicated that the efficiency of parasitism increased when combined with an application of silicon fertilizer. The release of 2,500 T. busseolae followed by an application of silicon fertilizer decreased dead hearts to 4%, while 12% dead hearts was observed in the control plots. For the combination treatment, the percentages of stalk damage were 1.5% and 17.2%, at 3 weeks and 3 months after time release, respectively. However, the percentages of stalk damage were 35.2% and 51% when no treatment was applied. Cane quality was significantly higher with the application of silicon fertilizer plus the release of 2,500 T. busseolae, followed by releasing 5,000 Hymenoptera. The level of parasitism was also greater when parasites were released in combination with an application of silicon. We conclude that biological control by egg parasitoids can be enhanced with concurrent applications of silicon fertilizer as a soil amendment and thereby creating a more robust, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program of stalk borers in Iranian sugarcane fields.

The benefits of applied research: 37 years of discoveries, adaptations and solutions

The authors’ work started in fermentation in 1977 and in the 1980’s into sugar production and cane quality. Statistical analysis was a key factor for the success of improving yield in ethanol and sugar production as well as cane quality. Adaption of methods for industrial laboratories also was very important in relation to yield and in reduction of sugar losses in the factory. Methodologies to measure sugar losses occurring through degradation in the factory (evaporation) using ion chromatography and dry substance content with a digital density meter were adapted. The fermentation yield improved from 75% in 1977 to 92% in 2014, which was possible by adapting methods for live bacterial counting within 20 min, and by controlling contamination using antimicrobial products through research in the laboratory and the industry. Since 1990 yeasts for industrial fermentation were selected by karyotyping analysis of the nuclear chromosomes and in the last seven years based on mitochondrial DNA. The last technique made the “Process Driven Selection” possible, i.e. one or several yeast strains which fit each distillery. Floc formation in carbonated beverages is not only due to the Indicator Value (discovery by SPRI research group) but also to aconitic acid and calcium under Brazilian conditions.