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AGRICULTURE
COMMISSION
Papers & Posters
Titles
(Click on titles to access Abstracts)
agronomy &
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING
AGRONOMY
PAPERS
 AG1 |
Soil loss and declining sugarcane yields
on sloping land in Fiji
A.N. Ram, J.S. Gawander, A.D. Jokhan, K. Garan - Fiji
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AG2 |
The better sugarcane initiative - impacts and benefits on the
global sugarcane industry
R.
Quirk, H, Morar, R. Perkins, G. Kingston, W. Burnquist - Australia |
|
AG5 |
Integrated
agronomic practices for sustainable sugarcane production - a
report on the 2006 Agronomy workshop
K.F. Ng Kee Kwong
-
Mauritius |
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AG15 |
A new approach to implementing computer-based decision support for
sugarcane farmers and extension staff: the case of My Canesim
A. Singels - South Africa |
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AG18
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Improving cane productivity with dual row
planting in Mauritius
F.M. Ismael, S. Seeruttun, C. Barbe, A. Gaungoo - Mauritius |
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AG19 |
New herbicide tank-mix, Krismat® +
Dinamic®: A cost-effective broad-spectrum pre- & post-emergence
treatment for managing weeds in sugarcane
S. Seeruttun, C. Barbe, A. Gaungoo - Mauritius |
|
AG22 |
Recent advances to improve nitrogen use
efficiency of sugarcane in the South African sugar industry
J.H. Meyer, A.W. Schumann, R.A. Wood, D. Nixon, M. Van Den Berg -
South Africa |
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AG23 |
Minimum tillage: Ten years of experience
P. Prammanee, S. Saensupo, P. Weerathaworn, A. Sriwarome - Thailand
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AG25 |
Electrical resistivity measurements for fast and precise large
scale charaterization of the agricultural land of Cameroon Sugar
Society (SOSUCAM)
T. Viremouneix, L. Guiard, M. Dabas, B. Tsogo Zamba -
Cameroon |
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AG29 |
The effect of a novel system of vinasse
application on sugarcane growth and yield in China
Y-R. Li, Q-Z. Zhu, W-Z. Wang, S. Solomon -
China |
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AG32 |
Factors associated with a healthy soil in
sugarcane production in Kwazulu Natal
T. Van Antwerpen, R. Van Antwerpen, J.H. Meyer, P. Naidoo, S.
Berry, V.W. Spaull, K. Govender, P. Cadet, S. Rutherford, M. Laing
- South Africa |
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AG37 |
Ammonia volatilization from urease
inhibitor-treated urea applied to sugarcane trash blankets
H. Cantarella, P.C.O. Trivelin, T.L.M. Contin, F.L.F. Dias, R.
Rossetto, R. Marcelino, R.B. Coimbra, J.A. Quaggio - Brasil
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AG39 |
Dry matter production and N accumulation
in sugarcane for use as animal feed
S. Ishikawa, S. Ando, T. Sakaigaichi, Y. Terajima, M.Sugiura,
M. Matsuoka - Japan |
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AG42 |
Dual row planting - a system to increase
Thai farmers' cane yield and economic returns
T. Klomsa-ard, C. Prasantree,S. Jomsri, A. Tenglolai, P.
Prammanee, P. Weerathaworn - Thailand |
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AG46 |
Systems to balance production and
environmental goals of nitrogen fertiliser management
P.J. Thorburn, A.J. Webster, I.M. Biggs, J.S. Biggs, S.P.
Staunton, S.E. Park - Australia |
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AG47 |
Evaluating the impact of and capacity for
adaptation to climate change on sectors in the sugar industry
value chain in Australia
S. Park, M. Howden, H. Horan - Australia
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AG50 |
Practical methods of evaluating on-farm
irrigation systems
D. Musa - Swaziland |
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AG57 |
Site specific agriculture and
productivity in the Colombian sugar industry
C.H. Isaacs, J.A. Carbonell, A. Amaya, J.S. Torres, J.I.
Victoria, R. Quintero, A.E. Palma, J.H. Cock |
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AG59 |
Sugarcane water use and irrigation
requirements in a semi-arid environment
R.P. Wiedenfeld - USA |
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AG60 |
Effects of trash, vinasse and nitrogen
application on ratoon sugarcane
A.A. Casagrande, P.R.S. Buzolin, M.A. Mutton, M.J.R. Mutton,
M.S. Campos - Brasil |
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AG64 |
Microbial degradation of post-harvest
residues
R.M. Johnson, R.P. Viator, M.P. Grisham, E.P. Richard, Jr, R.
Boopathy - USA |
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AG74 |
Allelopathic effects of sugarcane
post-harvest residue
F. Villegas, J.S. Torres, J.E. Larrahondo, D.F. Restrepo - Colombia
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GO TOP
AGRONOMY POSTERS
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AGP1 |
Fall panicum (Panicum dichotmiflorum) control and crop safety with
hexazinone and diuron combinations in Florida sugarcane
C.E. Rainbolt
- USA |
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AGP3 |
Sugarcane reduces soil erosion by more than 80% in five major soil
groups of Mauritius
S. Seeruttun, D. Ah Koon, F.M. Ismael, R. Ng Cheong
- Mauritius |
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AGP4 |
Performance of exogenous sugarcane germplasm on mineral soils of
Florida, USA
R.A. Gilbert, J.D. Miller, J.C. Comstock, B. Glaz, S.J. Edme
- USA |
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AGP6 |
Effects of various green manures on soil nutrient status
S. Berry, R. Rhodes
- South Africa |
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AGP7 |
Developing systematic management for whole-farm infestations of
Cynodon dactylon in sugarcane
P.L. Campbell, D. Armstrong, G. Ogilvie
- South Africa |
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AGP9 |
Effect of a trash blanket on irrigation water use efficiency of
sugarcane
F.C. Olivier, A. Singels
- South Africa |
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AGP10 |
TSIGANE: an online geographic information system and decision support
tool for the management of sugarcane production
P. Todoroff, J-B Laurent
- Guadeloupe |
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AGP11 |
Effects of seedcane quality on sugarcane yield components in Tucuman
(Argentina)
M.I. Cuenya, M.B. Garcia, C. Diaz Romero, S. Ostengo, D. Costilla, E.R.
Romero -
Argentina |
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AGP12 |
Sugarcane potential trash estimation: Variety and cane yield effect
E.R. Romero, J. Scandaliaris, P. Digonzelli, L. Alonso, F. Leggio Neme,
J. Giardina, S. Casen, J. Tonatto, J. Fernandez de Ullivarri
- Argentina |
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AGP13 |
Sugarcane burning statistics using remote sensing technology in
Tucuman - Argentina
J. Tonatto, J. Fernandez de Ullivarri, J. Alonso, E.R. Romero
- Argentina |
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AGP14 |
Effects of potassium on photosynthesis and sugar yield in sugarcane
T. Azama, Y. Kawamitsu, Y. Fukuzawa, M. Ueno, Y. Komiya
- Japan |
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AGP15 |
Incorporating the Canegro model into the DSSAT V4 crop modelling
system
M. Jones, C. Porter, J.W. Jones, G. Hoogenboom, A. Singels, J. Shine,
R. Nayamuth, G. Kingston, S. Chinorumba, M. Van den Berg
- South Africa |
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AGP16 |
Sugarcane yields and soil chemical properties due to mill mud
application to a sandy soil
D.R. Morris, R.A. gilbert, C.R. Rainbolt, R.E. Perdomo, G. Powell, B.
Eiland, G. Montes
- USA |
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AGP17 |
Integrated practices for an improved sustainable, subtropical
sugarcane industry: A case study
R.G. Quirk, T.G. Zwemer
- Australia |
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AGP18 |
You don't have to be M.A.D. but it helps-changing a whole farming
system
M.J. North, D.K. Bartlett, A.C. Durrington, P.J. McGuire
- Australia |
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AGP19 |
A web-based system for scheduling irrigation in sugarcane
N.G. Inman-Bamber, S.J. Attard, W.A. Webb, C. Baillie
- Australia |
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AGP21 |
Effect of rate and split application of nitrogen on agronomic
characteristics, cane yield and juice quality
Sreewarome, A. Saensupo, S. Prammanee, P. Weerathaworn
- Thailand |
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AGP24 |
Changes in soil physical parameters of a virgin soil due to compaction
by commercial sugarcane haulage vehicles
R. Van Antwerpen, P.W.L. Lyne, E. Meyer, M. Brouwers
- South Africa |
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AGP26 |
Thiamethoxam stimulates sugarcane stalk productivity
M.A. Mutton, M.J.R. Mutton, O. Euzebio Filho, G. Nakamura, P. Aramaki
- Brazil |
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AGP28 |
Sugarcane nutrition through rain gun sprinkler irrigation
P.P. Shinde, A.S. Deshmukh
- India |
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AGP29 |
Better management of acid sulfate soils improves drainage, water
quality and sugarcane yields
R. G. Quirk, M.D. Melville, I. White, B.C.T. Macdonald, A.F. Keene
-
Australia |
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AGP30 |
FIVE-CoRe: A simple model for Farm Irrigation volume estimates
according to constraints and requirements. Application to sugarcane in
Reunion (France)
J.L. Chopart, M. Mezino, L. Le Mezo, J.L Fusillier
- Reunion |
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AGP31 |
Metribuzin and Atrazine adsorption by sugarcane residue
H.M. Selim, B.J. Naquin
- USA |
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AGP32 |
SuSFarMS environmental management system an extension tool for
implementing better management practices in sugarcane
G.W. Maher
- South Africa |
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AGP34 |
Sugarcane yields in the Ivory Coast as influenced by soil water
balance over two critical growth stages
C.B. Pene, S.G. Koulibaly
- Ivory Coast |
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AGP37 |
Evaluation of bagasse and filter mud as sources of organic matter on
the quality and quantity of sugarcane
L. Abdullahi, A.A. Moezzi, H. Amerikhah, A.A. Khdemalrasoul
- Iran |
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AGP38 |
Exploratory trials: valuable insights, or a waste of resources?
R. Rhodes, R. Van Antwerpen, S. Berry
- South Africa |
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AGP39 |
Effect of organic ameliorants to improve soils using sugarcane as a
model
R. Tangkoonboribun, S. Ruaysoongnern, P. Vityakon, B. Toomsan, M.S.
Rao -
Thailand |
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AGP40 |
Agroclimatic and hydrological response surfaces for sugarcane
production in South Africa
C.N. Bezuidenhout, P.J. Hull, R.E. Schulze, M. Maharaj, P.W.L. Lyne
- South
Africa |
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AGP41 |
Early and late-season screening of sugarcane varieties in northern
Ivory Coast
C.B. Pene, K. Tuo
- Ivory Coast |
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AGP42 |
Soil dynamics and cane yield as influenced by organic and inorganic
manures in a sugarcane system
R.B. Khandagave
- India |
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AGP43 |
Use of physiological parameters to detect differences in drought
tolerance among sugarcane genotypes
M.A. Silva, J.A.G. Da Silva, J.L. Jifon, V. Sharma
- USA |
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AGP44 |
Manipulation of cutting age, varieties and planting time to improve
sugar and cane yield
R. B. Khandagave, B.H. Patil
- India |
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AGP45 |
Sodic soil management of the sugarcane area in western Thailand
C. Khodphuwiang, P. Kongyoo, P. Prammanee, P. Weerathaworn
- Thailand |
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AGP46 |
Variety evaluation in the South African sugarcane industry: an
overview
S. Ramburan, K.A. Redshaw, M. Van den Berg
- South Africa |
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AGP48 |
Evaluation of pump delivery rates in the Swaziland sugar industry
P.V. Mkhaliphi, M.V. Dlamini
- Swaziland |
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AGP49 |
Quantifying the effects of environment and genotype on plant
elongation rate in sugarcane
M.A. Smit, A. Singels
- South Africa |
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AGP52 |
The infestation of Mahanarva fimbriolata (stal, 1854) affects
cane quality, juice clarification and syrup production
M.J.R. Mutton, L.L. Madaleno, L.E. Presotti, G.C. Raveneli, M.A.
Mutton -
Brazil |
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AGP53 |
Ethanol production in spittlebug-infested sugarcane
M.J.R. Mutton, M.A. Mutton, G.C. Raveneli, T.D. Goncalves, L.L.
Madaleno, L.E. Presotti, E.R. Guimaraes
- Brazil |
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AGP54 |
Free proline accumulation in spittlebug-infested sugarcane
E.R. Guimaraes, M.A. Mutton, M.I.T. Ferro, M.J.R. Mutton, D.B. Kalaki
- Brazil |
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AGP57 |
Evaluation of MOSICAS sugarcane growth model in Brazil
M.S. Bernardes, C. Suguitani, P.R. Laclau, J. Martine, J. Chopart
- Brazil |
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AGP58 |
A sustainable crop fertilization program for a sugar factory in
Chiapas, Mexico
S. Salgado-Garcia, D. Palma-Lopez, J. Zavala-Cruz, L. Lagunes-Espinoza,
M. Castelan-Estrada, F. Ortiz-Garcia, J. Juarez-Lopez, J.
Rincon-Ramirez
- Mexico |
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AGP59 |
Soil tillage methods in unburnt, mechanically harvested systems
F.L.F. Dias, I. Andrioli, R. Rossetto, M.A. Mutton, A. Casagrande
- Brazil |
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AGP60 |
Effects of different organic fertilisers, associated or not with
chemical fertilizers, in the production of sugarcane and the
theoretical yield of cachaca
J.C. Garcia, L.A.B. Andrade
- Brazil |
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AGP61 |
Analysis and forecasting of the sucrose content of sugarcane crops
during the harvest period in Reunion Island
J.F. Martine
- Reunion |
GO TOP
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING
PAPERS
|
AE1 |
Sequence of
tillage practices and reduction of land preparation costs on a
Mollisol of the Cauca Valley, Colombia
J.S. Torres, G.A. Criollo, R.Franco - Colombia
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AE2 |
Productivity improvement under green
cane harvesting conditions
C. Norris, J.C. Mirande, R. Guillen, E. Jacquin, C. Richard, P.
Lyne, J. Scandaliaris
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AE5 |
Performance
of irrigation systems and water use of sugarcane: A field to
catchment scale perspective
N.L. Lecler, D.J. Clark, R.E. Schulze, B.A.K. Griffiths, J.C.
Smithers - South Africa
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AE6 |
Development
and modification of machinery for an improved farming system in the
Australian sugar industry
J.G. Kidd, B.G. Robotham, C. Whiteing, A.L. Garside - Australia
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AE7 |
Sugarcane
trash collection at the small farms in southern India
H. Vincent Paul, M. Krishnamurthi -
India |
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AE8 |
Mill-scale
supply chain and logistics model integration for improved decision
support
P.Y. Le Gal, C.N. Bezuidenhout, P.W.L. Lyne - France
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AE9 |
Evaluation
of green-cane harvesting and crop management with a trash-blanket
O. Nunez, E. Spaans - Ecuador
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AE14 |
High
efficient diagnosis of sugarcane farm land using NIR spectroscopy
networking system
E. Taira, M. Ueno, Yoshinobu, R. Matsukawa - Japan
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AE15 |
A review of the cane haulage problems at Hippo Valley Estates
S. Chidoma -
Zimbabwe |
|
AE16 |
Mechanization of sugarcane production in
India
R.N.S. Yadav - India
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AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING POSTERS
GO TOP
AGRONOMY PAPERS
ABSTRACTS
AG1_abstract
SOIL LOSS AND DECLINING SUGARCANE YIELDS ON SLOPING LAND IN FIJI
By
A.N. RAM1, J.S. GAWANDER1, A.D. JOKHAN2,
and K. GARAN1
1Sugar
Research Institute of Fiji, FIJI
2Faculty
of Science and Technology, University of the South Pacific, FIJI
ashween@fsc.com.fj
Keywords:
Erosion, Trash Mulch, High Rainfall, Management Practices, Soil
Conservation
Abstract
Growing
sugarcane on sloping land receiving high-intensity rainfalls causes
extensive soil erosion in Fiji. This soil loss and accompanying declining
cane yields on undulating terrain is of major concern to the Fijian sugar
industry. In recent years, growers have not only abandoned best
management practices to conserve the soil, but they have also uprooted the
borders of vetiver grass. This, to a large extent, has accelerated the
loss of top soil and thus soil degradation causing, with the burning of
trash, the yield to decline even more rapidly. As quantitative data on
erosion from field plots are scanty in Fiji, an experiment was initiated
on a sloping cane farm (8° slope) to determine soil loss under different
management practices and impact on the cane yield of the plant cane and of
ratoon crops. The different management practices studied were sugarcane
planted across slope, sugarcane planted uphill and downhill, cane planted
across the slope with vetiver grass grown as hedgerow, and trash cover
with cane planted across slope. There was significant (P<0.05) difference
in cane yield in the plant-cane crop. In ratoons, there were no
significant differences among treatments. However, the plots in which
trash was conserved and cane planted across the slope maintained yields
better than the other three treatments. Soil loss was largely affected by
the different planting strategies associated with the conservation
practices. Trash acted as a protective layer under high rainfall, and 153
and 221 kg soil/ha/y were eroded in the first- and second-ratoon crops,
respectively. Where the sugarcane was planted uphill and downhill soil
losses were 16 376, 259 and 2274 kg/ha/y, in plant cane and the two ratoon
crops, respectively. The very low soil loss in the first-ratoon crop is
attributed to the drought conditions of that year. Planting sugarcane
across the slope, conserving trash mulch, and keeping a vetiver hedgerow
therefore reduces soil erosion and, with increasing period of cultivation,
will sustain cane production to provide stable economic returns to Fijian
farmers.
GO TOP
AG2_abstract
The Better Sugarcane Initiative – Impacts and Benefits on the Global
Sugarcane Industry
by
R. Quirk 1, H. Morar 2, R. Perkins 3, G.
Kingston 4, and W. Burnquist 5
1
Cane grower – Australia, 2 Tate & Lyle – UK, 3 WWF
– UK,
4 BSES Limited – Australia, 5 Cane Technology Centre
– Brazil
rgquirk@bigpond.com
KEYWORDS:
Sustainability, environmental impacts, cane growing, sugar milling, Better
Sugarcane
Abstract
An
international conference in London in June 2005 confirmed that several
producers and processors of sugarcane were committed to the common goal of
production and processing of sugarcane in an environmentally, socially,
and economically sustainable manner. This goal will be met through the
Better Sugarcane Initiative (BSI). Stakeholders will engage in a
constructive dialogue to define and develop relevant performance-based and
verifiable standards to describe practices within the value chain for
sustainable sugarcane systems. The BSI will also foster implementation of
improved management practices to effect measurable reduction in key
impacts, as there is evidence that more sustainable practices can result
in improved profitability.
To
achieve this goal the participants in the BSI have agreed:
-
To
maintain open, honest, and respectful communications;
-
To
develop a protocol for external communications related to the BSI
including the use of sensitive data;
-
To
respect differences in experience and opinion, recognizing that impacts
will differ from farm to farm and region to region, as will the ability
to reduce impacts;
-
To form
a steering committee that reflects the interests of the range of
stakeholders interested in Better Sugarcane;
-
To
address the key global impacts associated with growing and processing
sugarcane in the following areas:
-
Field
environmental impacts associated with soil health, water use,
generation of effluents and habitat loss;
-
Labour issues ranked as work place health and safety, child labour,
casualisation of labour and wage levels;
-
Community impacts including access to water, health and education;
-
Processing impacts ranked as food and worker safety, mill
environmental issues and water use.
We
provide background to the BSI, on how it may impact international
sugarcane industries and plans for initiatives. We draw on our
international experiences and knowledge to inform the conference as to the
Best Management Practices (BMP) in their countries of origin and
associations, and will be looking for assistance to broaden this knowledge
for the betterment of the global sugar industry.
GO TOP
AG5_abstract
INTEGRATED AGRONOMIC PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLE SUGARCANE PRODUCTION – A
REPORT ON THE 2006 AGRONOMY WORKSHOP
By
K.F NG KEE KWONG
Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute
RNKKwong@msiri.intnet.mu
The 2006
Agronomy Workshop was held from 22 to 26 May 2006 in Khon Kaen, Thailand.
The response by sugar cane technologists to the Workshop was very positive
with the presence of 92 participants coming from 16 different countries
(41 of them travelling from overseas). The scene for discussion and
interaction among the technologists was set by 30 oral presentations and
10 posters divided under the five following specific themes:
- New/refined technologies for sustainable sugar cane production
-
Ratoon yield decline and its management
-
Soil
management and the utilization of plant residues
-
Challenge of environmental pressure and strategy for the sugar cane
grower
-
Modelling sugar cane growth and production
It
emerged at the Workshop that the key for sustainable sugar cane production
lies in soil organic matter conservation. The benefits from measures that
enhance and conserve soil organic matter can, however, be gauged most
often in the medium or long term through the improvement in soil health.
Though soil organic matter conservation and build up in the soil are most
critical for better management practices, it was also clear that research
findings should not be considered as universally applicable and should be
tested under the specific local conditions.
GO TOP
AG15_final
A new approach to implementing computer-based decision
support for
sugarcane farmers and extension staff
THE CASE OF MY CANESIM
by
A.
SINGELS
South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI)
Private Bag X02, Mount Edgecombe, 4300, South Africa
abraham.singels@sugar.org.za
KEYWORDS:
Crop model, irrigation, decision support, extension, Internet, weather
data.
Abstract
Sugarcane production
regularly requires complex and quick decision-making under ever changing
conditions. Adoption of computer-based decision support systems has been
disappointing. This paper reviews a new approach to developing and
implementing decision support for sugarcane production. The main
features are (1) use of state-of-the-art technology, (2) limiting users’
exposure to system complexity, and (3) participation of users in system
design and implementation.
The My Canesim
system consists of a sugarcane model, an on-line weather database and a
communication network. The system uses basic field data, initially
entered by the user via the Internet, to calculate the soil and crop
status for each day of the growing season as the season progresses.
The system was implemented on
a pilot scale on two small-scale irrigation schemes in Pongola and
Makhathini, South Africa. Farmers, extension staff and mill cane supply
management contributed to the design of the web interface, the advice and
the reports generated by the system. Irrigation advice and yield
estimates are disseminated weekly to 39 farmers using cell phone text
messages. Summaries for each scheme are faxed to three extension officers
and to mill management. Reports containing detailed information such as
estimated current and predicted future cane yield, sucrose content and
soil water deficit can be downloaded from the website.
The study revealed various
inefficient irrigation practices that could be eliminated and showed that
significant savings in irrigation water and costs could be achieved by
following the advice. System reports served as a useful benchmark of field
and crop status. These reports were used by extension staff as a basis
for discussion during field visits and by mill management as an indicator
of crops that are ready for harvesting.
It is believed that a similar
approach could be followed to support other aspects of crop production,
e.g. fertilizer management and harvest scheduling.
GO TOP
Dual row
planting, consisting of pairs of cane rows 0.5 m apart with 1.8 m between
their centres, was studied in twelve field trials between 1999 and 2004.
Dual rows were compared to the standard row spacing of 1.6 m. Two N
fertilizer rates (normal and + 25%) and two cane sett densities (normal
and a reduced amount) were included as treatments in the early trials
whereas the response of sugarcane varieties to the new spacing was
evaluated later. Increases in cane yields with dual row planting varied
between 3% and 28% depending on cane varieties; M 1400/86 and R 579 were
the most responsive with a mean increase varying between 8% and 16%.
Yields of plant and ratoon cane showed that dual rows can be planted with
an equivalent amount of cane setts and using the same rate of fertilizer
as for the conventional spacing. No difference in sucrose content has been
observed between the two spacings. Weed management improved with dual
rows; and critical periods of weed competition were shortened by at least
four weeks. Mechanized harvest of dual rows at some of the sites showed
that the pairs of rows can be cut simultaneously without any difficulty;
the efficiency of the machines also improved with less driving distance
per hectare, less turning time and a higher pour rate. Dual row planting
is being increasingly adopted as initial results from commercially planted
fields are confirming the gain in productivity.
GO TOP
New weed
management strategies are being developed to reduce the amount and cost of
herbicides used within the Mauritian sugar industry. One approach consists
of applying herbicides a few weeks after planting or harvest at the
beginning of the critical period of weed competition, with the goal of
controlling emerged weeds and providing long-term residual activity. With
this objective, new herbicides Krismat (trifloxysulfuron + ametryn) and
Dinamic (amicarbazone) were tested alone or in tank-mixes in both plant
and ratoon cane. When applied pre-emergence to weeds, Krismat (1.5-1.8 kg
a.i./ha) and Dinamic (1.05 and 1.4 kg a.i./ha) were found to be comparable
to the standards. Krismat was less effective on Digitaria horizontalis
and D. timorensis while Dinamic did not control Cyperus rotundus,
Paspalum spp. and Kyllinga spp.; tank-mixing lower rates of
the two herbicides overcame their weaknesses while maintaining a residual
activity over 14 to 16 weeks. With early post-emergence applications, both
Krismat and Dinamic were effective on many broad-leaved weeds and some
grasses. The efficacy of Krismat on Paspalum spp., C. rotundus
and other sedges, and that of Dinamic on Digitaria horizontalis
compensated for their individual inefficacies when they were tank-mixed.
The tank-mix, Krismat + Dinamic (1.5 + 0.875-1.05 kg a.i./ha) did not
cause crop injury in young plant or ratoon cane. The efficacy (pre- and
post-emergence) of the new tank-mix offers a new perspective for managing
weeds in sugarcane, as delaying of the first herbicide application will
result in savings of at least one herbicide treatment per season.
GO TOP
RECENT ADVANCES TO IMPROVE
NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY OF SUGARCANE IN THE
SOUTH AFRICAN SUGAR INDUSTRY
by
J.H. MEYER1, A.W. SCHUMANN2, R.A. WOOD3,
D. NIXON4,
M. VAN DEN BERG1
1South
African Sugar Research Institute,2University of Florida,3
Sugarcane consultant,4Booker Tate.
SASRI, P/Bag X02, Mount Edgecombe 4300
jan.meyer@sugar.org.za
KEYWORDS:
Nitrogen, N mineralisation, urea, N volatilisation, leaf N
Abstract
The
nitrogen requirement of sugarcane in South Africa has been the subject of
extensive research. Results of more than 200 trials conducted over the
past four decades have shown that the response to applied N can be highly
variable and that N use efficiency by the crop can be influenced by
ecological factors such as season, rainfall, nature of the soil as well as
cultural practices that include variety, irrigation, N form, rate, timing
and method of N placement. Local research results are reviewed and
specific outcomes that have modified N use efficiency include:
·
Soil
specific nitrogen fertiliser recommendations for the main agro-climatic
zones that are based on soil organic matter status and the potential of
the soil to release N;
·
For advisory
purposes, an analytical method based on Near Infra‑red Reflectance
Spectroscopy (NIRS) was pioneered to rapidly measure the organic matter
and nitrogen mineralisation potential of soil;
·
A new
laboratory test to predict potential ammonia volatilisation losses from
surface-applied urea fertiliser;
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