Sugar IndustryPub Date : 2024-01-29DOI: 10.36961/si30894
Aneta Antczak-Chrobot, M. Wojtczak
{"title":"The impact of exopolysaccharides on the purification process – filtration, sedimentation and particle size distribution","authors":"Aneta Antczak-Chrobot, M. Wojtczak","doi":"10.36961/si30894","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36961/si30894","url":null,"abstract":"Processing of frost-damaged beet remains a significant topical issue for the sugar industry. The growth of microbiological infections in frost-damaged beet leads to several changes in the chemical composition of beet. Microorganisms play a major role in the hydrolysis of sucrose and the production of various metabolites, especially exopolysaccharides. Exopolysaccharides in the raw juice disrupt in normal processing operations, especially purification.\u0000The paper shows how exopolysaccharides influence calcium-sludge particles’ size distribution, filtration, and sedimentation during juice purification. The research was conducted under laboratory conditions using standard dextran and exopolysaccharides extracted from degraded beet of different origins.\u0000Findings indicate that the natural exopolysaccharides extracted from the deteriorated sugar beet adversely impacted the purification process more strongly than dextran.","PeriodicalId":508525,"journal":{"name":"Sugar Industry","volume":"11 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139591734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sugar IndustryPub Date : 2024-01-29DOI: 10.36961/si30896
Marius W. Adendorff, A. Jumman, Aresti Paraskevopoulos
{"title":"Adoption of irrigation scheduling in the South African sugarcane industry: the use of a demonstration trial to bring about change","authors":"Marius W. Adendorff, A. Jumman, Aresti Paraskevopoulos","doi":"10.36961/si30896","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36961/si30896","url":null,"abstract":"In the South African sugarcane industry, as in many countries, poor adoption of irrigation scheduling is common, leading to ineffective use of irrigation water and loss in yield and income. The reasons for the lack of adoption include economic constraints, difficulty with implementation and human perceptions. To demonstrate the benefits of effective irrigation scheduling under local conditions, a demonstration trial was conducted over 5 years at Pongola, South Africa. Here, a fixed irrigation schedule (control) was compared with three scheduling treatments: (1) the MyCanesim® computer model with data from an automatic weather station; (2) soil-water data from a capacitance probe; and (3) a combination treatment, where MyCanesim® was integrated with a capacitance probe. The number of stress days from either under- or over-irrigation, along with the RV (recoverable value) yield, irrigation applied, irrigation water productivity (IWP) and financial benefits was used to assess each treatment. The adoption of irrigation scheduling was also evaluated through farmer surveys before and after the trial. When compared to the fixed-cycle control, the use of irrigation-scheduling techniques resulted in an increase of up to 13% in RV yield, a reduction of up to 58% in irrigation water applied, improved IWP of up to 23.9 t cane/100 mm of irrigation and financial benefits of up to ZAR10,487/(ha · a) (USD698/(ha · a)). The combination treatment incurred the least water-stress days, 79% lower than the control. Farmer surveys showed an increase of 45% in the adoption of irrigation scheduling, from 11% (n = 111) in 2014 to 56% (n = 100) in 2020. Although site-specific, the trial results show substantial benefits that can be realised by scheduling irrigation. The trial results compare well to other similar studies, showing that the results can be used in other areas to promote the adoption of irrigation scheduling.","PeriodicalId":508525,"journal":{"name":"Sugar Industry","volume":"4 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139591889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sugar IndustryPub Date : 2024-01-29DOI: 10.36961/si30916
Stefan Paulus, Lea Pichler, Abel Barreto
{"title":"Using spectral sensing in plant science","authors":"Stefan Paulus, Lea Pichler, Abel Barreto","doi":"10.36961/si30916","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36961/si30916","url":null,"abstract":"Digital cameras are widely used tools for plant monitoring in plant science today. Used to track plant growth or even visible symptoms, they are important tools for breeding and plant protection field trials. Nevertheless, its extension to measure the near infrared (NIR) region (700–1000 nm) includes great potential as plants show a higher light reflectance within this spectrum. Various applications have shown its use for disease detection, quantification, virus content estimation, and stress monitoring. As the next step is a comprehensive integration into agricultural routines, this study will show two use-cases with a high technological readiness level. One use-case shows a handheld multispectral sensor, which is used for manual measurements to detect and discriminate different virus types in sugar beet. In contrast, the second use-case shows a transfer to an UAV based disease quantification routine based on spectral imaging for Cercospora leaf spot. In addition, two prototypical workflows are shown for processing non-imaging and imaging spectral data in an agricultural setting. This study shows the state of the art in spectral sensing in the field for the two major sugar beet diseases – virus yellows and Cercospora leaf spot. Furthermore a future perspective for coming technological challenges regarding the integration of AI in sensors or robotic workflows is provided.","PeriodicalId":508525,"journal":{"name":"Sugar Industry","volume":"4 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139591892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sugar IndustryPub Date : 2024-01-29DOI: 10.36961/si30898
F. Budeguer, J. Racedo, R. Enrique, M.F. Perera, S. Ostengo, A.S. Noguera
{"title":"Transgenic sugarcane for the sustainable management of the sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis","authors":"F. Budeguer, J. Racedo, R. Enrique, M.F. Perera, S. Ostengo, A.S. Noguera","doi":"10.36961/si30898","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36961/si30898","url":null,"abstract":"The sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis is a major pest of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) in the Americas. The insect is partially controlled by cultural, biological, and chemical methods but still causes significant economic losses to sugarcane growers and processors. Currently, one of the most efficient strategies for pest control in other crops is the use of transgenic plants harbouring genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which encode crystalline proteins (Cry and/or Vip) with insecticidal activity, known as Bt genes/proteins. In sugarcane, the expression of individual Bt proteins has been previously reported, but not the stacking of two or more Bt proteins. In this study, Bt genes were incorporated by microprojectile bombardment into embryogenic sugarcane calli of the clones TUC 95-10 and TUC 03-12. The presence of the transgenes in 33 transgenic lines was verified by using PCR assays. Subsequently, transgenic lines were acclimated and multiplied in the greenhouse to generate vegetative material for their phenotypic and molecular assessments. The expression levels of transcripts in candidate lines were quantified by real time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) assays. In conclusion, transgenic sugarcane lines with a higher level of expression of Bt transcripts compared with the control were developed. These promising lines will be used for future phenotypic tests to determine their resistance against D. saccharalis.","PeriodicalId":508525,"journal":{"name":"Sugar Industry","volume":"9 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139591744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sugar IndustryPub Date : 2023-12-22DOI: 10.36961/si30823
Kent Selby, Gabriel Fraga, Ross Broadfoot, Ashley Curran
{"title":"On-line monitoring of C seed magma using the ITECA Crystobserver to improve performance","authors":"Kent Selby, Gabriel Fraga, Ross Broadfoot, Ashley Curran","doi":"10.36961/si30823","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36961/si30823","url":null,"abstract":"A microscope system, the Crystobserver (supplied by ITECA, France), was installed on the C seed evaporating crystallizer at Condong Mill, Australia, to monitor the crystal development in real-time. The system provides a high-quality image and measures important parameters such as average crystal size and number of crystals in the image. Analysis of data collected over two seasons confirms that the system is reliable in obtaining images with sufficient clarity to assist the operators in remotely monitoring the crystal development from shortly after slurry addition. The reliability of the measurements is satisfactory once the crystals are larger than 30 µm through to near the end of the C seed when the crystal density in the screen is high. The operators have found the Crystobserver to be very beneficial, allowing them to take corrective actions such as changing the amount of slurry addition or the purity of the feed syrup more quickly. The software in the system stores historical data from several strikes, including images and key parameters that can be accessed readily. The installation, microscope and software features and potential benefits to a raw sugar mill are described.","PeriodicalId":508525,"journal":{"name":"Sugar Industry","volume":"65 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139163252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sugar IndustryPub Date : 2023-12-22DOI: 10.36961/si30825
Lawrence Di Bella, Graeme Holzberger, Rhiannan Harragon, Anthony Young
{"title":"Comparing RSD screening methods for sugarcane and the real costs of diagnosis","authors":"Lawrence Di Bella, Graeme Holzberger, Rhiannan Harragon, Anthony Young","doi":"10.36961/si30825","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36961/si30825","url":null,"abstract":"Ratoon stunting disease (RSD) is caused by the bacterium Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli. The disease causes significant yield losses in sugarcane crops (Saccharum hybrids) throughout the world. Three diagnostic techniques for detecting RSD in fields in the Herbert sugarcane region were assessed in 2022: qPCR on leaf sheath biopsy samples (LSB-qPCR); qPCR on expressed xylem sap; and phase-contrast microscopy (PCM) on expressed xylem sap. The LSB-qPCR leaf sheath biopsy is taken from the lowest green leaf sheath of the plant. Differences among techniques were compared for confirmation of the presence or lack of RSD detected, the time required to collect and process samples, the fee to undertake the sampling, safety considerations and transport costs. Differences were identified among the three sampling methods concerning RSD detection, costs associated with sample collection, processing, and some safety related issues. LSB-qPCR was the most efficient and cost-effective diagnostic platform for RSD.","PeriodicalId":508525,"journal":{"name":"Sugar Industry","volume":"136 46","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139163892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sugar IndustryPub Date : 2023-12-22DOI: 10.36961/si30824
Peter Larsen, Carla Atkinson, Joanne Stringer
{"title":"Use of mill by-products in the fallow in sugarcane production in Australia","authors":"Peter Larsen, Carla Atkinson, Joanne Stringer","doi":"10.36961/si30824","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36961/si30824","url":null,"abstract":"Mill by-products such as mud, ash and mud/ash mixtures are known to increase cane and sugar yields. Traditionally, Australian growers broadcast these by-products in the fallow at rates greater than 150 t/ha. However, growers are now banding by-products at less than 100 t/ha, with few guidelines on how to maximise their returns from this practice. Eight commercial size replicated, randomised strip trials were established in bare fallows between Ingham and Proserpine to investigate the impact of by-products banded between 35 and 100 t/ha and broadcast between 140 and 200 t/ha on cane yield, CCS and grower net revenue compared to standard grower fallow practices. The trials were harvested each year over the crop cycle using a commercial harvester. Tonnes of cane harvested and mill CCS provided by the receiving sugar mill were used to calculate tonnes of cane per hectare and grower net revenue per hectare using the Australian cane payment method for each plot in a trial. The application of mud, mud/ash and ash increased cane yield with ash ≥ mud/ash >> mud. The greater the quantity of by-product applied, the greater the cane yield. Conversely, CCS decreased linearly with the quantity of mud, mud/ash, or ash applied. CCS was lowest in mud << mud/ash ≤ ash. Cumulative grower net revenue at the end of the crop cycle was greatest in ash > mud/ash >> mud and was greatest at application rates of 35–50 t/ha > 70–100 t/ha > 140–200 t/ha. Broadcasting mud at 200 t/ha resulted in the growers not recovering the cost of application. Banding by-products containing mud/ash and ash at 100 t/ha or less resulted in the grower recovering the cost of the product by the second or third ratoon. By-products applied at rates as low as 50 t/ha reduced CCS, and further research is needed to improve guidelines on nutrient and water management so that growers using these by-products can maximize their profitability.","PeriodicalId":508525,"journal":{"name":"Sugar Industry","volume":"28 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139165097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sugar IndustryPub Date : 2023-11-27DOI: 10.36961/si30706
Joshua Douglas, Tewodros Kassa Dada, Alex Xiaofei Duan, Elsa Antunes
{"title":"Sugarcane bagasse pyrolysis for green energy production","authors":"Joshua Douglas, Tewodros Kassa Dada, Alex Xiaofei Duan, Elsa Antunes","doi":"10.36961/si30706","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36961/si30706","url":null,"abstract":"Modern life depends on fossil fuels, an unrenewable resource, continually being depleted. As a result, developing viable alternatives is necessary. Pyrolysis, a thermochemical process using high temperatures to decompose organic matter in the absence of oxygen, has been highlighted as a possible solution. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of particle size, peak temperature and the addition of the Cu-SrO/ZSM-5 catalyst on the quality of bio-oil produced from sugarcane bagasse feedstock. The bagasse was sieve-separated into four size classes: <425 μm, <600 μm, <2.36 mm, and Raw (unseparated). Each size fraction was evaluated for baseline physical and chemical properties and applicability to pyrolytic bio-oil generation. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy were performed on the bagasse feedstock to understand its physical and thermal properties better. TGA was used to understand the thermal decomposition of the sugarcane bagasse with and without catalyst influence, as well as to study the bagasse kinetic properties. Pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) was performed on catalytic and non-catalytic samples to evaluate the chemical product distribution. The quality of the bio-oil is based on maximising hydrocarbons and minimising the concentration of oxygenated compounds in the yield. Fibrous rind presents better quality bio-oil, and the inclusion of a catalyst greatly increases the concentration of hydrocarbons. The calorific value of the bio-oil was approximately 34.15 MJ kg–1 compared to 14.8 ± 0.4 MJ kg–1 of the feedstock bagasse. Therefore, the sugarcane bagasse’s energy density was increased through application of pyrolytic decomposition. This study presents valuable implications on the Australian sugar industry as a way to increase the potential profit from bagasse assets and increase the domestic availability of liquid fuels.","PeriodicalId":508525,"journal":{"name":"Sugar Industry","volume":"276 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139231530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sugar IndustryPub Date : 2023-11-27DOI: 10.36961/si30707
Barry Salter, Eric Kok, Zofia Ostatek-Boczynski
{"title":"Crop response to fertiliser nitrogen on a sodic soil in the Central Region","authors":"Barry Salter, Eric Kok, Zofia Ostatek-Boczynski","doi":"10.36961/si30707","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36961/si30707","url":null,"abstract":"The SIX EASY STEPS™ nutrient-management program encourages a process of ongoing refinement, and any change to a nutrient-management program should be based on evidence. This may include leaf testing, farm records, on-farm evaluation or a combination of these and other factors. Crop response to applied fertiliser should be one of the main factors assessed when refining a nutrient-management program. Crop response to applied nitrogen (N) may be reduced on sodic soils, associated with a reduced crop-N requirement where growth is constrained. However, the sodic conditions may also limit the crop’s ability to acquire N. A trial was established in the Central Region to investigate crop response to fertiliser N on sodic soil. N rate treatments (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg N/ha as urea) were established in the first-ratoon crop and repeated for the remainder of the crop cycle. The trial contained two zones, one with low yield potential and high electrical conductivity (LYHEC) and a second zone with higher yield potential and low electrical conductivity (HYLEC). Both zones were highly sodic (ESP > 15%) at depth. An N deficiency developed over the crop cycle, with the 0N and 50N treatments showing lower leaf %N and reduced cane and sugar yield. Optimum N fertiliser rates increased from the first ratoon (18 kg N/ha) to the third ratoon (109 kg N/ha) but declined in the fourth ratoon (85 kg N/ha). Nitrogen-use efficiency declined with the N application rate, and the highest N uptake efficiency of fertiliser N was 27% at the 50N rate. Overall, the trial showed that a small reduction (~20 kg N/ha or 14%) from the recommended rate of 140 kg N/ha would have been appropriate at this site. The results support the recently developed SIX EASY STEPS Toolbox guidance for refining nutrient inputs for specific on-farm circumstances, including sodic soils. This guidance encourages amelioration of the sodic soil condition as the grower’s priority before the amendment of nutrient inputs is considered.","PeriodicalId":508525,"journal":{"name":"Sugar Industry","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139231290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sugar IndustryPub Date : 2023-11-27DOI: 10.36961/si30704
A. Lehnberger, Omkar P. Thaval
{"title":"An improved understanding of the operation of falling-film evaporators in cane sugar factories","authors":"A. Lehnberger, Omkar P. Thaval","doi":"10.36961/si30704","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.36961/si30704","url":null,"abstract":"Falling-film evaporators (FFE) have been adopted as a standard feature for juice evaporation in beet sugar factories for decades. In recent years, cane sugar factories have accepted FFE as an alternative technology for the juice evaporation station. Operational experience and exclusive investigations in recent years on the use of falling-film evaporators in the cane sugar industry clearly show the advantages for sustainable sugar production. Recent findings regarding heat-transfer coefficients k of individual FFEs, the effect of scale deposition on the k of first-effect FFE, reduction in exhaust steam demand and lower sucrose losses for evaporator stations comprising entirely of falling-film type evaporators are summarised and discussed.","PeriodicalId":508525,"journal":{"name":"Sugar Industry","volume":"81 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139233839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}