Sugar Tech最新文献

Surplus sugarcane bagasse and leaf field residue remain untapped resources associated with sugarcane processing and harvesting. Their pyrolysis produces biochar which can be land applied to improve soil health and crop performance. Biochar produced from field residue and sugarcane bagasse was applied once at either 0.80 Mg ha⁻¹ (LB1, BB1) or 1.60 Mg ha⁻¹ (LB2, BB2) to sugarcane, as single amendment or in combination with fly ash at 0.63 or 1.26 Mg ha⁻¹. Through their high content in organic matter, fixed carbon and H:C ratio (68.8%, 64%, 0.48 and 71.1%, 60%, 0.46 for BB and LB, respectively), biochar helped build soil organic carbon and increased the permanent carbon pool in the soil. HoCP 96-540 cane yield, theoretical recoverable sucrose, and sugar yield were measured and compared across treatments for 4 years. Biochar treatments led to improvements to crop performance, albeit some were not significantly different than the control. No reductions in sugar yield were observed for FA additions. Best results were determined for field application of LB1 followed by BB2, specifically with 0.90 and 0.88 kg/stalk, cane yield of 85.8 and 83.3 Mg ha⁻¹, sucrose yield of 8647 and 8210 kg ha⁻¹, respectively, when compared to control at 0.78 kg/stalk, cane yield of 68.3 Mg ha⁻¹, and sucrose yield of 6566 kg ha⁻¹. Considering the cumulative sugar yield over 4 years, additional income can be realized from amending soil with biochar. Best outcome resulted in estimated sugar profits up to additional $6837 ha⁻¹ for LB1 (raw sugar at $0.82 kg⁻¹).

The sugarcane harvester plays a fundamental role in determining the quality of the raw material destined for industrial processing; however, its management is complex due to high acquisition and operating expenses. This study aimed to determine the optimal replacement point for sugarcane harvesters by applying established methodologies adapted to agricultural conditions. The analysis was based on principal component analysis, with evaluations focused on cost, production, availability, hours worked, and harvest year for each machine. The results indicated that, for the JD 3520 harvester, the ideal replacement point occurs at the end of year 3 or the beginning of year 4, when operational costs increase sharply and availability drops significantly, rendering the equipment financially unviable in relation to its productivity. In the case of the JD CH570 harvester, replacement should be considered at the end of year 3, as the costs per ton (R$/t) and per hour (R$/h) begin to rise notably, while operational availability also declines. It is concluded that identifying the optimal replacement moment—by balancing operational, maintenance, and financial factors—is essential for strategic decision-making. This enables planned fleet renewal, aligned with market conditions and supported by a robust database, ensuring greater reliability and confidence for stakeholders.

Weed interference is one of the most critical factors limiting sugar beet productivity, especially under tropical conditions. Identifying the critical period of weed control (CPWC) can optimize weed management and reduce yield loss. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the performance of tropical sugar beet as influenced by weed interference period and assess the CPWC in 2024 at Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Twelve distinct weed interference periods were investigated along with maintaining complete weed free and unweeded for whole growing periods. The experimental results showed that weed interference periods significantly influenced the growth, yield and quality of tropical sugar beet. Longer durations of weed interference reduced root length, root girth, shoot yield and root yield of sugar beet. Conversely, extended weed-free periods increased these yield components. Season long unweeded plots experienced approximately 94% yield loss compared to season long weed-free plots. CPWC was found between 133 and 1121 growing degree of days (GDD) equivalent to 6–74 days after emergence (DAE) based on 5% acceptable yield loss. In can be concluded that establishing and maintaining a weed-free environment around the first ten weeks after emergence of sugar beet is crucial to overcome yield loss at 5% threshold level. Weed control cost can also be minimized by optimizing the timing of weed management strategies. These findings are based on specific regional conditions; thus, broader environmental research would enhance their applicability.

Sweet sorghum can be negatively affected by sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV). The application of microRNAs (miRNAs) is a novel approach for antiviral defense in host plants. Herein, an in silico analysis was performed, and the molecular interaction of SrMV and sorghum-encoded miRNAs was determined through the identification of the host miRNAs which can target the viral RNA leading to possible antiviral defense. Moreover, the molecular pathways activated by the miRNA-targeted genes were characterized. The results showed that 24 miRNA targets are located on the viral genome inhibiting the sequences by cleavage and translational mechanisms. Also, the putative structures and entropic properties of the miRNAs were determined. Moreover, the miRNAs could target five open reading frames (P1, HC-Pro, NIa, NIb, and CP) located on the viral genome. Interestingly, a non-coding region of the viral genome, i.e., untranslated regions at the 5’ terminus, was targeted by two miRNAs. Twelve host genes involved in biotic stress were targeted by the miRNAs. Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that 4123 host genes were targeted by the miRNAs. GO enrichment exhibited that these genes are involved in 307,196 biochemical pathways in the host. Thirty biochemical pathways were found to be significantly enriched among which were defense-related pathways including kinase activity, phosphorylation, ATP binding, coiled-coil, and nucleotide binding. It can be concluded that the sorghum-originated miRNAs can target different genomic regions of SrMV and regulate the defense-related host genes as well. These data can be used in the production of resistant sorghum plants challenged by SrMV.

A field experiment was conducted consecutively for two plant crops of sugarcane at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Anakapalle, Andhra Pradesh and one year on-farm testing at farmers field with a variety 2001A 63 from 2016 to 2019 to revise the fertilizer doses for sugarcane plant crop. Among different fertilizer doses, significantly superior cane yields (81.48 and 86.18 t ha⁻¹) and sugar yields (11.93 and 12.63 t ha⁻¹) were recorded in T6, i.e., 168–100–120 kg NPK ha⁻¹ + 25% recommended dose of Zn, S and B (12.5 + 7.5 + 2.5 kg ha⁻¹) in M1 (without manure) and M2 (with manure, i.e., Farm Yard Manure @ 10 t ha⁻¹) during first year. Cane and sugar yields were further increased in second year (cane yields of 86.48 and 89.68 t ha⁻¹ in M1 and M2, respectively). Cane yield improvement to an extent of 12% was observed with refined fertilizer dose over existing recommendation (5.02 to 6.21 t ha⁻¹) yield improvement in refined or revisited nutrient package over existing nutrient package, like wise sugar yield improvement of 0.41 to 1.08 t ha⁻¹ was observed in refined recommendation over existing recommendation during first year and second year, respectively. Results clearly showed that, application of 168 kg nitrogen, 100 kg phosphorus, 120 kg potassium and basal application of micronutrients, i.e., 12.5 + 7.5 + 2.5 kg ha⁻¹ of Zn, S and B along with farmyard manure @ 10 t ha⁻¹ recorded significantly superior cane and sugar yields along with sustenance of soil fertility and cane juice quality for sugarcane plant crop in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

A total of 116 multigerm sugar beet germplasm resources, which could be used as breeding material and lacked relevant fertility information, were evaluated for their fertility gene composition using different molecular marker techniques. Using variable number tandem repeats (VNTR)—specific primer TR1 identification of male-sterile cytoplasm (S) and normal cytoplasm (N) was conducted. The results showed that 26.76% of the germplasm resources were shown as N-cytoplasm; 24.13% of the germplasm resources were shown as S-cytoplasm; mixed cytoplasmic types accounted for 49.11%. Using cleaved amplified polymorphism sequences (CAPS)—specific primer S17 analysis of nucleus Rf1 loci fertility genes was performed; the results showed that 66 germplasm resources were identified as homozygous 1800 bp bands. Enzymatic digestion showed that 53 germplasm resources displayed pattern 5/5, and 13 germplasm resources showed pattern 4/5. Using DNA fragment length polymorphism (DFLP)—specific primer O7 analysis of nucleus Rf2 loci fertility genes was carried out; the results showed that 38 germplasm resources were identified as homozygous 1400 bp bands, and two germplasm resources were identified as homozygous 2600 bp bands. No sterile line or maintainer line was identified in this identification; the 116 multigerm sugar beet germplasm resources utilized in this experiment can serve as materials for subsequent breeding; initially, the fertility composition of these accessions remained unclear, hindering their effective utilization. Our research has systematically characterized their fertility profiles, enabling targeted selection of specific germplasm for hybrid combinations in the future breeding programs, aiming to provide a reference for the breeding of superior sugar beet varieties.

Weed pressure at maximum vegetative growth stage in sugarcane has underscored the need to investigate post-emergence herbicides to decrease weed biomass and realize the productivity potential of sugarcane. This study assessed weed and productivity responses to different doses of three-way ready-mix post-emergence herbicide during spring 2017 and 2018 in Department of Agronomy at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and spring 2019 and 2020 in PAU Regional Research Station, Kapurthala. The treatments were replicated thrice in randomized complete block design. Results indicated that 2020 g a.i. a.i. ha⁻¹ of premix 2,4-D sodium salt 48% plus metribuzin 32% plus chlorimuron 0.8% WDG resulted in 136.2% and 133.9%, 87.9% and 375% and 41.9% and 37.9% reduction of biomass of monocots, dicots and sedges at Kapurthala and Ludhiana, respectively, compared to weedy plots at 60 DAA. Further, this herbicide resulted in 33.7% and 24.5% more millable canes and 38.6% and 35.2% higher cane yield at Kapurthala and Ludhiana, respectively, over unsprayed weedy check. It was concluded that post-emergence application of 2,4-D sodium salt 48% plus metribuzin 32% plus chlorimuron 0.8% WDG at 2020 g a.i. a.i. ha⁻¹ effectively control the complex weed flora (monocots, dicots and sedges) and enhanced productivity of sugarcane in Indian sub-tropics.

Nitrogen plays crucial roles in photosynthesis and crop yields. In 2024, a field experiment was conducted with various nitrogen treatments (N0, N60, N120, N150, N180, N240, and N300) to evaluate the impact on photosystem activity, dry matter accumulation (DMA), and taproot development in sugar beet. The results show that nitrogen fertilization significantly reduced the fluorescence at the K-, J-, and I-steps, compared to controls, while enhancing absorption per active reaction center, trapped energy flux per active reaction center, and electron transport per active reaction center. In addition, maximum photochemical efficiency (φPo), photochemical energy conversion efficiency (φEo), and the probability of captured excitation energy being transferred to the electron transport chain (ψo) showed a single-peak pattern with increasing nitrogen, with a maximum value of ψo with the N180 treatment on July 22. During the growth stage, DMA and the rate thereof followed a single-peak trend, accompanied by increased root/shoot ratios and reduced source–sink activity. As nitrogen levels increased, DMA and the rate thereof increased during the early to mid-growth stages, while total and aboveground DMA rates peaked and subsequently declined during the sugar accumulation stage. Relative to N0, nitrogen application accelerated the rapid taproot DMA onset and the timing of the maximum accumulation rate, which is increased significantly. The N180 treatment resulted in the highest accumulation rate, with an increase of 43.48% relative to that without treatment. Increased nitrogen also increased the yields by 8.9–48.5%; the highest sugar yield, with the N180 treatment, surpassed those of other treatments by 5.55–40.94%. Optimal nitrogen application (N180) enhanced the PSII reaction center activity, improved the electron transport efficiency and reduced the non-photochemical energy dissipation. This increased the total DMA, optimized the source–sink balance, and effectively regulated the key parameters of taproot DMA, ultimately leading to increased sugar beet yields.

Dextran, recognized as a deleterious component in sugar production, impairs the manufacturing process, thereby highlighting the need for an efficient detection method. The modified alcohol haze method, traditionally employed for dextran detection, is hindered by complex procedures and a lack of specificity. In contrast, immunonephelometry, a more contemporary method which detects antigen–antibody complexes via light scattering, offers the advantages of specificity, ease of operation, and rapid detection, yet it incurs higher cost due to the expensive production of monoclonal antibody. Addressing these limitations, we have developed a latex-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay (LETIA) that significantly reduces assay costs while retaining the advantages of its predecessors. The antibody was purified cost-effectively using a hydroxyapatite column. After optimization, the preparation of immune latex showed high repeatability, with coefficients of variation (CV) between 2.12 and 3.58%. The method exhibited a robust linear response within the concentration range of 0–100 mg/L, as evidenced by an R² value of 0.9985. The limit of detection (LOD) was 35 mg/kg sugar, which indicated an excellent sensitivity. The CV was between 1.51 and 3.14% in high- and low-level repeatability test. The recovery is between 93.8 and 105.8% in high- and low-level fortification experiments. Common interferents did not exhibit any significant interference. The antibody dosage and test cost were 0.00455 mg/test and 0.41 $/test, respectively, equating to a mere 1.5% and 4.8% of the immunonephelometry requirements, representing a significant reduction.

The management of Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on sugar beet is a significant challenge for growers. This study evaluates the efficacy of different treatments over two seasons (2022–2023 and 2023–2024) using a randomized complete block design. Ten treatments were evaluated: Spinosad (200 mL hL⁻¹) (SD), Nicotiana glauca extract (10%) (NG), Ricinus communis extract (10%) (RC), the fungus Alternaria destruens (1 × 10⁸ conidia mL⁻¹) (AD), and their combinations. Treatments were applied seven times per season, starting one month after planting, with subsequent applications at four-week intervals. Key variables assessed included leaf damage, larval density, plant canopy area, and root yield. Combined treatments, especially SD + NG + AD treatment, provided the most effective control. By the fourth month after the first treatment (4 MAFT), the SD + NG + AD treatment reduced leaf damage to 3.8% (2022–2023) and 4.2% (2023–2024), with larval densities dropping to 0.7 and 0.6 larvae/plant, respectively. Combined treatments enhanced plant growth, with SD + NG + AD treatment resulting in the largest plant canopy area (304.2 cm² in 2022–2023 and 291.9 cm² in 2023–2024). Root yield was significantly higher for combined treatments, with SD + NG + AD yielding 74.9 t/ha in 2022–2023 and 74.4 t/ha in 2023–2024. The untreated control exhibited the lowest efficacy. The treatment SD + NG + AD proved to be the most effective in reducing pest populations, improving plant growth, and enhancing root yield, providing a promising strategy for integrated pest management.