100 years of growing sugarcane and research

In the previous issue of The Link, we announced this year marking a century of sugarcane research and development in South Africa. Initially established as the South African Sugar Association Experiment Station, now known as the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI), the institute has developed scientific solutions and technologies for the sustainable production of sugarcane. We will therefore embark on explorations of some of the successes of SASRI and how these have contributed to sustainable growth of the sugarcane industry in South Africa, as well as influencing developments in other countries.

In this edition, we provide insights on what DNA fingerprinting entails – a technology that is used by SASRI and its cooperators to provide assurance on the identity of sugarcane varieties. We continue to work on improving this scientific method and associated techniques within our research projects and as a service to nurseries and growers.

Chemically manipulating plant growth processes to accelerate stalk ripening has long been associated with improved RV yields (recoverable value, sucrose yields). Recent advances in crop-spraying drone technology now make this practice accessible to small-scale growers. In line with our commitment to explore technologies suited to the small-scale sector, a SASRI project is actively promoting drone ripening among small-scale growers in various mill areas.

Agricultural production depends on natural resource biodiversity. Such biodiversity provides an appropriate ecosystem for soil health, plant growth, pollination and flowering. One of the ingredients essential for pollination and biological control is insect biodiversity. We provide some insights on insect biodiversity.

In some instances, insects become pests on agricultural crops such as sugarcane. The outbreak of insect pests becomes pronounced whenever natural predators do not exist in that ecosystem, such as when the insect pest is introduced into an environment where it does not have natural enemies, often causing devastating crop damage. Recently, there have been outbreaks of the African armyworm infestations in maize and sugarcane. It is important to curtail and stop the infestations of this insect pest as soon as possible. Failure to control or eliminate the infestations could significantly reduce crop yields, with potentially devastating impact on livelihoods and food security. We provide some insights for growers to gain knowledge and understanding of the armyworm as a pest. We urge all our stakeholders, growers and biosecurity specialists to be vigilant in their surveys to identify any infestations, in order to limit any damage.

Successful sugarcane production and productivity depends on the use of scientific information and tools to continuously survey for any possible pest infestations. In this edition of The Link, we provide insights on mapping of yellow sugarcane aphid (YSA) through the survey-1-2-3 tool for growers. This serves as part of a basket of tools that could be utilised for Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This YSA app is being launched by SASRI as a decision support tool for growers.

In this edition, we also show how you can readily access data summaries from over 40 variety and ripener trials spread over 30 agroclimatic zones and covering 60 varieties. This resource will contribute to empowering you with information needed to assess variety performance and make sound production decisions.

The Link is a short newsletter that provides advice on key aspects for sustainable sugarcane production and productivity. We hope you will gain insights from these articles, gather additional information, especially from the experts at SASRI, and apply such knowledge in your farming practices. We hope you enjoy reading the articles.