Annual Symposia

Symposia are held annually.

2024 SYMPOSIUM: The Retention of Organic Matter and its Potential Carbon Credit Value

31 October 2024

• Opening: SASRI Director (Shadrack Moephuli)
• Setting the Scene: Labile Soil Carbon (Dr Rianto van Antwerpen, Private Consultant) PDF
• Labile soil carbon status and its impact on the soil in the SASRI long-term BT1 Trial – Show and Tell (Dr Thandile Mdlambuzi, SASRI)  PDF
• Future farmers markets stock carbon offset credits: An overview of voluntary carbon markets (Dr Diana Rietz, Consultant, Landmax Consulting) PDF
• Sustainable sugarcane farming methods (David McIlrath & Kevin Drew, Sugarcane Growers) PDF
• Perspectives on the South African Sugarcane Industry’s Sustainability Journey (Sam Maphumulo, SASA Sustainability Manager) PDF
• AGM: Coordinator’s Report PDF

2023 SYMPOSIUM: Sugarcane Variety Production

31 October 2023

• Opening: SASRI Director (Terry Stanger)
• SASRI Variety Development Strategies (Marvellous Zhou)  PDF
• Genetically Modified (GM) sugarcane update (Sandy Snyman) PDF
• NovaCane® laboratory production process at SASRI (Linda Mkhize) PDF
• Commercial NovaCane® production of SASRI N sugarcane varieties (Nokuthula Myeza) PDF
• Research on NovaCane® field management (Peter Tweddle) PDF
• On-farm practicalities of NovaCane® and seedcane production (Dean Percival) PDF
• AGM: Coordinator’s Report PDF

2022 SYMPOSIUM: Crop Diversification

1 November 2022

• Opening: SASRI Director (Terry Stanger)
• Diversification in sugarcane farming (Barry Cole: Farmer)   PDF
• Climate change and opportunities for diversification (Richard Nicholson: SA Canegrowers) PDF
• The pros and cons of macadamia nut farming (Ant Goble: Farmer) MP4
• Product diversification (Andy Church: SA Canegrowers) PDF
• Management of unplanned carryover cane (Kevin Drew: THS, Mafambisse) PDF
• AGM: Coordinator’s Report PDF
• Tribute to Rian van Antwerpen MP4

2021 SYMPOSIUM: The impact of climate change on sugarcane agriculture in the future

2 & 3 November 2021

• Opening: SASRI Director (Dr Terry Stanger)
• Future climate trends – what we know and don’t know and implications for adaptation of crop production (Professor Angelinus Franke, University of Free State) (PDF)
• Research update – Unravelling sugarcane plant response to a future climate (Dr Riekert van Heerden, SASRI) (PDF)
• Future sugarcane production areas estimated with the BFAP model (Dr Abraham Singels, ex SASRI) (PDF)
• Feasibility to breed sugarcane varieties for a future climate (Dr Marvellous Zhou, SASRI) (PDF)
• AGM: Dr Rian van Antwerpen

2019 SYMPOSIUM: Conservation Agriculture

24 October 2019

1. Opening: Dr Carolyn Baker (SASRI, Director)

2. Conservation Agriculture – an introduction: Rowan Stranack (SASRI, Head: Extension & Biosecurity) View PDF

3. Conservation Agriculture legislation in SA: Paul Botha (SASRI, Extension – Eston) View PDF

4. Surface water control with contour structures – using the CoSDT calculator in its design (Guest speaker: Professor, Jeff Smithers, UKZN) View PDF

5. Regenerative Agriculture in sugarcane: Making a start: (Guest speaker: Deon Schröder, Sugarcane Producer – Dalton) View PDF

6. Status of Conservation Agriculture in rural areas (Guest speaker: Lehman Lindeque, United Nations Development Programme) View PDF

7. Should soil conservation be on your balance sheet? (Guest speaker: Dr Philip Theunissen, (Economist & Farmer)
Unfortunately Dr Theunissen had to withdraw from the symposium but sent the following two articles which should be of interest:
Should soil conservation be on your balance sheet?  View PDF
Does farm land have a scrap value?  View PDF

8. SASIAA AGM View PDF

2017: The benefits of new technology

New fertiliser strategies for SA and the sugarcane industry (Guest speaker: Adam Mostert, former CEO of FERTASA)

Farming for soils to be sustainable (Richard Cole, South Coast Grower)

Soil health in perspective (Dr Neil Miles, SASRI Senior Soil Scientist)

Yield mapping – its potential in precision agriculture (Alasdair Harris, Agricultural Engineer, Tongaat Hulett Limited)

Potential of remote sensing imagery to enhance farming practices based on data driven decisions (Brent Griffiths, Cane Centre of Excellence Manager, Illovo Sugar Africa)

2015: Review of Variety and P&D Programmes

Genetically modified sugarcane and eldana (Dr Sandy Snyman, Biotechnologist, SASRI)

RV Yield, pest and disease resistance of new cultivars (Dr Marvellous Zhou, Plant Breder, SASRI)

Scouting and new pests – Thrips and Aphids (Kevin Language, Ayrsta LifeScience)

Spread of eldana in the Midlands (Rowan Stranack, Biosecurity Specialist, SASRI)

How an individual grower is coping with eldana and trying to age his cane (Ant Goble, Sugarcane Farmer, KZN)

Eldana in Sierra Leone (Pete E Turner, Consultant)