A NEW FORMULATED SILICON FERTILISER FOR BETTER SUGARCANE PRODUCTION

ARIS TOHARISMAN, MUHAMAD MULYADI and ABDUL RASJID
Indonesian Sugar Research Institute
atoharis@yahoo.com

http://www.atamexico.com.mx/PDF/Abstract.pdf

ABSTRACT

 

 SILICON (Si) is an important beneficial element for sugarcane and is absorbed by sugarcane,
more than any other mineral nutrient.
Si is known to promote sugarcane yield, enhance resistance to biotic and abiotic
stresses, improve leaf and stalk erectness, and increase P availability.
A new Si fertiliser namely SiPlusHS was formulated from sugar mill boiler ash,
furnace slag, rock phosphate, zeolite, oxalic acid and humic substance.
It formed granules of 3–5 mm in diameter and contained 8–10% soluble Si, 10–12%
soluble phosphate and 3–5% humic substance.
The effectiveness of this fertiliser was tested under field conditions on irrigated and
non-irrigated sugarcane areas, covering areas of 1 and 2 ha, respectively.
The fertiliser was applied at the rate of 0, 250 and 500 kg/ha. Results showed that
application of 250 kg/ha SiPlusHS could increase cane yield from 2 to 52% and sugar yield
by as much as 15–58%.
There were no significant differences between applications of 250 kg/ha and
500 kg/ha SiPlusHS. In some areas, SiPlusHS could significantly decrease stem borer attacks.
Recently, this new silicon fertiliser has been tested on about 1000 ha in various
regions in Indonesia.

KEYWORDS: Silicon Fertiliser, Boiler Ash, Furnace Slag,
Humic Substance, Sugarcane Productivity.

Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., Vol. 27, 2010

DESIGNING, PRODUCING AND PROCESSING ‘ULTIMATE’ VARIETIES OF SUGARCANE

C. RICHARD, M. McKEE, R. TRICHE and M. GODSHALL 

Sugar Processing Research Institute, New Orleans, LA, USA
charley.richard@ars.usda.gov or charley@sugarjournal.com

Abstract

MANY sugar industries, beet and cane, would predict that in the future they will produce a 

wide range of products, which could include sugar. 

To realise this prediction, new varieties must be designed, production practices 

improved and alternative processing techniques developed. 

Sugarcane breeding and selection has moved far beyond the ‘old days’ of crossing 

the best parents and hoping to select the best segregate as a potential new variety. 

Modern breeding procedures and biotechnology offer greater efficiency. Typically, 

varieties are selected on the basis of high yield of sugar and characteristics important to 

agronomic production and pest resistance in each growing region. 

The typically measured juice quality characteristics of brix and pol along with 

tonnage, ratooning ability and fibre content can  predict yield of sugar per unit area. It is 

anticipated that the ‘ultimate’ variety of the future will involve much more detailed analysis 

than the typically measured characteristics. 

Once produced, high yielding varieties for various products need to be grown in a 

sustainable manner that provides maximum  production with minimal environmental and 

economic impact. 

Processing of these varieties will need to accommodate the specific product(s) being 

produced whether sugar, energy, some other product or some combination of these. 

To demonstrate the importance of quality characteristics of future varieties, the Sugar 

Processing Research Institute has investigated the presence of components that could either 

enhance or inhibit production of various products from sugarcane. 

Significant variability among and within species of sugarcane and related genera 

have been found for starch, polysaccharides, ash, cations, invert sugars and other parameters. 

This paper includes these data and the potential importance of these parameters in 

future varieties, its importance in a sustainable production system and its importance in 

processing needs. 

KEYWORDS: Sugarcane Varieties, Sugarcane Breeding,
Sugarcane Composition, Chromatographic Analysis, Alternative Products.

http://www.atamexico.com.mx/PDF/Abstract.pdf