Maximising Sugar Recovery Rates in the Australian Sugarcane Industry

Transcription

1 Maximising Sugar Recovery Rates in the Australian Sugarcane Industry Stephen Attard Research Agronomist 27 September 2012 ECOSYSTEM SCIENCES/SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE FLAGSHIP

2 Presentation Outline Cane and Sugar production around the world Cane and Sugar yield improvement Variety selection Irrigation management Weed control Mechanical harvesting Sucrose manipulation prior to harvest Economics 2

3 Cane Yield around the world Can ne Yield (t/ha)

4 Sugar Yields around the world Sug gar Yield (t/ha)

5 Sugar recovery around the world 11 Tonnes Cane/ Tonnes Sugar

6 Sugar production in Australia Suga ar Yield (t/ha) Wet Tropics Burdekin Central 6

7 Sugar yield improvement Variety performance Irrigation 7

8 Variety Performance % cane yield improvement Cane Yie eld (t/ha) Tellus Q Average 8

9 Variety Performance % CCS improvement CCS CTellus 13.0 Q Average 9

10 Variety Performance 25 16% sugar yield improvement Sugar Yi ield (t/ha) Tellus Q Average 10

11 Variety Performance % improvement in financial return Gross Retu urn (AU $/ha) Tellus Q Average 11

12 Irrigation district wide impact Sugarcane Yield (t/ha) Burdekin Central 12

13 Irrigation impact of irrigation system Courtesy of Dr Leonard Ndlovu, Royal Swaziland Sugar Corporation 13

14 Irrigation paddock scale impact Furrow irrigation Standard Practice Improved Irrigation Difference Total no. of Irrigations Irrigation duration (h) % Inflow rate (L/s) % In water limited Total Applied Irrig (ML/ha) % regions, water saved can be Cane Yield (t/ha) % applied to other fields to Sugar Content (CCS) % grow extra sugar. Sugar Yield (t/ha) % 14

15 Irrigation impact of irrigation system Cane Yi ield (t/ha) Additional yield = 130 t/ha from the 4 harvests ie25% more cane. Plant 1R 2R 3R Average Furrow Drip 15

16 Irrigation impact of irrigation system Additional yield = 17 t/ha from the 4 harvests ie21% more cane. Sugar Yi ield (t/ha) Plant 1R 2R 3R Average Furrow Drip 16

17 Optimised processes and management Weed management Mechanical Harvester losses 17

18 Weed management 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Cane Yield Reduction Nut Grass Control None Weeks after control applied Yield losses of up to 30% Adapted from trials conducted by BSES Ltd 18

19 Weed management Can ne Yield (t/ha) Cane Yield Reduction Control None Weeks after control applied Cane yield improvement by up to 100% Adapted from trials conducted by BSES Ltd 19

20 Weed management CCS Sucrose Concentration Control None Weeks after control applied Improvement by up to 20% Adapted from trials conducted by BSES Ltd 20

21 Weed management Sug gar Yield (t/ha) Sugar Yield Control None Weeks after control applied Improvement by up to 100% Adapted from trials conducted by BSES Ltd 21

22 Mechanical Harvesting losses Adapted from trials conducted by BSES Ltd 22

23 Mechanical Harvesting losses Billet length Short billets improves transport costs Cutting shorter billets = more cuts per stalk = more juice lost Extractor fan Higher fan speed improves cleaning Increasing fan speed increases losses Adapted from trials conducted by BSES Ltd 23

24 Manipulating sugar yields through Dry-down Stopping irrigation prior to harvest Improve natural ripening Concentrate sugar Increase juice quality (eghigher brixand % pol) Increase sugar yield Cane Yield (t/ha) % 8% Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 short long 11% Dry-down difference is approximately 2 weeks. 24

25 Irrigation Dry-down Sugar Yield (t/ha) CCS (%) & % 0% -6% 5% 1% 4% Severe dry-down reduces cane yield Maintain stalk sugar % Sugar yields improved with correct dry-down Ratoonsgerminate quicker and more consistently. 10 Trial 1 CCS Trial 2 CCS Trial 3 CCS Trial 1 Sugar short long Trial 2 Sugar Trial 3 Sugar Dry-down difference is approximately 2 weeks. 25

26 Summary Number of opportunities to improve sugar yields exist Exploiting variety differences Irrigation benefit of irrigating v rainfed Impact of different irrigation systems Improved irrigation management Weeds Ripening cane through natural dry-down Harvesting Examination of current sugarcane system to understand what is limiting yield is necessary Crop modelling is very useful to examine (interactions of climate, soil, crop and management) APSIM 26

27 Thank you Stephen Attard Research Agronomist t e steve.attard@csiro.au w ECOSYSTEM SCIENCES/SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE FLAGSHIP