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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Commodity Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #211506
Title: Delivery and Processing Quality of Trash by Different Sugarcane Varieties

Author
item Eggleston, Gillian
item Grisham, Michael
item Tew, Thomas
item Antoine, April
item TRICHE, RON - SPRI

Submitted to: International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/31/2007
Publication Date: 5/31/2007
Citation: Eggleston, G., Grisham, M.P., Tew, T.L., Antoine, A.C., Triche, R. 2007. Delivery and Processing Quality of Trash by Different Sugarcane Varieties. (abstract). Sugar Journal. (70):27.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Delivery and Processing Quality of Trash by Different Sugarcane Varieties Currently, there is a shift world-wide from the harvesting of burnt to unburnt (green) sugarcane. With increased pressure from public and environmental agencies to further restrict or curtail burning in the U.S. and many other countries, even more unburnt sugarcane with extra impurities (trash, i.e., leaves and tops) are expected to be delivered to factories, putting added burdens on processors to deal with and/or remove them during processing. The effect of changing to “green” harvesting on processing has not been properly or fully characterized and, therefore, very few solutions to minimize the detrimental processing effects of trash have been developed or implemented. Sugarcane plants from the first ratoon crop of five commercial sugarcane varieties (LCP 85-384, HoCP 96-540, L 97-128, L 99-226, and L 99-233), with varying yield and harvest (including lodging and leaf sheath adherence) characteristics, were harvested at the USDA Ardoyne Farm in Shriever, LA on Nov 17, 2006. Four sample tissues from four replicates were collected: brown, dry leaves (BL), green leaves (GL), growing point region (GPR), and stalk (S). Juice was extracted from each tissue type. There were significant differences (P<.05) among the varieties for average stalk weight (range = 1.46-2.48 lb) but only L 99-233 had significantly less stalk TRS. Total trash (GPR + GL + BL) varied with variety from 16.4 to 19.8% and, generally, reflected leaf sheath adherence ability. A significant correlation (R2=0.63, P<.05) only existed between starch and total polysaccharides in the GL tissue, indicating other polysaccharides than starch are predominant in S, GPR, and BL. Unlike for the other tissue, there were no significant differences among the five varieties for ash in BL. Clarification and other processing properties of the different tissues are also discussed.