Sugarcane Bagasse Ash as a Seedling Growth Media Component

Charles L Webber Iii,Paul M White,Merritt J Taylor,Eric C Petrie,James W Shrefler

doi:10.5539/jas.v8n1p1

Abstract

Bagasse is the fibrous material remaining after removing the sucrose, water, and other impurities (filter mud) from the milable sugarcane. Louisiana sugarcane mills use a portion of the sugarcane bagasse for fuel producing over 20,411 mt of sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) as a by-product. The purpose of this research was to investigate the use of SBA as an amendment to soilless planting media for the production of vegetable seedlings. The SBA was combined by volume with a commercial soilless growing media into 5 combinations (0%:100%, 25%:75%, 50%:50%, 75%:25%, and 100%:0%, SBA and growing media, respectively). Squash var. ‘Straightneck’ and cantaloupe var. ‘Magnum Hybrid Melon’ were planted in each of the 5 different planting mixtures. The research indicates that the addition of SBA can enhance squash and cantaloupe seedling growth depending on the percentage of the ash added to the growth media. Squash plant stalk lengths and total plant fresh weights (stalk, leaves, tops, roots, and total plant) overall responded best at the 75% SBA. Squash dry weights were consistently greater when SBA was added to the soilless media compared to no SBA. The 25% and 50% SBA media produced the greatest cantaloupe leaf fresh weights. Cantaloupe leaf dry weights followed a similar trend, where the 25% and 50% SBA media produced greater plant weights with lesser yields observed at the 75% and 100% SBA levels. This data suggests that the 75% SBA and 25% SBA were certainly suitable potting media combinations for squash and cantaloupe seedling production, respectively.

Highlights

1.1 Sugarcane Bagasse UsesIn 2014, Louisiana sugarcane farmers harvested 11.6 mt of milable sugarcane from 153,784 ha, producing 1.36 million mt of raw sugar and an estimated 2.7 million mt of bagasse
The research indicates that the addition of sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA) can enhance squash and cantaloupe seedling growth depending on the percentage of the ash added to the growth media
Cantaloupe leaf dry weights followed a similar trend, where the 25% and 50% SBA media produced greater plant weights with lesser yields observed at the 75% and 100% SBA levels

Summary

Introduction

In 2014, Louisiana sugarcane farmers harvested 11.6 mt of milable sugarcane from 153,784 ha, producing 1.36 million mt of raw sugar and an estimated 2.7 million mt of bagasse. Depending on the source of the sugarcane, harvesting methods and thermoconversion efficiency at the mill, the percentage of ash produced from bagasse typically represents a small percentage, 1.5 to 3.0% by weight, of the original sugarcane bagasse (Amin, 2011; Garcıa-Pèrez, 2002). If the estimated 50% (Pandey et al, 2000) of the 3 million tons of bagasse produced each year in Louisiana is used for energy conversion at the sugarcane mills, the SBA produced in Louisiana each year would range from 20,411 to 40,823 mt, and an estimated 2.25 to 4.5 million mt of sugarcane bagasse ash globally

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