Cane Pieces Research Articles

A novel immobilized cell system involving Taiwanese kefir microorganisms and sugar cane pieces for fermented milk production

The objective of this study was to develop a novel immobilized system using kefir lactic acid bacteria and sugar cane pieces for the production of fermented milk. Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens HL1, Lactobacillus kefiri HL2, Leuconostoc mesenteroides HL3, and Lactococcus lactis HL4 were isolated from Taiwanese kefir grains and immobilized on pieces of sugar cane using adsorption. Scanning electron micrographs of the cell-immobilized sugar cane pieces (CISCP) showed that the microorganisms were embedded within the porous structures of the sugar cane pieces. During 28 cycles of repeated batch fermentation, viable cells on both sugar cane pieces and fermented products were maintained at 10 log cfu/g (cfu/mL). Random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR analysis revealed that Leu. mesenteroides HL3 (29-43%) and Lc. lactis HL4 (31-49%) were predominant on the CISCP, and the fermented samples had 79% Lc. lactis HL4. When tracking fermentation parameters, the data on the microbial, chemical, and physical properties of the fermented milk suggested that the CISCP had stable fermentative ability over the course of successive fermentations. We found an enhancement of the acid-producing ability of CISCP as the number of fermentations increased, with a significant growth in titratable acidity from 0.65 to 0.81% by the end.

An in vitro Actinidia Bioassay to Evaluate the Resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae.

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) is by far the most important pathogen of kiwifruit. Sustainable expansion of the kiwifruit industry requires the use of Psa-tolerant or resistant genotypes for the breeding of tolerant cultivars. However, the resistance of most existing kiwifruit cultivars and wild genotypes is poorly understood, and suitable evaluation methods of Psa resistance in Actinidia have not been established. A unique in vitro method to evaluate Psa resistance has been developed with 18 selected Actinidia genotypes. The assay involved debarking and measuring the lesions of cane pieces inoculated with the bacterium in combination with the observation of symptoms such as callus formation, sprouting of buds, and the extent to which Psa invaded xylem. Relative Psa resistance or tolerance was divided into four categories. The division results were consistent with field observations. This is the first report of an in vitro assay capable of large-scale screening of Psa-resistance in Actinidia germplasm with high accuracy and reproducibility. The assay would considerably facilitate the breeding of Psa-resistant cultivars and provide a valuable reference and inspiration for the resistance evaluation of other plants to different pathogens.

Effects of Nitrogen Fertilization and Seed Piece Applied Fungicides on Establishment, Tiller Dynamics, and Sucrose Yields in Successively Planted Sugarcane

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) successive planting causes 25–30% yield reduction in comparison to fallow or rice rotation planting in a three-year production cycle on Florida Histosols. Field experiments were established to manage the yield losses associated with successive planting through nitrogen fertilization and seed piece application of fungicides in plant and first ratoon crops each at two sites. Nitrogen fertilization treatments included 0 (N0), 50 (N50), and 100 (N100) kg ha−1 applied in furrows at the time of planting, and one split application (N50+50) with 50 kg ha−1 applied at planting and 50 kg ha−1 applied at 90 days after planting as side-dress. Fungicides treatments were mancozeb at 2.5 kg a.i. (active ingredient) ha−1, mefenoxam at 0.57 kg a.i. ha−1, and azoxystrobin at 0.30 kg a.i. ha−1 applied to seed cane pieces laid in the furrows at planting. Nitrogen fertilization showed increasing trends of the tiller and millable stalks production in plant and ratoon crops. N response varied with the time of ratooning. Overall, N50+50 produced greater tons of cane per hectare (TCH) and tons of sucrose per hectare (TSH) compared to other N treatments in plant crop and late season ratoon crop (ratooned in March). N100 treatment enhanced tillering and TCH in December ratooned crop. In 2016 plant crop, mefenoxam produced higher TCH than others, but no carryover effects were observed in ratoon crops. Both nitrogen fertilization and fungicides seem to be promising cultural practices to minimize yield losses in successive sugarcane planting in Histosols.

Efficacy of some promising plant essential oils to control the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus olivier (coleoptera: curculionidae) under laboratory conditions

Red Palm Weevil is the most dangerous palm pest in Egypt and the Middle East. This study was conducted to evaluate some plants essential oils for use in the control of this pest in egg and larval stages. five individual different oils (orange oil, lemon oil , eucalyptus oil , castor oil, and basil oil)and three mixtures of (chilli+ thyme + lavender =)k1, mixture of (Colocynth and neem) = k2,and mixture of (Radicchio + turmeric +Silene ) = k3 with 5 concentrations of 1%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 9% for each one was used as aqueous solutions. Each concertation contains three replicates with ten eggs or larva for each replicate. The eggs were sprayed with different solutions while the larvae were fed on the sugar cane pieces after being dipped in the solutions for 20 seconds. The results of statistical analysis showed superiority the plant oils from orange and lemon showed remarkable mortality (p≤ 0.05) in the number of dead larvae and non-hatched eggs followed by eucalyptus, basil and Castor while other treatments recorded low number of mortalities of larvae and non-hatched eggs. The L.S. D values (2.49 ,6.19) for eggs and larvae respectively, showed that there were significant differences between oils and significant differences between concentrations. orange and lemon oil showed the strongest effect at 9% followed by the other concentrations, while k1 and k2 oil had no significant difference with the control at 1%. The study showed that orange and lemon oils as well as eucalyptus, basil and castor can be used in the control of this pest in the stage of the egg and larva.

Efficacy of dormex (hydrogen cyanamide) on germination, growth, yield andquality of sugarcane

Sugarcane is propagated by vegetative means using cane pieces containing one, two or more buds. After planting the crop begins with the germination of buds which is a complex phenomenon and differs from other seed plants. Under north Indian conditions, the germination of buds varies from 20–45%. In order to determine the effect of Dormex, a product having hormone like properties, an experiment was conducted at research farm of UP Council of sugarcane Research Institute Shahjahanpur (U.P.) during the spring season of planting 2012–13 using variety CoS 96268. Sugarcane setts were treated for fifteen minutes with different concentrations (i.e, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%) of Dormex before planting to explore its efficacy on bud germination. The results indicated that sugarcane planting with setts treated with Dormex increased the germination significantly at 60 days after planting (DAP). The germination at 30 and 45 DAP was also higher than untreated control. The shoot population was also increased with the application of Dormex at a significant level at 30 days intervals. Increase in number of millable canes and cane height also followed the similar trend upto maturity. The cane yield increased in plots treated with Dormex than untreated control. Quality of cane was not affected significantly due to the application of Domex.

Hot water treatment to reduce incidence of black foot pathogens in young grapevines grown in cool climates

Black foot disease causes death of infected grapevines but management of this soil-borne disease by preventative measures such as pre-planting fungicide dips has not been totally effective. Hot water treatment (HWT; 50°C for 30 min) of young dormant grapevine plants has been shown to significantly reduce infection. However, it has been reported to cause unacceptable damage to young vines in cooler climate countries like New Zealand, so this study examined the effects of different HWT protocols on the New Zealand black foot isolates. In vitro testing of different HWT protocols was conducted on conidia, mycelium and detached, inoculated grapevine canes using three isolates each of the species I. liriodendri (“ C ”. liriodendri ) and the complexes, I. radicicola (“ C ”. destructans ) and I. macrodidyma (“ C ”. macrodidymum ). Heat treatments greater than 40°C for 5 min killed all conidia (P<0.001), and treatments greater than 47°C for 30 min inhibited (P≤0.003) further growth of treated mycelium plugs for all but one isolate. Within cane pieces, infection by Ilyonectria (“ Cylindrocarpon ”) isolates was significantly reduced (P<0.001) by 30 min at 48.5 and 50°C. Additionally, these studies showed different responses to the different treatments for the three isolates of each species complex and differences between species. In field trials, HWT of 48.5 and 50°C for 30 min significantly reduced disease incidence in dormant plants to 0% (P≤0.001). This study confirmed that HWT of 48.5°C for 30 min could be used to eliminate black foot disease in dormant nursery grapevines grown in New Zealand prior to their use for establishing new vineyards.

A Model to Estimate the Amount of Primary Inoculum of Elsinoë ampelina.

In Eastern Canada, anthracnose, caused by the fungus Elsinoë ampelina, is a serious disease on susceptible grape cultivars. In the absence of management tools, anthracnose management relies almost exclusively on fungicide applications programmed at fixed intervals. Therefore, a better understanding of the factors affecting primary inoculum release and abundance would help in the timing of the first fungicide applications. The temporal dynamics of airborne primary inoculum released from cane cankers were investigated from 2007 to 2010. One to three times per week, starting in the first week of April, six 12-cmlong cane pieces were randomly selected from diseased canes that had overwintered on a vineyard floor. The concentration of E. ampelina conidia was expressed as the number of conidia per square millimeter of canker. In total, 27, 32, 33, and 118 samplings were conducted in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively, with the 118 samplings conducted on three sites at 49, 35, and 34 samplings for site 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Each year, the number of conidia per square millimeter of canker was expressed as the proportion of seasonal inoculum (PSI) at the same site and analyzed as a function of degree-days (DD; base temperature = 0°C) accumulated since 1 April (cumulative degreedays [CDD]). The nonlinear sigmoid model in the form PSI = 1.003/(1 + e-((CDD - 566.133)/139.204)) provided adequate fit to the observed data (P < 0.0001, R2 = 0.97). When the model was validated against independent data, the model adequately predicted PSI; however, reliability was improved by adding a "dry days" threshold of 6 days during which accumulation of DD is stopped. This study shows that primary inoculum of grape anthracnose is available early in the season before bud break; meaning that emerging leaves could be infected provided that weather conditions are favorable. The results also show that there is an overlap in the availability of primary and secondary inoculum, mainly during the period of rapid leaf growth, a situation that may explain the explosive nature of the disease. The results suggest that, on susceptible cultivars and when there is a history of anthracnose in the vineyard, a fungicide spray program should be initiated early in the season, as soon as leaves are present.

Assessing Feasibility of Growing Sugarcane by a Polythene Bag Culture System for Rapid Multiplication of Seed Cane in Sub-Tropical Climatic Conditions of India

The conventional system of sugarcane (Saccharum species complex) planting is inefficient for rapidly multiplying the seed cane of newly released varieties due to a higher seed rate (6.0 t ha-1) and low germination rate (35−40%). We examined the effect of planting methods on the multiplication rate of seed cane in a field experiment conducted at Lucknow (India) during the 2005−06 and 2006−07 cropping season. Forty- day- old plantlets grown in polythene bags in the nursery using 28,000 single-bud cane pieces per ha area, were transplanted at 45 cm spacing in furrows 90 cm apart and the results were compared with those obtained by the conventional practice of planting three- two - and one- bud cane pieces at the rate of 37,000, 55,500 and 111,000 setts per ha, respectively. The polythene bag culture produced a significantly higher number of shoots and millable canes and a higher seed cane yield as compared with the conventional planting method, which is an advantage for seed cane multiplication. The results further indicated that with almost equal cost of cultivation, the rate of seed cane multiplication was about 35 times by the polythene bag culture method and 8−11 times by the conventional planting method.

Identification of the biological active compounds of two natural extracts for the control of the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Oliver) (Coleoptera - curculionidae)

Two natural insecticides, rotenone and limonine caused antifeedant and growth inhibition of the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus larvae and adults. Rotenone was extracted from the root of Lanchocarpus sp. or Derris sp. and limonene extracted from citrus fruit oil. The concentrations of 1.5, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15% of both insecticides were used for treatment of the sugar cane pieces. Adult stage was more tolerant than the larvae. Also, the rotenone insecticide was more effective than limonene insecticide. Moreover increasing of rotenone and limonene concentrations were reduced the food consumption and increased the larval and adult mortality. The chemical analysis was suggested the structure of rotenone is flavonoid compound and its chemical formula is C23H22O6. While the chemical nature of limonene is alkaloid with the chemical formula of C10H13O4.

Impact of harvest to planting delays on the sprouting of seed cane

Effect of staling on cane quality and bud germination using whole cane and seed-cane pieces was investigated using sugarcane variety CoSe 92423. Inordinate delay in harvesting to planting of seed-cane pieces show reduce germination. This decrease in sprouting is more in seed pieces as compared to the whole stalk subjected to staling. The bud moisture is critical, this should not be less than 65 per cent. Buds from stale cane recorded low moisture and relatively higher accumulation of endogenous IAA and phenols; recorded steep decline in acid invertase activity on prolonged staling. Pre-planting soaking of seed cane pieces in water containing ethrel (200 mg/L) for 12 h improved sprouting of stale cane.

“I Can Fix That!” Creating an On-campus Job for a Student

Every year on or near October 15, our school, the California School for the Blind, celebrates National White Cane Day. Over the years, all kinds of events have been planned to celebrate the day. About two years ago, the school decided to do something different. Early that fall, staff members in the Orientation and Mobility Department at the school started teaching students how to fix and put together pieces of canes. Our idea was to have students make canes to send to an O&M program in Russia. The canes were eventually made and sent to Russia and are now being used by Russian students who are visually impaired. This activity gave us the opportunity to teach students how to take apart and put together canes at whatever level of competence they had. One of my students, Natalie (a pseudonym), was excited and found that she was adept at fixing these canes. Natalie, a 19-year-old student with some light perception, has many concomitant disabilities, including a slight hearing loss in one ear and cognitive delays. She had surgery for scoliosis when she was in elementary school and has a heart defect. In the past few years, Natalie was diagnosed with a thyroid condition as well as asthma. The origin of her disability is not known. Natalie has difficulty recalling essential information and a good deal of difficulty understanding and following written and verbal directions without many repetitions. For example, it is not unusual for her to forget important telephone numbers or addresses if she has not had to write or tell someone this information weekly. Natalie tends to shut down or freeze when asked questions that she cannot answer, leaving the questioner wondering why she has not responded. But Natalie is adept at doing anything that involves movement and working with her hands. She is also well oriented to the campus and can get to various classes and dormitories using more than one set route. A NEW JOB FOR NATALIE Last year, Natalie was bemoaning the fact that the school was not having a cane-repair type of White Cane Day activity as we had the year before. We began talking about the idea of creating a cane-repair job for her on campus. Many transition-aged students at our school have paid off-campus jobs working at pizza restaurants, offices, churches, and mortuaries, all funded through the Department of Rehabilitation. Natalie had an off-campus job cleaning tables at a fast-food restaurant, but was interested in also having a cane-repair job on campus. After checking with the supervisors and job coordinators, I received approval to create this new job. Natalie would work one day per week for 90-minute sessions at this new job. Cane repair technique During the fall before White Cane Day, Natalie learned how to take a cane apart and put one back together. She learned how to remove different styles of cane tips (hooks and slip-ns), sometimes by the sheer force of gripping and pulling at the same time or, when she could not do so, by using a vise to hold the cane tip in place while she pulled. After removing the cane tip, she then learned how to pull the elastic cord through the last cane piece to get to the knot in the cord. Sometimes it was too difficult simply to use her fingers to pull the knot apart, so she learned how to use needle-nose pliers to remove stubborn knots (she continues to refine her use of this tool). Once the knot was out of the cord, Natalie could easily take the cane apart. To put the cane back together, Natalie learned how to put the pieces together in a particular order, so she would not try to put the bottom piece next to the grip piece. She has excellent fine motor skills and can easily feel the difference between cane pieces that insert into each other and can tell what type of cane piece she is feeling (Ambutech, WCIB, or Revolution). At our school, bent canes and broken joints are the most common types of cane repairs needed. Natalie needs a little help bending canes back to their original shape but can make other repairs with little or no assistance. …

Pheromone trapping of the sugarcane weevil borer, Rhabdoscelus obscurus (Boisduval) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): an evaluation of trap design and placement in the field

Abstract The sugarcane weevil borer (Rhabdoscelus obscurus) is a pest of sugarcane and palm plantations in high rainfall areas of far north Queensland. Pheromone mass trapping of adult borers is an effective method of monitoring and may also impact on their population densities. Trials to evaluate different designs of pheromone trap showed the ‘water trap’ to be the most effective in capturing the highest number of adult borers. The water trap is a 20 cm‐diameter pot with a plastic bag inserted to hold water with pheromone lures and cane pieces held together in a plastic container suspended over the water from a square of wire mesh. Results also showed that adult borers in adjacent fields are able to sense the lures and migrate into treated fields. The sex ratio of captured borers in split‐cane traps (which is a standard population monitoring tool) was male biased from February to April but was more balanced later in the year. However, the pheromone traps mainly attracted female borers all year round, except during May. Thus, we recommend pheromone traps to be deployed early in the season (November to early December) to attract the maximum number of adult females at a critical time for the population as it starts to build up. In addition, placing pheromone traps inside cane paddocks did not improve the total catch in most cases. Therefore, placing pheromone traps under the shade of trees outside the paddock or at the edge of the paddock under sugarcane can be a feasible mass trapping method that can easily be implemented by cane growers.

Ethanol from Sugar Cane: Flask Experiments Using the EX-FERM Technique

Alcohol production at the laboratory scale from sugar cane pieces by the EX-FERM technique was studied with 37 strains of Saccharomyces spp. The EX-FERM process is novel in that it employs the simultaneous extraction and fermentation of the sucrose in a cane-water suspension. Two types of cane treatments were used: chips and shredded pith, either fresh or dried. A mother culture of the yeast was prepared in enriched cane juice and then added to the cane-water mixture. After static fermentation for 40 h at 30 degrees C, the cane was removed, and fresh cane was added to the yeast-alcohol broth. After an additional 24 h, the cane was again removed and the liquor was analyzed. After the first 40-h cycle, sugar consumption was above 99% with 10 of the 37 yeast strains tested, and ethanol reached levels of 1.29 to 4.00 g per 100 ml, depending on the yeast strain. The final ethanol concentration reached 4.27 to 5.37 g per 100 ml, and sugar consumption was above 98% in three cases during a second EX-FERM cycle employing previously air-dried chips and pith. Product yields were within accepted values. Cane treatment did not appear to affect the results at this level.

The Planter Class and British West Indian Sugar Production, before and after Emancipation

U ^ NTIL recent times, the old planter class in the British West Indies suffered censorious and contemptuous treatment from historians. The traditional view of the planters in the age of slavery was derived from the polemical works of nineteenth-century abolitionists who denounced them as coarse, stubborn conservatives guilty of brutalizing their slaves by unconscionable attachment to crude and anachronistic techniques. Recent research into the affairs of West India sugar estates, beginning with Richard Pares's A West India Fortune (I950), has provided a different portrait of the planters. Pares' study of the Pinney plantations in Nevis and the recently published history of Worthy Park Estate,Jamaica, by Craton and Walvin' suggest that planters were not uniformly callous toward their servants or reactionary and unimaginative in their agricultural techniques. Instead, these studies offer ample evidence of the resourcefulness of many West Indian proprietors, their meticulous care of plantation property, and their capacity for intelligent innovation. Modes ofproduction in the sugar industry were constrained as well as sustained by slavery, but innovation was not blindly abjured. Controversies raged between groups of planters over the most effective techniques of cultivation. Men learned their vocations from one another and from hard experience in cultivating the land. The character of soils varied from one district to another and even within the confines of single estates. Different cane pieces demanded different treatment, and the sugars produced from varying soils required distinctive handling in the boiling process to assure that they travelled well on the sea voyage to England. Universal remedies for the problems of the estates glibly pronounced by contemporary Britons offered little aid to practical planters, for as one Jamaica governor acknowledged, an excellent planter in one district may be entirely unqualified to manage estate in another.2 In many cases, technological innovations recommended by European critics were impeded or precluded by climatic and topographical conditions which those critics failed to appreciate or chose to ignore. This article re-examines the system of production in the British Caribbean in attempt to afford additional new perspectives to the old criticism and to provide further testimony to the energy and determination with which many West Indian planters responded to the challenge of emancipationY

The Potential Use of Insecticide-Treated Cane Pieces to Attract and Control Adults of the Sugarcane Weevil, Metamasius bilobus, in Bolivia1

Adults of Metamasius bilobus Hustache prefer to oviposit in cut canes or in canes previously perforated by the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), and Eodiatraea rufescens (Box). Cane pieces soaked in various insecticides were hung from canes and attracted and killed large numbers of weevils, suggesting a possible method of control.