Sugarcane Fields Research Articles

Parasitic Nematodes of Sugarcane: A Major Productivity Impediment and Grand Challenges in Management.

Sugarcane is an important cash crop grown in 137 countries, accounting for 80% of global sugar production. It supports the livelihood of more than 100 million people and up to 25% of the rural population in some countries. Plant-parasitic nematodes are one significant constraint in sugarcane production and can lead to a loss of up to 30% in productivity. More than 300 species of parasitic nematodes have been discovered in sugarcane soil. Owing to limited data, the potential damage to sugarcane crops caused by parasitic nematodes is often underestimated. The main nematodes present in sugarcane fields are root-lesion (Pratylenchus spp.), spiral (Helicotylenchus spp.), root-knot (Meloidogyne spp.), dagger (Xiphinema spp.), stunt (Tylenchorhynchus spp.), ring (Criconemella spp.), and stubby (Paratrichodorus spp.). Among these, Meloidogyne javanica and Pratylenchus zeae are the most damaging nematode species. Management of nematodes is a challenging task as there are no clear symptoms of their presence, and they often come in multiple species with varying levels of pathogenicity. Moreover, the management options available are not always effective. Integrated nematode management is a sustainable strategy for controlling nematode infestations. It involves using all possible methods to suppress the parasitic nematode population in a compatible manner and reduce it below economic threshold levels. This article focuses on the challenges of managing nematodes in sugarcane and highlights the opportunity for implementing a sustainable nematode management strategy.

Competing Choreographies of the Postcolonial Plantation: Planter’s Pageantry Meets Sistren Collective’s Sweet Sugar Rage

This essay examines the 1985 documentary film, Sweet Sugar Rage (co-directed by Honor Ford-Smith and Harclyde Walcott), and its methodologies of renewable resistance to the enduring choreographies of planter's pageantry in the postcolonial Caribbean. Produced by Jamaica's Sistren Theatre Collective – a radical community theatre group formed in 1977 – the film (the collective's first) documents a set of dramatic interventions focused on women's labour exploitation in Jamaica's sugar cane fields. A series of workshops and plays depicts the historical and current material conditions of cane workers and aims to support participants in the practical navigation of plantation labour. In staging the material conditions of post-independence Jamaican plantation labour, including the gendered hierarchies of union organising, these counter-choreographies of workers' solidarity re-occupy the cane field as a historically dense site of collective resistance. Furthermore, I argue, in their rejection of the ubiquitous and insidious staging of the plantation as an ahistorical, hyper-aestheticised dreamscape of leisure and play, these local counter-choreographies intervene on the scale of global history. The essay articulates the stakes of this refusal by historicising the installation of plantation heritage tourism as a nostalgic site of planter's pageantry that continues to erase the violent legacies of enslaved and indentured labour into the present day. Engaging the aesthetic and political consequences of these competing choreographies, the essay looks towards the future of the Caribbean as a global proscenium of postcolonial possibility.

Effect of cover crops and tillage systems on soil quality and sugarcane yield

AbstractThe management adopted in the establishment and replanting of sugarcane fields, with conventional tillage followed by fallow, is one of the main causes of soil quality degradation. In this context, the soil quality index (SQI) is an important tool to guide the use of more sustainable practices and management. This study aimed to monitor the effect of different cover crops in association with different tillage systems on sugarcane yield based on key indicators and an SQI developed using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF). The experiment was carried out on a sugarcane expansion area located in the municipality of Ibitinga, São Paulo, Brazil. The following soil physical and chemical attributes were analyzed: soil bulk density, macroaggregates, available phosphorus and potassium. Soil carbon content was also analyzed and used to calculate the SQI. Productivity over the 4 years of sugarcane cultivation was also analyzed. The use of subsoilers for soil tillage proved efficient in managing compaction by providing lower soil bulk density values in the first years of cultivation (1.59 and 1.63 g cm−3); however, these effects occurred in the short term with a 10% increase in later years. The use of millet in association with subsoiling showed the best results for soil quality (0.59), reflected in the maintenance of yields at 100 Mg ha−1 over time. Thus, our study reinforces the importance of using soil conservation systems in sugarcane replanting areas to achieve production longevity.

Design of drainage channel for effective use of land on fully mechanized sugarcane plantations: A case study at Bone Sugarcane Plantation

Abstract Drainage in sugarcane cultivation in high-rainfall areas is of paramount importance because it affects sugarcane plants from planting, maintenance, and production. Poor drainage can damage plants and reduce productivity. This study was conducted at Bone Sugarcane Plantation, which typically has high annual rainfall; thus, drainage is necessary. The existing drainage channel cannot drain all surface runoff quickly and causes problems to sugarcane plants. Therefore, a study was conducted with the aim of designing the shape and size of drainage channels that can drain surface runoff quickly, have a strong structure, allows for an effective use of cultivated land by reducing headland for tractor turning, and maintains appropriate soil moisture. The research began by determining the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil using the Falling Head method. Surface runoff discharge was calculated using rational equations to determine the dimensions of the drainage channel. Rainfall intensity was determined from Intensity Duration Frequency curve which was constructed using Manonobe method. The results showed that the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil was 3.54 × 10−3 cm/s which is suitable with surface drainage. Rainfall intensity is estimated to be 201.33 mm/hour. The shape and dimensions of the drainage channel are parabolic with the largest width and depth of 1.70 m and 0.90, respectively. This study provides a practical method to solve drainage problems in sugarcane fields that apply full mechanization. In addition, the practical analysis used in this study can be adapted to analyze the design of drainage channel for other plantations or regions with similar constrains.

Estimating Sugarcane Aboveground Biomass and Carbon Stock Using the Combined Time Series of Sentinel Data with Machine Learning Algorithms

Accurately mapping crop aboveground biomass (AGB) in a timely manner is crucial for promoting sustainable agricultural practices and effective climate change mitigation actions. To address this challenge, the integration of satellite-based Earth Observation (EO) data with advanced machine learning algorithms offers promising prospects to monitor land and crop phenology over time. However, achieving accurate AGB maps in small crop fields and complex landscapes is still an ongoing challenge. In this study, the AGB was estimated for small sugarcane fields (<1 ha) located in the Kumphawapi district of Udon Thani province, Thailand. Specifically, in order to explore, estimate, and map sugarcane AGB and carbon stock for the 2018 and 2021 years, ground measurements and time series of Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) data were used and random forest regression (RFR) and support vector regression (SVR) applied. Subsequently, optimized predictive models used to generate large-scale maps were adapted. The RFR models demonstrated high efficiency and consistency when compared to the SVR models for the two years considered. Specifically, the resulting AGB maps displayed noteworthy accuracy, with the coefficient of determination (R2) as 0.85 and 0.86 with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 8.84 and 9.61 t/ha for the years 2018 and 2021, respectively. In addition, mapping sugarcane AGB and carbon stock across a large scale showed high spatial variability within fields for both base years. These results exhibited a high potential for effectively depicting the spatial distribution of AGB densities. Finally, it was shown how these highly accurate maps can support, as valuable tools, sustainable agricultural practices, government policy, and decision-making processes.

Multi-scale habitat influences sprainting and group size of a freshwater-obligate smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in Tungabhadra Otter Conservation Reserve, India

BackgroundThe impact of changing land-use patterns and associated anthropogenic threats on scale-dependent habitat use of semi-aquatic mustelids in scent-marking and social behaviour can provide important insights into the habitat ecology of smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata).MethodsWe sampled 180 stream segments (100–400 m) as spatial replicates of 60 1-km2 sites to record indirect evidence (i.e. spraints and mass latrine sites) and group sizes of smooth-coated otters along the Tungabhadra Otter Conservation Reserve (TOCR) during the dry season. To quantify habitat, we recorded stream characteristics, riparian vegetation, and anthropogenic disturbances at the local scale, and hydro-environmental characteristics and land uses at the landscape scale. Using Markovian-chain detection and occupancy models, we assessed the multi-scale habitat use of otters in their selection of suitable areas for scent-marking based on repeated presence-absence data on spraint/latrine locations along the TOCR. We further used linear regression techniques to explore relationships between the number of individuals in smooth-coated otter group and hydro-environmental characteristics, spraint/latrine encounter rate, anthropogenic pressure, land cover, topography, and vegetation.ResultsAt the local scale, the probability of spraint deposition and group size decreased with anthropogenic disturbance while the probability of spraint detections decreased with grass cover. At the landscape scale, the probability of otter site use for spraint deposition and group sizes increased in southeast flowing streams. Spraint deposition increased with the proportion of sugarcane fields, whereas in contrast, group size decreased with proportion of sugarcane fields.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the first empirical evidence on multi-scale habitat use of a southern Indian population of smooth-coated otters in an inland freshwater ecosystem surrounded by the scrub jungle–agriculture matrix. We suggest that habitat models built from analytical approaches that account for correlated detections can avoid biased predictions when estimating occupancy and detection probability of semi-aquatic or riparian mammal communities with linear distributions. Our findings indicate that human activity can impose constraints on the choice of sites used for spraint deposition and preliminary patterns in otter groups. The study provides some crucial evidence on the need to maintain areas with minimal human interference for sustainability of freshwater reserves.

Sugarcane yield estimation in Thailand at multiple scales using the integration of UAV and Sentinel-2 imagery

Timely and accurate estimates of sugarcane yield provide valuable information for food management, bio-energy production, (inter)national trade, industry planning and government policy. Remote sensing and machine learning approaches can improve sugarcane yield estimation. Previous attempts have however often suffered from too few training samples due to the fact that field data collection is expensive and time-consuming. Our study demonstrates that unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data can be used to generate field-level yield data using only a limited number of field measurements. Plant height obtained from RGB UAV-images was used to train a model to derive intra-field yield maps based on 41 field sample plots spread over 20 sugarcane fields in the Udon Thani Province, Thailand. The yield maps were subsequently used as reference data to train another model to estimate yield from multi-spectral Sentinel-2 (S2) imagery. The integrated UAV yield and S2 data was found efficient with RMSE of 6.88 t/ha (per 10 m × 10 m pixel), for average yields of about 58 t/ha. The expansion of the sugarcane yield mapping across the entire region of 11,730 km2 was in line with the official statistical yield data and highlighted the high spatial variability of yields, both between and within fields. The presented method is a cost-effective and high-quality yield mapping approach which provides useful information for sustainable sugarcane yield management and decision-making.

A taxonomic update on Tylenchorhynchus annulatus (Nematoda: Dolichodoridae), a widely distributed stunt nematode species

Summary The stunt nematode species, Tylenchorhynchus annulatus (Cassidy, 1930) Golden, 1971, is a widely distributed plant parasite found associated with various major agricultural crops. In the current work, a population of T. annulatus detected from a sugarcane field in Everglades, Florida, USA, was morphologically and molecularly characterised. A comparative study was also done including the stunt nematode populations identified morphologically and molecularly by different research groups as T. agri, T. annulatus or T. crassicaudatus from China, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and the USA, revealing highly similar morphology and overlapping morphometric data among the populations. However, these populations were found separated into two maximally supported clades in phylogenetic trees based on rRNA gene sequences (28S and ITS). One clade comprised populations from China, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, South Korea, Tanzania and the USA, and the other clade only populations from the USA. This study also strongly supported the view that T. crassicaudatus is a junior synonym of T. annulatus.

Experimental research on effects of influence factors on the axial cutter vibration, cutting forces and the sugarcane cutting quality under complicated excitations

The sugarcane field excitation, the engine excitation and reaction forces acting on cutters constitute complicated excitations of sugarcane harvesters. Axial cutter vibration displacement measuring and sugarcane cutting experiments were done on a self-developed sugarcane harvester experiment platform (SHEP) with complicated excitations simulated through a simulated sugarcane field exciter and an actuating engine. Effects of the sugarcane field excitation, the engine excitation and cutting parameters on the axial cutter vibration, three-directional cutting forces and the sugarcane cutting quality (SCQ) were studied through single-factor and orthogonal experiments. Effects of the axial cutter vibration on three-directional cutting forces and those of these two influence factors on the SCQ were also studied. Significance levels of effects in the sugarcane cutting process form high to low are as follow, the sugarcane field excitation, the cutter rotating speed, the engine excitation, the cutter installing angle, the sugarcane harvester moving speed. The axial cutter vibration has a directly and highly significant monotonic negative correlated effect on the SCQ. For the best SCQ, the cutter rotating speed is 700 r/min, the sugarcane harvester moving speed is 0.6 m/s and the cutter installing angle is 8°, providing a reference for setting cutting parameters of sugarcane harvesters with a good SCQ.

Biochemical characterization of bacteria isolated from Rhizosphere soils of sugarcane grown in Uttar Pradesh

Rhizospheric soil samples of Sugarcane fields were collected from distinct regions of U.P. Further, these soil samples were used for the isolation and characterization of bacteria to identify their maximum PGPR traits and biochemical potential. A total of ten bacterial isolates were collected from the soil samples and sub-cultured in the nutrient agar plates and characterized through Biochemical test. One bacterial strain was found negative and the other 9 isolates were found positive for gram staining. All bacterial isolates were positive for citrate test. 3 isolates were found MR positive and 2 positives for VP test. 5 isolates were positive for gelatinase test and 9 isolates were positive for nitrate reductase test. 2 isolates were positive for starch hydrolysis test, while 7 isolates were found positive for phosphate solubilization test and 3 isolates were positive for siderophore production test. These results showed that the bacterial isolates from soil sample were Azotobacter Species, Azospirillum Species, Pseudomonas species, Bacillus Species, Rhizobium Species, Serratia Species and E. coli. These bacterial strains followed the maximum PGPR traits. After proper validation, these bacterial strains could be used for the bio-fertilizer formation for crop production enhancement by improving soil fertility.

DSCA-PSPNet: Dynamic spatial-channel attention pyramid scene parsing network for sugarcane field segmentation in satellite imagery.

Sugarcane plays a vital role in many global economies, and its efficient cultivation is critical for sustainable development. A central challenge in sugarcane yield prediction and cultivation management is the precise segmentation of sugarcane fields from satellite imagery. This task is complicated by numerous factors, including varying environmental conditions, scale variability, and spectral similarities between crops and non-crop elements. To address these segmentation challenges, we introduce DSCA-PSPNet, a novel deep learning model with a unique architecture that combines a modified ResNet34 backbone, the Pyramid Scene Parsing Network (PSPNet), and newly proposed Dynamic Squeeze-and-Excitation Context (D-scSE) blocks. Our model effectively adapts to discern the importance of both spatial and channel-wise information, providing superior feature representation for sugarcane fields. We have also created a comprehensive high-resolution satellite imagery dataset from Guangxi's Fusui County, captured on December 17, 2017, which encompasses a broad spectrum of sugarcane field characteristics and environmental conditions. In comparative studies, DSCA-PSPNet outperforms other state-of-the-art models, achieving an Intersection over Union (IoU) of 87.58%, an accuracy of 92.34%, a precision of 93.80%, a recall of 93.21%, and an F1-Score of 92.38%. Application tests on an RTX 3090 GPU, with input image resolutions of 512 × 512, yielded a prediction time of 4.57ms, a parameter size of 22.57MB, GFLOPs of 11.41, and a memory size of 84.47MB. An ablation study emphasized the vital role of the D-scSE module in enhancing DSCA-PSPNet's performance. Our contributions in dataset generation and model development open new avenues for tackling the complexities of sugarcane field segmentation, thus contributing to advances in precision agriculture. The source code and dataset will be available on the GitHub repository https://github.com/JulioYuan/DSCA-PSPNet/tree/main.

Diversity and Screening of Cellulolytic Microorganisms from Mangrove Forests, Natural Parks, Paddy Field, and Sugarcane Plantation in Panay Island, Philippines.

Cellulolytic microorganisms secrete cellulase, which plays a crucial role in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products with diverse applications in industries, such as biofuel, healthcare, and agriculture. As the world transitions to a bioenergy future, cellulase demand is likely to expand. However, the high cost and low catalytic activity of cellulase hinder the commercialization of biorefineries. Searching for cellulase-producing microorganisms in different environments through bioprospecting can aid in broadening the range of cellulases that are currently available. Meanwhile, the cellulolytic activity of marine microorganisms remains largely unexplored, making it difficult to compare the cellulolytic activity of terrestrial and marine environments. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the diversity and activity of culturable cellulolytic microorganisms in four terrestrial and three marine sites within Panay Island, Philippines. The results showed that the cellulolytic microbial load was tenfold higher in the terrestrial sites than in the marine sites, possibly due to the dynamic mangrove environment. Out of the 42 isolates with a high cellulolytic index (CI) of ≥3.0, 36 were from terrestrial and 6 from marine habitats. The CMCase, Avicelase, and FPase activities were then tested on the 18 isolates with the highest CI. It was observed that many isolates had a high CI, but few exhibited high enzyme activities. Marine isolates showed higher CMCase and Avicelase activities, with comparable FPase activity to their terrestrial counterparts. Isolates S1ACP6B from a sugarcane field and MS1OMP2A from a mangrove site exhibited the highest cellulase activities at 0.41 and 0.29 U/mg, respectively, and were identified as Enterobacter roggenkampii and Rhodococcus erythropolis, respectively. Among the 18 identified isolates, three are resistant to chloramphenicol and three isolates are potentially new species of Halomonas sp. MS1ACP1B, Albirhodobacter sp. MP2ACP3B, and Saccharomycetaceae sp. B1CZP10A. Overall, this study provides an insight on the composition of cellulolytic microbial load and their activities among various habitats.

An Improved Transformer Network With Multi-Scale Convolution for Weed Identification in Sugarcane Field

An Improved Transformer Network With Multi-Scale Convolution for Weed Identification in Sugarcane Field

Tithonia diversifolia: beneficial companion plant to control Yellow Aphids on sugarcane fields in Tanzania

To find sustainable ways to protect its sugarcane areas from the key pest Sipha flava (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in north Tanzania, the local company TPC Limited funded a 6 months project in coordination with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) to assess different agroecological practices, such as the use of companion plants around sugarcane fields. In this study, the influence of the flowering species Tithonia diversifolia located at the field edges as a potential banker plant for conservation biological control of the yellow sugarcane aphid was evaluated. Predatory species were identified by direct capture and/or regular observations and the intensity of aphid damage was evaluated through number of colonies. Twenty-four aphid predator species were identified being hosted by T. diversifolia, and the vicinity of this plant reduced by 86% the number of S. flava colonies in the sugarcane edges. These species belonged mostly to family Coccinellidae (ladybugs), Syrphidae (hoverflies), Chrysopidae (green lacewings), Dolichopodidae (long legged flies). This is the first paper evaluating T. diversifolia’s potential as a banker plant in sugarcane crops for pest control.

Bagasse lives! The vulnerability processes faced by migrant workers in the sugarcane fields of São Paulo and Bahia, Brazil

Resumo Objetivo: compreender os processos de vulnerabilização enfrentados pelos trabalhadores-migrantes canavieiros diante do avanço da mecanização. Métodos: abordagem qualitativa pautada na abordagem metodológica da Reprodução Social da Saúde proposta por Juan Samaja, nas dimensões biocumunal, tecnoeconômica e política. Foram realizadas 18 entrevistas semiestruturadas com trabalhadores-migrantes canavieiros no período de abril de 2020 a dezembro de 2021. Resultados: na dimensão tecnoeconômica verificou-se que na usina A o trabalhador se tornou polivalente, com a presença do trabalho em equipe e a introdução de tecnologias para aumentar o controle do trabalho. Na usina B, os trabalhadores encontram piores condições de trabalho devido à irrigação, à irregularidade dos terrenos, à presença de pedras e à exposição às queimadas. Na dimensão biocomunal, foram identificados potencialização dos acidentes, uso de agrotóxicos, distúrbios hidroeletrolíticos e problemas cardiovasculares. Na dimensão política, foi observada a precariedade da assistência à saúde do trabalhador canavieiro. Conclusão: a intensificação da mecanização na colheita de cana-de-açúcar não melhorou as condições de trabalho dos cortadores, ao contrário, provocou a perpetuação de velhos e a inserção de novos processos de vulnerabilização.

Biochar alters the soil microbiological activity of sugarcane fields over time

Biochar alters the soil microbiological activity of sugarcane fields over time

Toward Zero Agro-Waste: A Business Model for Sugarcane Leaves Management in Thailand

Sugarcane is one of the oldest crops ever cultivated by humans and has a long history. Currently, the prevalent practice of burning sugarcane fields increases environmental concerns because many farmers frequently use this method to facilitate the harvest process and prepare the area for the next planting crop. Thus, the effective use of sugarcane leaves with proper management can overcome this problem. This paper represents sugarcane leaf management by developing a business model focused on collection, densification, and transportation, explicitly targeting the conversion of waste sugarcane leaves into fuel for a biomass power plant. The business model is categorized into two primary groups: the farmer group and the middleman group. Both groups are incentivized to invest in tools and equipment for collecting and densifying biomass, thereby facilitating the effective performance of the model. Furthermore, an economic analysis has been conducted encompassing an investment cost evaluation and the estimation of the payback period for this business model. The results indicate that the farmer group demonstrates a payback period of 1.72 years, while the middleman group reveals a longer payback period of 2.06 years. This strategic approach not only enhances the value of biomass waste but also significantly reduces the unwanted burn on farming fields, effectively mitigating air pollution.

Developing Biocontrol Strategies for the Management of Set rot Disease of Sugarcane under Wider Row Planting

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is one of the economically valuable agricultural crops grown worldwide in tropical and subtropical areas mainly for their sugar source. Among the 110 sugarcane cultivated countries, India and Brazil contribute half of global production [1]. During the period of last five decades the production, productivity and sugarcane recovery has also shown remarkable resilience in productivity growth rate. One of the reasons for the low productivity and recovery is increasing incidence of insect pests and diseases. An ecologically friendly alternative to these problems is biological control using rhizobacteria and their metabolic products [2]. In order to develop a technology capsule Surveys and surveillance were conducted in sugarcane fields both in plant and ratoon crops distributed in Orthanadu and Vallam block in New Cauvery delta area of Thanjavur dictrict during three consecutive years 2019- 22 with an objective to assess the incidence of sett rot, red rot and smut in New Cauvery delta area of Thanjavur dictrict. Fortnightly fixed plot observation was taken. The Maximium and minimum temperature, RH and quantity of rain and rainy days also recorded daily and consolidated on monthly basis and weather parameters were correlated with the incidence of disease. The results revealed that the maximum incidence sett rot negatively correlated with temperature. Similarly the number of rainy days and rainfall is positively correlated (r = 0.7523) with incidence of sett rot. For managing sett rot disease of sugarcane through biological approach, studies were conducted on biocontrol agents viz., Trichoderma asperellum (TNAU), Bacillus subtilis (TNAU), Chaetomium globosum (Cg6) with fungicide check propiconozole 0.1%. Among the treatment, highest millable cane (91,080/ha) and yield (91.39 tonnes / ha) and sugar yield ( 10.63 tonnes/ha) were recorded in M1- (Single bud treated with Trichoderma asperellum (TNAU)@ 4 g l-1 + soil application @ 2.5 kg ha-1) followed by M2- (Single bud treated with Bacillus subtilis (TNAU)@ 10 g l-1 + soil application @ 2.5 kg ha-1) in which, the cane yield of 88.54 tonnes/ha and sugar yield of 10.68 tonnes/ha were recorded. This study provides a technology capsule for the management of important disease of sugarcane.

Advancement of microcontroller-based fire suppression system for enhanced safety in sugar cane plantations

The occurrence of accidental fires in sugarcane plantations is a significant cause of pre-harvest loss in the sugar industry, particularly during arid seasons. This paper introduces the conceptualization and implementation of a microcontroller-based prototype system for mitigating accidental fires in sugar cane plantations. The proposed system encompasses two distinct subsystems: the field monitoring and the fire control unit. The Field monitoring system, deployed within the sugarcane field, assumes responsibility for fire detection via smoke detectors, infrared detectors, as well as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide detectors, which are accompanied by a fire extinguishing mechanism. Conversely, the fire control unit, installed at the fire brigade office, establishes wireless communication with the field monitoring system through the global system for mobile communication (GSM) network. Upon detecting a fire, the microcontroller promptly dispatches a fire alert to the fire brigade while simultaneously activating water pumps to suppress the fire until the brigade arrives to fully extinguish it. Furthermore, the fire control unit triggers the fire alarm and exhibits the global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the burning field to facilitate precise localization. The proposed system uses the Arduino-Mega and Arduino- Leonardo microcontroller platforms and is programmed using the C++ programming language in Visual-Studio-Code software and the Arduino integrated development environment. Designed prototype can detect fires and alert the fire brigade in less than twenty seconds and activate water pumps in less than one second after fire detection.

Long-term vinasse application enhanced the initial dissipation of atrazine and ametryn in a sugarcane field in Tucumán, Argentina.

The production of sugarcane bioethanol generates large volumes of vinasse, an effluent whose final disposal can produce an environmental impact that is of concern. The long-term disposal of vinasse in sugarcane fields could challenge crop management, such as the performance of traditional herbicides, by changing soil properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of long-term vinasse application on the field and the dissipation of atrazine and ametryn herbicides in a subtropical sugarcane agroecosystem, and to discuss the potential processes involved in it. Vinasse affected soil properties by increasing pH (12%), electrical conductivity (160%), and soil organic carbon (25%) at 0-10 cm depth of soil. Differences in the herbicide calculated sorption coefficient (Kd) varied according to the pedotransfer function applied and the herbicide type (atrazine or ametryn). During the first seven days after herbicide application, the soil underwent long-term vinasse application and increased atrazine and ametryn dissipation 45% and 33%, respectively, compared with the conventional fertilization scheme (control). The Pesticide Root Zone Model revealed that dissipation was mediated mainly by the degradation process rather than transport or other processes. The long-term application of vinasse in a typical sugarcane field of Tucumán, Argentina decreased the potential groundwater pollution of triazines and, adversely, reduced their bioavailability for weed control. For this, the present study presents original information about how long-term treatment with vinasse may require an adaptation of conventional management practices such as the application of herbicides in Argentina and other sugarcane-producing regions. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:1075-1086. © 2023 SETAC.