Hawaii Sugarcane Research Articles

Effect of Cane Stool Density and Stubble Height on Sugarcane Stubble Damage in Hawaii Fields

Sugarcane stubble damage is affected by various factors related to crop production and harvesting operation. This study aimed at investigating how cane stool density and stubble height affected sugarcane stubble damage in typical Hawaii sugarcane fields. In the study, stubble damage was classified based on the damage length: lightly damaged (damage length 102 mm). The measured stubble damage levels were then plotted against cane stool density and stubble height to study the changes in stubble damage with the changes in these parameters. The results showed that cane stool density (range: 75 to 142 canes m -2 ) had a negative correlation (r 2 = 0.87) and stubble height (range: 0.12 to 0.59 m) had a positive correlation (r 2 = 0.79) with stubble damage level. Specifically, when stubble height increased from 0.12 to 0.59 m, the average damage length increased from 15 to 85 mm. Meanwhile, the percentage of severely damaged stubble increased from 0% to 53%. Understanding the relationship that stubble damage level has with cane stool density and stubble height could provide fundamental information for engineers to improve the design of sugarcane basecutting mechanisms by optimizing basecutter height control, which could lead to reduced harvest-induced damage of sugarcane stubble.

Long-rotation sugarcane in Hawaii sustains high carbon accumulation and radiation use efficiency in 2nd year of growth

Sugarcane has been a major agronomic crop in Hawaii with an unique, high-yield, two-year production system. However, parameters relevant to advanced, cellulosic biofuel production, such as net ecosystem productivity (NEP) and radiation use efficiency (RUE), have not been evaluated in Hawaii under commercial production. Recent demand potential has rekindled interest in Hawaiian grown biofuels; as such, there is a need to understand productivity under changing climate and agronomic practices. To this end, we established two eddy covariance towers in commercial sugarcane fields in Maui, Hawaii to evaluate the carbon balance and RUE of sugarcane under contrasting elevations and soil types. We combined the tower observations with biometric and satellite data to assess RUE in terms of net biomass accumulation and daily gross primary production. High, sustained net NEP was found in both fields (cumulative NEP 4.23–5.37×103gCm−2 over the course of the measurement period). Biomass RUE was statistically similar for both fields (1.15–1.24g above ground biomass per MJ intercepted solar irradiance). Carbon accumulated in both fields at nearly the same rate with differences in cumulative biomass due to differing crop cycle lengths; cumulative gross primary productivity and ecosystem respiration were higher in the lower elevation field. Contrary to previous studies in Hawaiian sugarcane, we did not see a large decrease in NEP or increase in ecosystem respiration in the 2nd year, which we attributed to suppressed decomposition of dead cane stalks and leaves due to drip irrigation and drought. Biomass RUE also showed little decline in the 2nd year. The results show that Hawaiian sugarcane has a higher productivity than sugarcane grown in other regions of the world and also suggests that a longer (>12 months) growing cycle may be optimal for biomass production.

The Oriental BeetleAnomala orientalisWaterhouse (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) from Charleston, South Carolina, and its Status in the Southeastern United States

The oriental beetle Anomala orientalis (Waterhouse) is one of the most destructive pests of turfgrass in the northeastern United States. Larvae feed on the roots of a variety of hosts, including most grasses, blueberry (Vaccinium sp., section Cyanococcus), cranberry (Vaccinium sp., subgenus Oxycoccus), raspberry (Ru bus sp., subgenus Idaeobatus), strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa), and ornamental plants, as well as sugarcane in Hawaii (Alm, et al., 1999, Alm, et al., 2012). High larval populations can destroy turf and damage fully grown nursery stock and containerized plants (Alm, et al., 2012, Pierce 2012). Larvae have been inadvertently shipped to new locations in containers and in balled nursery stock and/or sod (Alm, et al., 2012). Adults feed on grass blades and the flowers of pe tunias (Petunia sp.), dahlias (Dahlia sp.), hollyhock (Alcea sp.), phlox (Phlox spp.), Japanese iris (Iris ensata), and roses (Rosa spp.), but are not considered to be serious pests (Friend 1929, Hallock 1933). The oriental beetle is probably a native of Japan that arrived on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu before 1908 (Tashiro 1987, Vittum, et al. 1999). It is believed to have arrived in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1920 as a stowaway in balled nursery stock (Tashiro 1987). The beetle’s U.S. distribution was examined by Alm, et al. (1999), who reported its presence in southeastern New Hampshire, Cape Cod and Central Massachusetts (widespread), Ohio (around Painesville on Lake Erie), New Jersey (widespread in blueberry plantings), Delaware (widespread), Maryland (widespread), Virginia (around Richmond and Arlington) and North Carolina (around Asheville). Single captures were recorded from Maine, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia (Alm, et al., 1999), though specific localities were not given and no further information could be located. Recent literature reports the oriental beetle from Maine to South Carolina, west to Wisconsin (Alm, et al., 2012). In addition to the single South Carolina capture presented by Alm, et al. (1999), Harpootlian (2001) reported a single specimen from the state, collected in June from Spartanburg. As of 1999, this record represented the southernmost 64 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS

Comparison of biparental and melting pot methods of crossing sugarcane in Hawaii

Sugarcane (Saccharum hybrid spp.) breeders at the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association used biparental and melting pot (modified polycross) crossing methods concurrently from 1935 to 1985. While the annual effort expended to make biparental crosses exceeded the effort to make melting pot crosses over this 50-year period, annual viable seed yield from biparental crosses was usually less than 15% of that from melting pot crosses and hence, the numbers of seedlings planted to the field from those crosses usually accounted for less than 20% of the total seedling population. In 1985, nine of the 10 sugarcane cultivars listed in Hawaii’s variety census originated from melting pot crosses; only one originated from a biparental cross. In the face of a shrinking sugar industry in Hawaii and a smaller work force in the breeding program, the decision was made in 1985 to rely primarily on melting pot crosses for the production of commercial cultivars. From 1985 to 2005, twelve additional clones that were bred prior to 1985 eventually attained “commercial cultivar” status by exceeding 1% of the total cane growing area. All twelve originated from melting pot crosses. Over the 50-year period that the two crossing methods were used, the melting pot method proved to be more labour efficient and ultimately contributed more than the biparental crossing procedure toward the development of new commercial cultivars for the Hawaiian sugar industry. From 1985 forward, the biparental crossing method was used more for introgressing desired traits from exotic germplasm than for the development of commercial cultivars.

PCDD and PCDF Emissions from Simulated Sugarcane Field Burning

The emissions from simulated sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) field burns were sampled and analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDDs and PCDFs). Sugarcane leaves from Hawaii and Florida were burned in a manner simulating the natural physical dimensions and biomass density found during the practice of preharvest field burning. Eight composite burn tests consisting of 3-33 kg of biomass were conducted, some with replicate samplers. Emission factor calculations using sampled concentration and measured mass loss compared well to rigorous carbon balance methods commonly used in field sampling. The two sources of sugarcane had distinctive emission levels, as did tests on separate seasonal gatherings of the Florida sugarcane. The average emission factor for two tests of Hawaii sugarcane was 253 ng toxic equivalents (TEQ)/kg of carbon burned (ng TEQ/kg(Cb)) (rsd = 16%) and for two gatherings of Florida sugarcane was 25 ng TEQ/kg(Cb) (N = 4, rsd = 50%) and 5 ng TEQ/kg(Cb) (N = 2, rsd = 91%). The Hawaii sugarcane, as well as most of the Florida sugarcane, had emission values which were well above the value of 5 ng TEQ/kg(Cb) commonly attributed to biomass combustion. Application of this emission factor range to the amount of U.S. sugarcane fields burned suggests that this practice may be a relatively minor source of PCDDs and PCDFs in the U.S. national inventory, but the limited sample size and range of results make this conclusion tenuous.

Factors Affecting the Transmission and Spread of Sugarcane yellow leaf virus.

Sugarcane, Saccharum spp. hybrid, is widely infected in the United States and many other countries with a yellowing and stunting disease called sugarcane yellow leaf syndrome. The causal agent, Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV), is a Polerovirus of the Luteoviridae family. In this study, it was transmitted by the sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari, and also by the corn leaf aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis, and the rice root aphid, R. rufiabdominalis. Two other aphids that infest sugarcane in Hawaii did not transmit the virus. Some Hawaiian sugarcane cultivars are susceptible to ScYLV, while others remain virus-free in the field. The latter were not infected when inoculated with viruliferous M. sacchari. Virus-free plants of susceptible cultivars were produced through apical meristem culture and were readily reinfected by viruliferous M. sacchari. They were also quickly reinfected when planted in a field in proximity to other infected sugarcane naturally infested with M. sacchari. Sugarcane cultivars are hybrids of several Saccharum species. In a field-grown collection of Saccharum and related species, 11 to 71% of the clones of four of the species were infected with ScYLV. None of the related genus Erianthus plants were infected, but four clones were infected experimentally by aphid inoculation. A low to moderate percentage of corn, rice, and sorghum seedlings became infected when inoculated with ScYLV, but barley, oats, and wheat proved to be very susceptible. None of seven weeds common in sugarcane fields were infected with ScYLV.

Exposure to biogenic silica fibers and respiratory health in hawaii sugarcane workers : T. Sinks, R. Hartle, M. Boeniger, D. Mannino, J. E. Boyd, J. Fernback, M. Hawkins, G. Grimes, K. L. Watkins, P. Dill & B. Anderson, Journal of Occupational Medicine, 36(12), 1329

Exposure to biogenic silica fibers and respiratory health in hawaii sugarcane workers : T. Sinks, R. Hartle, M. Boeniger, D. Mannino, J. E. Boyd, J. Fernback, M. Hawkins, G. Grimes, K. L. Watkins, P. Dill & B. Anderson, Journal of Occupational Medicine, 36(12), 1329

A case-control study of mesothelioma and employment in the Hawaii sugarcane industry.

We conducted a case-control study of 93 mesothelioma cases and 281 cancer controls to determine whether sugarcane workers exposed to biogenic silica fibers were at increased risk of mesothelioma. We found no important excess risk of mesothelioma in sugarcane workers [odds ratio (OR) = 1.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.4-3.8] when we excluded all control subjects with cancer of sites suspected of being associated with asbestos exposure. We could not identify any sugarcane workers who developed mesothelioma and worked in jobs where high exposure levels of biogenic silica fibers have been measured. We did confirm that mesothelioma risk in Hawaii is associated with probable occupational asbestos exposure. Work at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard was associated with a 10-fold increase in mesothelioma when we excluded controls with cancer of sites related to asbestos exposure (OR = 10.1; 95% CI = 2.6-56.6). Work in the medical industry was also associated with an unexpected increased risk for mesothelioma (OR = 4.2; 95% CI = 1.2-15.5).

Exposure to biogenic silica fibers and respiratory health in Hawaii sugarcane workers.

We conducted a cross-sectional environmental and medical survey of 355 male sugarcane workers in Hawaii to determine whether exposure to biogenic silica fibers (BSF) affected their respiratory health. Exposures to BSF ranged from nondetectable to more than 0.700 BSF/mL and varied by job and department. Respiratory symptoms, chest radiograph findings, and pulmonary function were not associated with BSF exposures. Cigarette smoking was associated with respiratory symptoms and pulmonary obstruction. Fifteen workers had pleural thickening or pleural plaques and 3 of these workers were exposed to BSF for more than 10 years. BSF exposure does not appear to influence the respiratory health of sugarcane workers; however, further study is warranted.

Effect of cool temperatures on photosynthesis and stomatal conductance in field-grown sugarcane in Hawaii

Occasional cool nights and early mornings were found to inhibit photosynthetic carbon assimilation and stomatal conductance measured the next day. Preceding night temperature, rather than ambient conditions during measurements, determined the time-course and magnitude of gas exchange the following day. Infrequent occurrences of chilling injury at relatively warm temperatures may have persistent effects on carbon assimilation, representing a previously unrecognized constraint on biomass and sucrose accumulation by sugarcane. Sensitivity to chilling injury exhibited seasonal acclimation, though ca. 5°C distinguished inhibitory from noninhibitory nights in each season. In winter, minimum leaf temperatures of ca. 14°C were associated with inhibition, whereas in summer minimum temperatures as high as ca. 20°C were sufficiently cool. These temperatures are higher than those commonly associated with chilling injury, even in tropical crops. This may reflect high photosynthetic sensitivity to chilling in sugarcane or an indirect effect of reduced nocturnal translocation of assimilate at cool temperatures. Apparent photon fluence (light) response curves of net carbon assimilation vs. photosynthetically active photon flux density at the canopy surface indicated that both light-limited and light-saturated photosynthetic rates were inhibited following chilling events. The relationship between stomatal conductance and carbon assimilation, and calculations of intercellular CO 2 concentration, indicated that stomatal limitation of carbon assimilation did not increase following chilling, but that the photosynthetic capacity of the mesophyll was reduced. Inhibitory effects of moderately cool nights and early mornings should be considered in evaluating genotype adaptation to specific environments and in efforts to model gas-exchange responses in the field.

Evaluation of a model for predicting sucrose yields following hurricane damage to sugarcane in Hawaii

A census taken within 3 months after Hurricane Iwa struck the island of Kauai in November 1982 provided data for a model of growth and production from which to calculate an estimated percent yield loss due to the hurricane. The estimated percentage loss was then subtracted from the potential yield projected from a linear regression of the five preceding years to give a modeled yield estimate. The model-estimated yields and the projection-estimated yields of two hurricane-struck plantations for the two years following the hurricane were compared to the actual yields reported by their sugar mills. For the individual plantations over the two years the modeled yields ranged from 0.3% under to 28.4% over the actual yields. The model gave yield estimates closer to the actual recorded yields than did the projected yield estimates, and it was more accurate the first year than the second year following the hurricane. Additionally, the model was more accurate for the rain-fed plantation than for the irrigated-plantation. Thus, the model tested here for evaluating sugarcane yields in response to hurricane damage varied in accuracy by location and year. Nevertheless, the model provides a method to derive quantitative estimates of natural hazards on crop production and is a valuable tool.

Problems in Tropical Agriculture: A Case Study from Guam

Problems in Tropical Agriculture: A Case Study from Guam DAVID LEE* The island of Guam appears at first glance to meet all of the clichés required of a tropical paradise—blue lagoons, coral-sand beaches, coconut palms bent by the trade winds. An observer, having recently toured the vast plantations of pineapple and sugar cane in Hawaii, might be struck with a sense of the great agricultural potential of the island. Indeed, the list of economically useful plants which can be grown on Guam is long, suggesting that agriculture does, or at least should, provide significant employment for the island's people. The facts show the contrary. Excluding some 38,000 military personnel, the population of Guam is 63,OGO.1 Of these a mere 252 are full-time farmers.2 The amount of land devoted to cultivation is slightly more than one percent of the total area of the island (Figure I).3 Obviously agriculture is of miniscular significance to the island's economy, but why? In this study, conditions of agriculture on Guam were examined and an attempt was made to analyze agricultural problems on the island. Some of these problems involve the physical landscape —the soils, slope of land, climate, and vegetation. Others are related to land tenure, labor, markets, alternative land uses, and competition from other crop-producing areas. * Dr. Lee is an Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of California , Davis 95616. This paper was presented at the meeting of the California Council for Geographic Education at San Diego State College in May 1969. 1 Territory of Guam, Department of Labor and Personnel, Guam Employment Service, Comprehensive Manpower Plan, June 1968. 2 Territory of Guam, Department of Agriculture, Annual Report, Fiscal Year 1968 (July 1968) , Table IX. 3 U. S., Congress, House, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Economic Development of the Territory of Guam, 89th Cong., 2d Sess., 1966, p. 138. 47 48ASSOCIATION OF PACIFIC COAST GEOGRAPHERS Sample Studies Farms on Guam, or ranches as they are sometimes called, are classified by the Guam Department of Agriculture as full-time and part-time. In addition to these, a third type, the household garden, should be considered. To better appreciate the problems confronting agriculture on Guam, a typical operation in each of these categories has been examined in detail. A Full-Time Farm As mentioned above, the number of full-time farmers on Guam is 252. Sizes of operations vary from 5 to 50 acres, and the average is approximately 20 acres.4 On the sample farm studied, the crops included cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, green beans, watermelons, and cantaloupes. No tree crops are regularly harvested, and no animals are raised commercially. The ranch consisted of disjunct upland and lowland fields about five miles apart. The largest area was north of the village of Talofofo, where eleven acres of land were recently cleared of native vegetation. These are upland fields of light soils which are cultivated primarily during and following the wet season of the year. Lowland fields of rich, heavy alluvial soils are often flooded during the summer and fall and are cultivated during the period of spring drought. This upland-lowland system of agriculture is common among the larger landowners of the island. The owners of this farm have title to 85 acres, but only about 20 acres are cleared for cultivation at one time. By Guam standards this operation is large. The farmers own three tractors, with the usual plows, cultivators, and other tools; two mechanical insecticide sprayers; and a light truck for farm duty. Equipment is kept in the village a mile away at the owner's home. No regular full-time help is hired to work on the farm, but part-time labor, mainly that of women and young boys from the village, is required at harvest time. 4 Interview with Jose T. Barcinas, Acting Chief of the Extension Service of the Guam Department of Agriculture, August 1968. YEARBOOK VOLUME 33 1971 49 GUAM LAND USE Residential Military Conservation idle Barriga daJD Agat Talafofblf ? -1500 U f? a t a c Cy~ Jb^inarajan 1'2G 1 2 3 4 5 miles enzo Figure 1. Land utilization on Guam...

Sugar Cane in Hawaii and Taiwan: Contrasts in Ecology, Technology, and Economics

wan dates back nearly a century and has long been a backbone of their respective economies. In Hawaii, sugar cane occupies two-thirds of the cultivated land, and its acreage has expanded some 10 per cent in the last 20 years (Fig. 1). In Taiwan, which is nearly twice the size of Hawaii, the cane area has fluctuated greatly in the post-war years. For the five-year period 19621966, cane acreage in Taiwan averaged 95,670 hectares which was comparable to that of Hawaii, but accounted for only 6 per cent of Taiwan's cultivated land. Practically all the sugar cane lands in Hawaii are owned by the 25 plantations, whereas in Taiwan 70 per cent of the sugar cane land is tilled by individual growers and the other 30 per cent by the government-owned Taiwan Sugar Corporation. Hawaii's sugar yield per hectare per year is second only to that of Peru. In the last 20 years, Hawaii's sugar yield has increased some 20 per cent, except for a drop in 1958 caused by a prolonged labor strike (Fig. 2). By contrast, the sugar yield in Taiwan, recovering from the damage of World War II, reached a peak in 1954 and declined slightly thereafter. For the five-year period 1962-1966 the sugar yield in Taiwan averaged 8.9 tons per hectare per year, or about 80 per cent of Hawaii's average yield of 11.0 tons per hectare per year. In addition to its high yields, sugar cane agriculture in Hawaii is renowned for its full-scale mechanization, extensive breeding program, effective pest and disease control, liberal application of herbicides and fertilizers, and other cultural practices often taken to be earmarks of scientific farming in a developed country. On the other hand, in spite of its dedicated research and intensive farming practices, agriculture in Taiwan is generally considered to be typical of that of an underdeveloped country in terms of farm income and level of technology. How can agriculture in an underdeveloped country be transformed to the level of that of a developed country? This paper attempts to answer this question by a comparison of the physical environments, economic structures, and farming technologies in the sugar industries in Hawaii and Taiwan.

Availability of Phosphorus to Sugar Cane in Hawaii as Influenced by Various Phosphorus Fertilizers and Methods of Application

SummaryAn experiment was carried out in the glasshouse to determine the availability of P, and utilization of added phosphate fertilizers from three fertilizer materials, applied by two different methods to sugar cane grown in four diverse soil systems. Phosphorus was applied at the equivalent rate of 175 pounds P (400 pounds P2O5) per acre. A larger response from added P in terms of plant yields was obtained from an aluminous ferruginous latosol and least from dark magnesium clay. Differences in yields of sugar cane were evidently associated with differences in P content in the cane plants and, in certain cases, with a reduction in Al content in plant tops, and the less soluble superphosphate increased yields more than the highly soluble NH4H2PO4. Phosphate fertilizers applied as foliar spray greatly increased the P content in the plants, and plants contained twenty times more P when sprayed with NH4H2PO4 than when the same fertilizer was applied to the soil. However, increased P content in the plants did not necessarily indicate that the P was translocated within the plants or that the added P participated in metabolic processes. The evidence indicated that in soils where the ‘A’ value was high the P status of the sugar cane tops was not correspondingly high.

Assessing the Utility of Pan Evaporation for Controlling Irrigation of Sugar Cane in Hawaii1

SynopsisThe timing of irrigation applications was determined with reference to the net evaporation from a U.S. Weather Bureau pan. Maximum sugar yields were obtained when 2.5 inches of irrigation water were applied after 2.9 inches had evaporated from the pan. When adjusted to a constant population, the differences in yields of 6 irrigation‐interval treatments reflected differences in stalk length. Decrease in stalk length resulted from soil moisture tensions which exceeded 2 bars.

Weed Control Practices and Research for Sugar Cane in Hawaii

Weed Control Practices and Research for Sugar Cane in Hawaii