Sugarcane Land Research Articles

The distribution of rainfall in areas suitable for sugarcane farming in Blitar Regency, East Java

Abstract Expansion of sugarcane in East Java continue to be implemented in addition to intensification to increase sugarcane production in East Java, including expansion to Blitar Regency. This study aims to determine the rainfall distribution in areas suitable for sugarcane cultivation in Blitar Regency, East Java. This study was done in 2022 by combining a sugarcane land suitability map in Blitar Regency from the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Land Resources Research and Development and an annual isohyet map. Maps showing the rainfall distribution that the further north in Blitar the more elevation and rainfall and decreasing to the south. Annual rainfall distribution of 1500-2000 mm and 2000-2500 mm in the areas of moderately and marginally suitable for sugarcane covered total area of 25,918.59 ha and 22,689.90 ha or 15.83% and 13.86% of the total existing land area, respectively. When expanding sugarcane development, it is essential to consider the rainfall distribution along with the spatial distribution of land. Therefore, field trials are needed in each zoning to determine the productivity level of sugarcane and sugar. Complementing the spatial distribution of land for sugarcane with the rainfall distribution in each zone is important to identify yield potential for each suitability class.

Contribution of the ratoon sugarcane with planting years to river pollution evidenced from the four-year watershed observation

Non-point source pollution water erosion caused by sugarcane planting on sloping land is a serious environmental problem in tropical and subtropical regions. The adjustment of sugarcane planting patterns (ratio of perennial to new planting areas) will affect slope soil erosion. However, the relationship between the contribution of sugarcane land to river pollution load and the planting years of ratoon sugarcane remains unclear. To quantitatively analyse the contribution of sugarcane fields to eroded sediment nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loads into the river in different ratoon years and growing seasons, this study was conducted in the intensive sugarcane cultivation area of the southern subtropical Guangxi Nala sub watershed, using the specific compound specific stable isotope (CSSI) traceability technology and real-time monitoring in the watershed. The changes of N and P loading of sugarcane soil erosion and sediment into the river was determined at different ratoon years (RS0-RS3) in addition to the related influencing factors. The results showed that the influence of different ratoon years on the N and P input loads of eroded sediment from sugarcane fields was significantly greater than that of runoff. The contribution of different ratoon sugarcane planting years (including root density) to the loads of sediment N and P into the river was 67.1 % (p < 0.01), which was 2.8 times that of runoff (24.3 %) (p < 0.05). With increasing ratoon sugarcane planting years, the N and P loads of sediment into the river from the sugarcane land decreased significantly; the ratoon sugarcane planting years showed a highly significant negative correlation with the N loads of sediment into the river from the sugarcane fields (p < 0.01), and a significant negative correlation with P (p < 0.05) was observed. Newly planted sugarcane contributed the most to the N and P sediment loads into the river at the seedling stage and the least at the maturity stage. Therefore, in the intensive sugarcane planting areas, to effectively control erosion-induced non-point source pollution, perennial sugarcane planting areas should be rationally in the newly planted sugarcane fields, especially at the seedling stage, to increase land surface cover.

Situational analysis of human resources in the Indonesian sugarcane agro-industry in the era of industry 4.0

Abstract The development of Industry 4.0 technology, new challenges need to be faced in developing human resources to work. This research aims to collect, evaluate and organise information about the internal and external environment in the development of human resources in the industrial era 4.0 on the cane sugar production process. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used in this research. The collection of data through literature review, field survey, expert interview and questionnaire from 37 Indonesian sugar factories regarding HR competencies both soft and hard, the application of 4.0 technology in Indonesian sugar factories, the current state of sugar production process technology, and the state of sugar cane land that is important to develop in the future. The findings obtained are that in terms of human resources, the availability of competence infrastructure is needed; in terms of technology 4.0, the need for wider application of artificial intelligence; in terms of sugar production process, the cut-load-transport needs new technology; and from the land aspect, West Nusa Tenggara has the potential to be developed into sugar cane land in the future. The information is then expressed in the form of rich picture, root definition, CATWOE, conceptual model, cause and effect diagram and black box. The description of the state of human resources in the cane sugar agro-industry can be used as a basis for the implementation of human resource development strategies in the cane sugar agro-industry in the industrial era 4.0 in order to increase the productivity of human resources.

Analisis Status dan Kemampuan Kesuburan Tanah pada Beberapa Lahan Tebu di Kecamatan Japah Kabupaten Blora

Sugarcane commodity is one of the important commodities in Indonesia. The relationship with the advanced industry of sugarcane is also very close, about 20% in the form of liquid sugar produced from this plant. This study was led to analyze the status and classification of soil fertility capabilities on sugarcane fields in the Japah Area. This study used a survey method with sugarcane fields selected from 9 selected villages and soil sampling depths of 0-20 and 20-40. The fertility status in sugarcane fields in Japah District is included in the Very Low (SR) and Low (R) criteria with C-Organic limiting factors, Potassium reserves, P reserves and low Base Saturation. The fertility ability classification is (T1) Ngiyono K is low, acidic and P is low, (T2) Sumberjo availability K and P are low, acidic, (T3) Wotbakah P is low, (T4) Bogem availability K and P is low, (T5) Gaplokan K and P are low, (T6) Kalinanas K and P are low, (T7) Tlogowungu availability K and low P, (T8) Dologan K and low P, (T9) Ngapus K and low P.Keywords : status, fertility capability, sugarcane land

Perkembangan Arsitektur dan Fungsi Kelenteng Tjo Soe Kong di Tanjung Kait Tahun 1959-2018

This study aims to explain the history, development building form, and explain the function of Tjo Soe Kong Temple in Tanjung Kait. Historical methods used in research consisting heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The results showed that the establishment of the Tjo Soe Kong Temple was related Kongco Tjo Soe Kong to the expansion of sugarcane land. The construction was carried out by residents of Chinese descent were immigrants from Anxi district, in early decades of the 18th century to be precise in 1792, and has undergone several physical changes the building with addition of modern construction. First renovation in 1959, condition the building was made of wood, bamboo and blocks were replaced with bricks and cement to strengthen the building. Second renovation in 2018, namely repairing the roof, walls, poles, fences, and ornaments. As well as the structure of the wall construction is coated with granite which serves to add to the impression of beauty of the building without losing its original shape. Establishment of the Tjo Soe Kong Temple follows general rules of feng shui but not completely. The function of the temple building is use as a place of worship for Buddhists, center for social activities and assimilation of arts, historical marker of development of Chinese community, a place where spiritual teachings also used for recreation because it’s crowded with visitors and open to public. Addition of red bridge building with fish pond to enjoy the beautiful scenery at the Tjo Soe Kong Temple.

Pesticide transport through the vadose zone under sugarcane in the Wet Tropics, Australia

Abstract. Photosystem II (PS II) pesticides, recognized as a threat to ecological health, were targeted for reduction in sugarcane farming in Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchments. Alternative herbicides, the non-PS II herbicides (including glyphosate, paraquat, 2,4-D, imazapic, isoxaflutole, metolachlor, and S-metolachlor), continue to be used in these catchments. However, the potential ecological fate, transport, and off-site environmental effects of non-PS II herbicides, with respect to their usage scheme, local rainfall patterns, and infiltration dynamics, have not been investigated previously. A vadose zone monitoring system, instrumented beneath sugarcane land in a GBR catchment, was applied for real-time tracing of pesticide migration across the unsaturated zone, past the root zone during 2017–2019. The regularly applied pesticides (fluroxypyr and isoxaflutole) exhibited substantial migration through the unsaturated zone. Within 1 month of application of fluroxypyr, it leached to 2.87 m depth in the vadose zone, with declining concentrations with depth. Isoxaflutole, which was applied yearly, was found only once, in November 2018, at 3.28 m depth in the soil profile. Other pesticides (imazapic, metolachlor, glyphosate, and haloxyfop) applied during the same period were not detected in the vadose zone. However, imidacloprid, which was not applied at the site during the monitored period, was detected across the entire vadose zone, revealing substantial resistance to degradation. The results show no evidence of any regularly applied pesticides in the site bores at the end of the study, indicating their ultimate degradation within the vadose zone before reaching the groundwater.

What follows fallow? Assessing revegetation patterns on abandoned sugarcane land in Hawaiʻi

Millions of hectares of agricultural land have been abandoned globally in recent decades, presenting opportunities for secondary vegetation growth and restoration. While abandoned fields have the potential to return to ecological communities with similar species diversity to their pre-agricultural state, they alternatively may transition to novel ecosystems or persist in degraded states that may have alternative functions that impact ecological and human communities. Yet we lack an understanding of how vegetation naturally recovers on disturbed lands. Using remote sensing and land survey data, we characterized the structure, composition, and function of secondary vegetation canopies on former sugarcane fields in Hawaiʻi that were abandoned between 4 and 117 years ago. We used a species distribution model to identify patches of uncultivated land with similar environmental conditions to abandoned sugarcane fields to serve as reference ecosystems. Using these reference ecosystems, we evaluated how secondary ecosystems at different ages since abandonment compare in terms of canopy structure, composition, and function. Grasses were prevalent in the years immediately following abandonment, but shrubs and trees dominated canopy structure on fields that had been abandoned more than 20 years. Non-native species constituted most of the secondary vegetation, but native vegetation cover increased on sugarcane fields that had been abandoned longer than 25 years. Secondary vegetation recovered canopy functional traits in ≤ 53 years since abandonment. Completely recovering the structural properties of reference ecosystems would require over a century. Abandoned sugarcane fields are unlikely to recover the native composition of reference ecosystems through unassisted vegetation recovery. Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature that characterizes whether and when the globally increasing area of abandoned agricultural land may passively recover, which can direct restoration efforts on abandoned lands to enhance ecosystem services or guide alternative management to achieve socio-cultural objectives.

Relationship between Measured and Computed Effective Rainfall Using Field Infiltrometers and CropWat Software under Sugarcane Land–Use System in Tropical Climate

A study was conducted to test the validity of four different mathematical models imbedded in CropWat software, which is widely used to estimate effective rainfall. The model values were statistically compared with the actual effective rainfall values measured by a field infiltrometer experiment. The study was conducted in a sugarcane land–use system under the tropical climate of Sevanagala, Sri Lanka, during the 2018 to 2019 growing season. The measured effective rainfall in the Sevanagala sugarcane growing area during the 12-month period was 1,068 mm, around 70% of the total rainfall of 1,517 mm. It was also found that 9% of the rainfall received at the top of the canopy was lost due to canopy interception. The results demonstrated the applicability of the mathematical models embedded in CropWat software to estimate the effective rainfall for sugarcane land–use systems in Sevanagala. Furthermore, the empirical regression formula embedded in CropWat software appeared to be the best-fit model for the estimation of effective rainfall because it had the highest index of agreement value, with an accuracy greater than 96%.

Perkembangan Arsitektur dan Fungsi Kelenteng Tjo Soe Kong di Tanjung Kait Tahun 1959-2018

This study aims to explain the history, development building form, and explain the function of Tjo Soe Kong Temple in Tanjung Kait. Historical methods used in research consisting heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The results showed that the establishment of the Tjo Soe Kong Temple was related Kongco Tjo Soe Kong to the expansion of sugarcane land. The construction was carried out by residents of Chinese descent were immigrants from Anxi district, in early decades of the 18th century to be precise in 1792, and has undergone several physical changes the building with addition of modern construction. First renovation in 1959, condition the building was made of wood, bamboo and blocks were replaced with bricks and cement to strengthen the building. Second renovation in 2018, namely repairing the roof, walls, poles, fences, and ornaments. As well as the structure of the wall construction is coated with granite which serves to add to the impression of beauty of the building without losing its original shape. Establishment of the Tjo Soe Kong Temple follows general rules of feng shui but not completely. The function of the temple building is use as a place of worship for Buddhists, center for social activities and assimilation of arts, historical marker of development of Chinese community, a place where spiritual teachings also used for recreation because it’s crowded with visitors and open to public. Addition of red bridge building with fish pond to enjoy the beautiful scenery at the Tjo Soe Kong Temple.

Unproductive Sugarcane Land Restored into Wetlands After Tidal Re‐connection

Photo 1. Aerial view of a re-established mangrove forest in the Yandina wetlands, Queensland, Australia. Photo credit: Fernanda Adame. Photo 2. Unproductive sugarcane farmland restored into a tidally connected wetland. Photo credit: Fernanda Adame. Photo 3. Mangrove (Avicennia marina) seedling in a restored wetland. Photo credit: Naima Iram. Photo 4. Successfully restored salt marsh on former sugarcane-growing land in the Yandina wetlands. Photo credit: Naima Iram. These photographs illustrate the article “Climate change mitigation and improvement of water quality from the restoration of a subtropical coastal wetland” by N. Iram, D. T. Maher, C. E. Lovelock, T. Baker, C. Cadier, M. F. Adame published in Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2620.

Climate change mitigation and improvement of water quality from the restoration of a subtropical coastal wetland.

Coastal wetland restoration is an important activity to achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, improve water quality, and reach the Sustainable Development Goals. However, many uncertainties remain in connection with achieving, measuring, and reporting success from coastal wetland restoration. We measured levels of carbon (C) abatement and nitrogen (N) removal potential of restored coastal wetlands in subtropical Queensland, Australia. The site was originally a supratidal forest composed of Melaleuca spp. that was cleared and drained in the 1990s for sugarcane production. In 2010, tidal inundation was reinstated, and a mosaic of coastal vegetation (saltmarshes, mangroves, and supratidal forests) emerged. We measured soil GHG fluxes (CH4, N2O, CO2) and sequestration of organic C in the trees and soil to estimate the net C abatement associated with the reference, converted, and restored sites. To assess the influence of restoration on water quality improvement, we measured denitrification and soil N accumulation. We calculated C abatement of 18.5 Mg CO2−eq ha−1 year−1 when sugarcane land transitioned to supratidal forests, 11.0 Mg CO2−eq ha−1 year−1 when the land transitioned to mangroves, and 6.2 Mg CO2−eq ha−1 year−1 when the land transitioned to saltmarshes. The C abatement was due to tree growth, soil accumulation, and reduced N2O emissions due to the cessation of fertilization. Carbon abatement was still positive, even accounting for CH4 emissions, which increased in the wetlands due to flooding and N2O production due to enhanced levels of denitrification. Coastal wetland restoration in this subtropical setting effectively reduces CO2 emissions while providing additional cobenefits, notably water quality improvement.

Land-Use Driven Changes in Soil Microbial Community Composition and Soil Fertility in the Dry-Hot Valley Region of Southwestern China.

The Dry-Hot Valley is a unique geographical region in southwestern China, where steep-slope cultivation and accelerating changes in land-use have resulted in land degradation and have aggravated soil erosion, with profound impacts on soil fertility. Soil microbes play a key role in soil fertility, but the impact of land-use changes on soil microbes in the Dry-Hot Valley is not well known. Here, we compared characteristics and drivers of soil microbial community composition and soil fertility in typical Dry-Hot Valley land uses of sugarcane land (SL), forest land (FL), barren land (BL) converted from former maize land (ML), and ML control. Our results showed that BL and SL had reduced soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total potassium (TK) compared to ML and FL. This indicated that conversion of ML to SL and abandonment of ML had the potential to decrease soil fertility. We also found that fungal phyla Zoopagomycota and Blastocladiomycota were absent in SL and BL, respectively, indicating that land-use change from ML to SL decreased the diversity of the bacterial community. Redundancy analysis indicated that the relative abundance of bacterial phyla was positively correlated with TN, SOC, and available potassium (AK) content, and that fungal phyla were positively correlated with AK. Land-use indirectly affected the relative abundance of bacterial phyla through effects on soil moisture, clay, and AK contents, and that of fungal phyla through effects on clay and AK contents. In addition, land-use effects on bacteria were greater than those on fungi, indicating that bacterial communities were more sensitive to land-use changes. Management regimes that incorporate soil carbon conservation, potassium addition, and judicious irrigation are expected to benefit the stability of the plant–soil system in the Dry-Hot Valley.

Mapping Sugarcane in Central India with Smartphone Crowdsourcing

In India, the second-largest sugarcane producing country in the world, accurate mapping of sugarcane land is a key to designing targeted agricultural policies. Such a map is not available, however, as it is challenging to reliably identify sugarcane areas using remote sensing due to sugarcane’s phenological characteristics, coupled with a range of cultivation periods for different varieties. To produce a modern sugarcane map for the Bhima Basin in central India, we utilized crowdsourced data and applied supervised machine learning (neural network) and unsupervised classification methods individually and in combination. We highlight four points. First, smartphone crowdsourced data can be used as an alternative ground truth for sugarcane mapping but requires careful correction of potential errors. Second, although the supervised machine learning method performs best for sugarcane mapping, the combined use of both classification methods improves sugarcane mapping precision at the cost of worsening sugarcane recall and missing some actual sugarcane area. Third, machine learning image classification using high-resolution satellite imagery showed significant potential for sugarcane mapping. Fourth, our best estimate of the sugarcane area in the Bhima Basin is twice that shown in government statistics. This study provides useful insights into sugarcane mapping that can improve the approaches taken in other regions.

STUDY OF SUGAR CANE SUGAR AGROINDUSTRY MECHANICAL METHODS AND CONVENTIONAL METHODS: A COMPARISON OF INCOME

Cane sugar agroindustry is the processing of sugarcane juice into sugar cane using conventional methods. However, along with the development of this agroindustry innovation began to adopt technology with mechanical methods. In the production process, there is the use of inputs that differentiate the impact on agroindustry income which is not yet known for certain, therefore this study aims to: 1) determine the description of the sugar cane agroindustry method mechanical and conventional methods at Kayu Aro, Kerinci District, 2) knowing the comparative income of sugar cane agroindustry with mechanical and conventional methods at Kayu Aro, Kerinci District. This research was conducted on August 10th to September 10th, 2020 at Sungai Asam Village, Kayu Aro, Kerinci District purposively, with the consideration that Sungai Asam Village has the largest area of sugarcane land, sugarcane production, sugar production and the largest number of craftsmen and there are more processing methods from one. The number of samples was 47 people, divided into 33 mechanical craftsmen and 14 conventional craftsmen. The data analysis method used is descriptive analysis, income analysis and comparative analysis of sugar cane agroindustry income with a two difference test mean. (1) The difference in the methods used causes the difference in the amount of sugarcane juice raw material produced by the mechanical method is greater which affects the amount of use of auxiliary materials and the fuel needed is also greater which results in higher sugar production than conventional. So that mechanical processing is better than conventional processing. (2) The income of the mechanical method of cane sugar agroindustry is 40% higher than conventional. This occurs as a result of the difference in the amount of bulk sugar production which is greater than the sugar production at different price levels.Keywords: Sugar Cane, Mechanical, Conventional, Income, Comparison

STUDY OF PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY PLANNING FOR PTPN XIV’S TAKALAR SUGAR FACTORY

The research aims to formulate strategies and policies as an effort to achieve the production targets set in the LTP (Long Term Plan) PG Takalar in 2021-2025. This goal is to support the optimization of the Takalar PG which is still possible to be increased, as well as to support the government's program to increase the domestic sugar supply, which is currently still experiencing a shortage. The research method was carried out by collecting data, interviews, and filling out questionnaires to PTPN XIV internals who understood the operations of PG Takalar. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threaths) and AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) methods were used as analytical tools in this study. The results showed that the priority strategies for increasing the productivity of the Takalar PG were the operational quality of the mill (smooth milling) and the increase in sugarcane land productivity (intensification). Meanwhile, policies to support the implementation of the two priority strategies are in the form of providing support for procurement of goods and services, working capital, operational supervision, assistance by experts, coordination, existing facilities and infrastructure, and human resource development.

Bioethanol prospect from agricultural crops and its biomass in Indonesia

Contradiction between the surplus domestic bioethanol supply and the failure to fulfill the bioethanol E2 biofuel program in 2020 is because the fuel grade ethanol price is still more expensive than gasoline. Indonesia’s fuel consumption needs, especially gasoline is increased from 37.49 million kL in 2020 to 43.59 million kL in 2025, with a deficit that is met with gasoline imports. Bioethanol production is still in surplus, the remainder is exported, still unable to supply the E2 bioethanol program and the import of non-fuel-grade ethanol is carried out. The abundance of mollase is not only the main raw material for bioethanol, but it is in competition with other industries such as MSG, and the decline in sugar cane land will reduce the availability of mollase in the future. In 2015, world bioethanol produces 1,390 million liter from 2G bioethanol, still in TRL4~TRL8 status, yet to commercial. To maintain ethanol supply security, potential biomass and waste-crops, and a lot of available sources that are not in competition with food needs, technological aspects, productivity, availability, and other aspects, biomass commodities need to continue to be developed with more intensive collaboration between institutions (academic, government, private). This study assesses the greatest potential of non-food biomass in Indonesia, including the 2nd generation bioethanol, 3rd generation, and the current biggest challenge in the readiness and maturity of the technology and its economic feasibility.

Land use conversion to improve water quality in high DIN risk, low-lying sugarcane areas of the Great Barrier Reef catchments

Eutrophication of coastal and nearshore receiving environments downstream of intensive agricultural production areas is a global issue. The Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan (2017–2022) sets ambitious targets for reducing pollutant loads entering the Great Barrier Reef from contributing agricultural catchments. At a regional scale, the Wet Tropics end-of-catchment target load reduction for dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) is 60% from the 2012–2013 anthropogenic load level. However, not even with the combined efforts of the Reef Regulations (December 2019) mandate and adoption of best practice nutrient management on farm, is it likely that these DIN targets will be reached. Thus, there is a need for innovative and cost-effective approaches to deliver further water quality improvement. Transitioning low-lying, marginal sugarcane land to alternative land uses that require lower or no nitrogen inputs, but still provide farmers with income streams, is a potentially attractive solution. In this study, a multi-criteria analysis was conducted to identify sites suitable for such alternative land uses. The cost-effectiveness of DIN reductions from these land use changes were calculated, accounting for reductions in annuity gross margins and land conversion cost. In certain locations (where conversion costs are low and DIN reductions are high) treatment wetlands and no-input cattle grazing offer cost-effective DIN reduction in the range of 20–26$/kg DIN. This compares favourably with existing agricultural extension-based approaches (c. $50/kg DIN reduction). Ecosystem service wetlands (i.e., wetland restoration for fish production) – again when appropriately situated – offer the prospect of even more cost-effective performance (11–14 $/kg DIN reduction). These results, in conjunction with best management practices, support the premise that alternative land uses are cost-effective options for improving water quality in certain areas of low-lying, low productivity sugarcane land. On-going investments by government in addition to private market funding mechanisms could be appropriate for supporting such land use transitions. These approaches need to be tested and refined via targeted pilot projects, as part of a whole-of-landscape approach to achieve broader reef water quality targets.

Finance's Social License? Sugar, Farmland and Health.

Background: This paper examines the exclusion of public health from social license narratives within an increasingly financialised food system, through a case study of foreign ownership in the Australian sugar industry. As finance actors such as asset management firms, pension funds, private equity funds, state owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds engage in speculative farmland investment, commodity futures trading, and the conversion of farmland into a financial asset, power within agro-industrial food supply chains becomes increasingly concentrated. This has been associated with increased food prices and more processed food, contributing to obesogenic diets, hunger, and poorer health outcomes for many. The potential for negative social and environmental impacts has prompted awareness of the need for financial actors to demonstrate sustainability, responsibility and accountability in their farmland investments. Methods: This paper uses thematic analysis of qualitative interviews and key documents to assess four recent acquisitions of sugarcane land in North Queensland. We consider how companies’ efforts to establish or maintain a social license to operate (SLO) intersect with their capital accumulation strategies. Results: Our findings demonstrate that the link between the commodification of ‘unhealthy’ food inputs (such as sugar) and financialisation remains outside the purview of financiers. Instead, agribusiness firms use narratives centred on biofuels investment and energy/food security to justify their legitimacy in the sugar sector. We organise our findings according to two ‘narratives:’ constructing trust and credibility through ethical compliance; and, biofuels expansion as a legitimate response to climate change. The concept of social license is much stronger in the second narrative, but health is largely missing. Conclusion: The ‘distancing’ between responsibility and health outcomes highlights the limits to principles of responsible financial investment, and to the legitimacy of finance to claim an SLO – the ongoing approval and acceptance by society to conduct its activities.

The pathways influence of agricultural expansion on water quality of fish farming in Ilha Solteira reservoir, São Paulo, Brazil

It is widely accepted that fish farms (FF) have important contribution to input of nutrients into water, however fundamental knowledge regarding the influence of land use and land cover (LULC) on the water quality of fish farms is still lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the linkages between the LULC types and the water quality parameters in FFs. Three specific objectives were set: (1) to characterize the current water quality standards in four FFs (FF1, FF2, FF3, FF4) installed in the Ilha Solteira reservoir; (2) to delineate and analyze the LULC changes in sub-basins of tributaries where FFs are installed; (3) to elucidate the interactions between LULC and water quality in FFs. Results indicated signs of eutrophication in FF2 in both the dry and wet seasons. The mainly LULC was decrease of pasture and increase of sugarcane crops were observed in the four FFs' sub-basins between 2005 and 2018. Sugarcane land uses showed a significant positive correlation with SO4, Mg and K (r > 0.95, p < 0.005). The most likely source of these highlighted parameters may come from mineral fertilization, decomposition of the plinth in sugarcane and the application of vinasse to irrigate and fertilize crops. Concentrations of SO4, Mg and K observed in this present study do not cause direct toxic effects to Nile tilapia in fish farms. However, indirect impacts to water quality should be expected due to enhance primary production and promotes water eutrophication, as observed in FF2. Based on our results, we suggest that the criteria “basin characteristics”, including future sugarcane expansions, should be adopted to gather information in identifying areas more suitable for aquaculture parks that the Brazilian government intends to install in the large reservoirs.

EVALUATION OF BUD CHIP METHOD TO INCREASE SUGARCANE PRODUCTIVITY (CASE STUDY OF PT PERKEBUNAN NUSANTARA X)

Bud chip method has proven to improve the productivity of sugarcane and produce more efficient, but still a few farmers who use it. This is due to higher production costs and sugarcane farmers are still not technically skilled. This study aimed to analyze the technical efficiency of sugarcane farming with conventional methods and bud chips in the PTPN X and to identify the factors underlying the farmers to use methods of bud chips in the PTPN X. The number of samples used as many as 31 farmers (11 farmers sugarcane bud chip method and 20 sugarcane farmers mule method). This study uses a stochastic frontier production function approach with Stochastic Frontier production function Cobb Douglas and using a logistic regression model. The results showed the value of technical efficiency index sugarcane growers with bud chip method is efficient (TE = 0.98) whereas the sugarcane farmers who use mule systems have not been efficiently categorized (TE= 0.78). Bud chip method has been proven can improve technical efficiency because it can result in higher productivity. The underlying things that make farmers choose the bud chip method are extensive cultivation, education level and ease of sugarcane cultivation with the bud chip method. Therefore, sugarcane productivity in PTPN X can be increased through the use of the bud chip method accompanied by an increase in sugarcane land area and training for farmers. Keywords: technical efficiency, sugarcane farming, bud chip