A review of changing cultural practices to improve productivity of sugar cane in Mauritius
| MSI08P4323 | |
| Ismael, F. M. Seeruttun, S. Barbe, C. Gaungoo, A. | |
| A review of changing cultural practices to improve productivity of sugar cane in Mauritius | |
| periodical | |
| 2008 | |
| Proc. S. Afr. Sug.Technol. Ass. | |
| 81: 539-544 | |
| En | |
| En | |
| Cultural practices in sugar cane have evolved since the introduction of this crop in Mauritius some 350 years ago, although cane agronomy research has been reported only since 1891. During the past three decades, several practices have been reviewed, modified or eliminated to cater for new objectives associated with improvement in cane productivity and a more environmentally friendly production system. Minimum tillage practice was introduced in the 1980s on sloping lands and subsequently on flat land to increase cane yield with a better control of soil erosion and perennial weeds. In the late 1980s, the advantages of adopting green cane trash blanketing (GCTB) over the traditional trash lining practices was demonstrated; GCTB has been practiced on more than 25 per cent of the cane area by 2005. The reduction in the labour force in the late 1980s prompted changes in cane planting by partially mechanising some of the practices. Manual trashing of cane before harvest is no longer justified and cane cutters have been trained to harvest untrashed green cane since 1998. Cane burning, which was practiced on more than 35 per cent of the area before 1995, has been reduced to less than 10 per cent; a code of cane burning practice based on research results on cool burning has been adopted to minimise particulate matter emission. A new system to plant cane on ridges in high rainfall areas was recommended in 2004. Changes in cane row spacing, with the adoption of dual row planting since 2006, offers further potential to increase cane productivity and machine efficiency. Similarly, integrated weed management strategies to minimise the use of herbicides and costs of production are being recommended to growers. The process is expected to improve further in the near future with the development of new farming systems which will integrate practices such as controlled traffic, reduced tillage, and fallow or legume breaks. | |
| cultural practices sugar cane productivity labour requirement environment | |
| 2008-12-18 | |
| En | |
| COWA |