NOVEMBER 2000

NOVEMBER 2000

NewsletterNo.42

S A SUGAR TECHNOLOGISTS' ASSOCIATION

The opening session of the 74^th SASTA Congress was held at the Holiday Inn Garden Court.

The President of SASTA, Tim Murray, opened the Congress and welcomed guests. The main focus of his address emphasised the requirement of more investment in research to examine all the issues relating to improving productivity. He also reiterated the need to invest wisely in information technology so as to make ensure that the research results are transferred rapidly and effectively. Mr Murray reminded delegates that the industry needed to take responsibility for the stewardship of their own environment and to take a broad view, not only considering the immediate but also a long term view of the future. The issues of monoculture and biodiversity will also become of great importance in due course. He said that the need to use the science available to us now to evaluate where we will be in the future was of paramount importance and that technologists need to start developing the technology for these applications as well as using the “hard science” we are so familiar with.

Ms Bongiwe Njobe, Director General of the National Department of Agriculture opened Congress and provided delegates with a list of challenges that the 21^st Century will present. These included economic literacy, globalisation and biotechnology. She said that biotechnology would transform agriculture in the 21^st century but pointed out that agricultural science needs new skills, alliances and procedures in order to succeed. She elaborated on developments in the global (information and biotechnology, trade patterns and Intellectual Property Rights), regional (SADC protocol and the African renaissance) and national (tourism, farmer settlements and food security) arenas. Her final challenge presented to the industry was that of continuing to seek new partnerships, to manage the technology transition and to redress disparities in order to ensure a better life for all.

Dr Colin Ryan, Director of the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations, Australia, provided information on how the Australian sugar industry seeks to improve productivity and efficiency, reduce costs and find ways to improve the return on capital costs. He ended his presentation by reminding everyone that Australia would be hosting the International Society of Sugarcane Technologists’ 24^th Congress, to be held in Brisbane in September 2001 – everyone was urged to attend.

The Opening session drew a large audience with delegates attending from Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Mauritius and many African countries including Kenya, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The South African delegates were from the South African Sugar Association, Sugar Milling Research Institute, Tongaat-Hulett Sugar Limited, Union Co-operative Limited, Illovo Sugar Limited, Transvaal-Suiker Beperk, South African Cane Growers’ Association and growers, SASEX, many research students, retired and honorary members of SASTA and last but not least, members and sponsors who represent trade, industry and commerce.

The Congress then moved to the Science Lecture Theatres Complex at the University of Natal - Durban Campus for three days of technical sessions.

Thirty-nine Agricultural and 20 Factory papers were presented giving a total of 59 papers, excluding the Opening address and speeches. The 2000 Congress included a significant poster session. This session was well supported, attracted favourable comment and provided a good standard for poster sessions at future Congresses.

Agricultural Section

Council felt that the Agricultural session of Congress 2000 was the most successful ever in terms of number and technical range of presentations, quality and relevance of content and the exceptionally high standard of presentation with outstanding use of visual aids. Despite the large programme, authors and chairmen were commended for ensuring that the sessions ran smoothly. A total of 46 papers and posters in the Agricultural and Joint sessions were considered for the awards.

Kynoch Award – Agriculture

A number of excellent papers were considered for this award, based on quality of content, industrial relevance and excellence in presentation. The Award Winning paper went to EJ Schmidt, G Narciso, P Frost and C Gers for their paper, ‘Application of remote sensing technology in the SA Sugar Industry – Review of recent research findings’. The judges felt that this paper was a particularly noteworthy contribution to SASTA and likely to command international interest. In addition to being an outstanding review of remote sensing technology and its applications, it was commendable for the inclusion of key experimental results in field mapping, yield estimation and crop monitoring in the sugar industry.

‘Application of remote sensing technology in the SA Sugar Industry – review of recent research findings’

‘Prospects for improving nitrogen fertilizer efficiency with a new soil test and ammonia volatilising model.

‘The effect of water stress on sugarcane biomass accumulation and partioning’

‘Direct somatic embrogenesis for rapid, cost-effective production of transgenic sugarcane (Saccharum spp hybrids)

Four papers were considered in this category, two of which stood out in terms of high standard of technical relevance and quality of presentation.

The Factory papers included many that were of high quality and of practical value to the industry. The standard of presentation was exceptional.

The judges unanimously agreed that one paper stood out as being particularly good. The subject matter is relevant to sugar quality, processing and to recoveries. Furthermore, apart from being very thorough, this work has produced an analytical technique, which addresses and solves a number of practical problems inherent to the previous methods. In this respect, the paper is of international interest.

‘An enzymic-HPAEC protocol for the analysis of polysaccharides in sugarcane products – dextran and sarkaran’

The judges felt that Steve Walford should be commended for the very high standard of presentation of both his papers. Although these topics do not have application in the factories and are still in the research domain, they were presented in a lively and understandable manner.

The final short list in this category consisted of three papers. One of the papers addressed a factory issue, which is not only practical, but results in cost savings. Furthermore the subject was investigated well and the paper contained thought provoking ideas. These were the deciding factors in awarding this prize.

‘Press water heating in a direct contact heater using sub atmospheric pressure vapour’

The judges commented that this was a well presented, practical paper, which covered all the relevant aspects of the project.

The comments in respect of this paper were that billeted cane could well become more relevant in the industry. The paper reported on steps taken to cope with this type of cane, at Komati.

The panel recommends that an award be made for the first time for a poster paper, so as to encourage these contributions at future Congresses. The judges commented that the winning poster was well designed providing impact and information. The presentation by the senior author supplemented the visual impact with her clear and concise verbal summary and her capable fielding of questions.

‘A survey for stalk rot caused by Phaeocytostroma sacchari in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands’

‘A guide to developing planing and harvest programmes with fallow under irrigation’

The judges commented that this paper set the tone for the session with its useful content, concise, stimulating presentation and the interaction of the presenter with the audience.

To mark the 75^th Annual Congress to be held next year, it was agreed by the SASTA Council that a Jubilee Award be made in the form of sponsorship for attendance at the 2001 ISSCT Congress to be held in Australia. At the discretion of the Council, it was agreed that the Judges would have the latitude to choose two winners, if they were of equal worth. A decision was taken that this Award be given to a deserving technologist whose performance suggested that he or she could contribute to and benefit from attendance at the ISSCT Congress. The winner/s would be selected largely on the basis of papers presented at the SASTA 2000 Congress and the prize would cover the attendance fee for the ISSCT Congress as well as an economy class airfare to Brisbane.

Erik Schmidt presented two papers. Both were regarded highly by the judges on the basis of quality of content, significant innovation in approach, broad value to the industry, good presentation style (both written and oral) and the author’s capability in answering questions. The first paper has been described above. The second, of which Erik was the team leader was : ‘Hydrological complexities in assigning rainfed sugarcane a ‘stream flow reduction activity’’ written in collaboration with RE Schulze and MJC Horan from the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg.

This paper was based on clear scientific concepts and demonstrated some of the difficulties in defining land used for sugarcane production as ‘stream flow reducing’. The research presented showed impressive and novel applications of agrohydrological modelling. The work is highly pertinent to the industry in terms of the enactment of the National Water Act of 1998, which embodies a land use levy in accordance with water flow reduction.

Overall it was felt that Erik Schmidt’s work represented excellence in innovative, technologically advanced and rigorously conducted agricultural research, which deserves international exposure at an ISSCT Congress.

The judges were unanimous in selecting Craig Jensen, the senior author of the paper, ‘Implementation and optimisation of mud recycle at Maidstone mill’ as the factory section candidate for the Jubilee Award.

The process discussed in the paper was seen as a South African breakthrough in terms of sugar technology and enhancement of cane diffusion, in which South Africa is a world leader. It increases the advantages of cane diffusion over milling in terms of both reduced operating costs and reduced sucrose losses. This may well have commercial implications for South African companies, which supply technology and/or equipment to cane sugar producing countries.

The paper was well presented and Craig’s use of visual aids, allocated time and question time was very good.

Erik and Craig were both awarded the Jubilee Prize and we know that they will make their impact at ISSCT. Congratulations to both of you!

SASTA takes this opportunity of thanking all sponsors for their valued support. These generous contributions help us keep delegates’ registration fees to a minimum. Much appreciated sponsorship was obtained from the following:

At the Annual General Meeting held at the Holiday Inn, Marine Parade on the 1August 2000, the following members were elected to the SASTA Council for the year 2000-2001 :

Workshops replaced the traditional Field and Factory days for 2000. SASTA President Tim Murray opened the first Workshop on Raw Sugar Quality held on the 12th June. Charles Funnell, the Export Manager for South African Sugar Association, spoke on Market Place Expectations and Requirements, Tim Bamber, of the Sugar Terminal, gave a Review of Data and the Problems and Short Term Solutions at the Terminal, Raoul Lionett of the Sugar Milling Research Institute gave a presentation on Sugar Quality Specs - Trends in Colour Filtration Effects, and Pam Morel du Boil of the SMRI gave an interesting talk on Poly and Trisaccharides. After lunch, the session continued with Richard Simpson of SMRI discussing Acid Beverage Floc and Filtration, Kenneth Koster of Illovo talked about the Practical Experience he has gained and Geoff Maher of SASEX presented the growers’ perspective when he spoke about Cane and Raw Sugar Quality. Members then interacted with the panel for some lively discussion, after which participants enjoyed a spit braai and refreshments.

The Workshop ‘Farming for RV’, held on the 13 June 2000, was very well supported. SASTA President Tim Murray opened the Workshop and then delivered a talk on the derivation of the RV formula, Graham Moor of South African Cane Growers’ Association then spoke on Enhancing Cane Quality Incentives. After tea, Rodger Stewart of New Guelderland Sugar Estates spoke about farming for RV and the use of linear programming techniques for optimal use of varieties, Eddie Meyer gave a presentation on RV and mechanisation – factors affecting sugar cane quality, Ramtin Ahmadi of Swaziland spoke on the Improvement of Cane Quality at Ubombo Sugar and Kerry Redshaw together with Rob Donaldson of SASEX closed the morning session with a presentation on Management of Varieties for RV. After lunch, Jan Meyer of SASEX spoke on the Nutritional Aspects of Cane Quality’ and the workshop closed after an interesting panel discussion.

The 75^th Annual SA Sugar Technologists’ Congress is to be held from 31^st July to 3 August 2001. The opening Day and Annual General Meeting will be held at a Hotel or Conference Centre and the Congress sessions at the Science Lecture Theatres Complex at the University of Natal’s Durban Campus – the same venue as the 1999 and 2000 Congress.

AUTHORS WISHING TO SUBMIT PAPERS/POSTERS FOR PRESENTATION AT CONGRESS 2001 ARE TO PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING DEADLINES :-

GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS : Please keep yourselves up to date by visiting our web-site or contact SASTA (Telephone number, e-mail address and website details appear at the end of this Newsletter). for a copy of the detailed instructions. If possible, papers are to be formatted utilising Microsoft Graphs, tables and text software. We are aiming to have a CD of the Proceedings available at Congress 2001 and advise all potential authors to help us in achieving this goal by adhering to the deadlines.

It is our aim in the near future to be as electronically mail-friendly as possible. The saving on postage and stationery would be substantial and to this end, we would appreciate it if all those members who are on e-mail, could kindly let us have their details at their earliest convenience in order that we may update our database accordingly. If you could e-mail me and head the e-mail ‘Membership e-mail Database update’ I can insert the address directly into the system. If your telephone numbers/fax numbers or addresses have changed in any way, could you also let me have this information.

The present record of membership stands at 1136 with 9 applications having been submitted at the last Council Meeting held on 7 November 2000. Membership forms are available via our Web-site.

The 6^th International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists’ Breeding Workshop being held in Barbados will have some interesting speakers at the various sessions. Dr W Burnquist of Copersucar will open the session by speaking on Intellectual Property Rights – Defining UPOV Guidelines for Cultivar Registration. Dr A D’Hont of CIRAD will speak about her investigation on the Origin of North Indian and Chinese Sugarcanes Investigated by Genomic in situ Hybridisation and RFLP Markers. SASTA will be represented by Karl Nuss and Roy Parfitt, both from SASEX who will present papers on ‘Long-term Benefits Accrued from Photoperiod Facilities for the Breeding and Selection Programme at Mount Edgecombe’ and ‘Progress in Sucrose Yield Improvement for the Irrigated Area of South Africa’ respectively.

The programme also includes interesting visits to breeding stations, selection and yield trial plots, as well as discussions on pests & diseases. We congratulate Karl & Roy, the SASTA delegates, on being selected as presenters at the Workshop. Once they return, a report will be available on the Workshop (Karl Nuss: e-mail:xpbrkn@sugar.org.za)

The Agronomy workshop will be held as a dedication to the memory of University of Florida’s sugar cane Agronomist Dr David Anderson (1951 – 1999). Dave visited our industry on a number of occasions and was valued for his contributions on soil nutrition and the environment.

There have been a number of Agricultural and Factory ISSCT Workshops recently – the Factory Workshop was hosted by the Mauritian Sugar Milling Research Institute and Raoul Lionnet of SMRI attended. Eddie Meyer of SASEX organised the Agricultural Engineering workshop on Infield loading, transloading and cane transport in Mpumalanga. Roger Bailey, Pieter Cronje and Sharon McFarlane attended the Pathology Workshop, held in Thailand in July. Reports of these workshops will be made available to interested members.

DON’T FORGET TO DIARISE the 24^th ISSCT Congress being held in Brisbane, Australia from 16 – 21 September 2001. You can be updated on the latest Congress news via their web/internet site at http://www.ccm.com.au/issct. Please make use of the early bird registration facilities.

If you would like to attend the ISSCT Congress, please make use of the service that the SASTA Secretariat will be offering. We will be doing block bookings for accommodation and transport and would like your names and contact details as soon as possible. SASTA Council would love to see a strong South African presence in Brisbane.

PLEASE DIARISE the 75^th Annual SA Sugar Technologists’ Congress – dates and venues as detailed above.

SECTION	PROPOSED VENUE/ ORGANISER	THEME	DATE
PLANT BREEDING	BARBADOS	INNOVATE SOLUTIONS FOR FUTURE PROGRESS – SUGARCANE BREEDING & GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES	13 – 17 NOVEMBER 2000

SECTION	PROPOSED VENUE/ ORGANISER	THEME	DATE
AGRONOMY	FLORIDA USA	INNOVATE APPROACHES TO SUGAR CANE PRODUCTIVITY IN THE NEW MILLENIUM	2 – 6 DECEMBER 2000

Australia	4	Kenya	4	Mauritius	1	Swaziland	17	Tanzania	2
United Kingdom	2	USA	2	Zambia	5	Zimbabwe	12