This programme is subject to change – please check the congress website for updates.
Click here to download the PDF version.
15 - 17 August 2023
DAY 1: TUESDAY, 15 AUGUST 2023
| 07:30 – 18:30 | Registration | Registration Foyer | |||
| 07:30 – 09:00 | Arrival Tea / Coffee | Exhibition Hall | |||
| 09:00 – 10:10 | Opening Session Chairperson: Dr Muhammad Kadwa Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D |
||||
| 09:00 – 09:20 | Welcome | SASTA President: Dr Muhammad Kadwa | |||
| 09:20 – 10:05 | Keynote address | Wandile Sihlobo | |||
| 10:05 – 10:10 | Vote of thanks | Dr Muhammad Kadwa | |||
| 10:10 – 10:45 | Tea / Coffee break, Exhibition Hall | ||||
| 10:45 – 12:50 | Plenary Session Chairperson: Dr Sandy Snyman Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D |
||||
| 10:45 – 11:10 | A Review of South African Sugarcane Production in the 2022/2023 Season: Production, Climate and Economics | Sithole P, Nicholson RJ and Stranack RA | |||
| 11:10 – 11:30 | Biosecurity: An Overview of the 2021/2022 Season | Basdew IH, McFarlane SA and Stranack RA | |||
| 11:30 – 11:55 | Ninety-Eighth Annual Review of the Milling Season in Southern Africa (2022/2023) | Padayachee N, Davis SB and Bhyrodeyal L | |||
| 11:55 – 12:00 | Leg stretch | ||||
| 12:00 – 12:20 | Demonstration of Chemical Ripening Best Practice and Economic Benefit to South African Small-Scale Sugarcane Growers | van Heerden PDR, Ramusandiwa TR, Chonco B, Shelembe WL, Hlela SN, Gillespie WA, Mkhabela NE, Buthelezi ME and Masondo RT | |||
| 12:20 – 12:30 | A Time-Series and Sensitivity Analysis of the ‘c’ and ‘d’ Factors in the Recoverable Value Cane Payment System – 2000/01 to 2022/23 | Kadwa M | |||
| 12:30 – 12:50 | An Economic Analysis of CPI Related Notional Price Increases Coupled with Above CPI Inflation Input Cost Increases in the 2022/23 Season: From a Grower’s Perspective | Nicholson R | |||
| 12:50 – 14:00 | Lunch Break, Exhibition Hall | ||||
| 14:00 – 15:35 | Agriculture Session 1: Extension and Agronomy Chairperson: Rowan Stranack Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D |
14:00 – 15:35 | Factory Session 1: Front End Chairperson: Sean Hulley Venue: Hall 4D |
||
| 14:00 – 14:20 | A Farm Level Economic Impact Analysis of the Carry-Over Cane Crisis for the KwaZulu-Natal Coastal and Midlands Mill Areas: 2021/22 & 2022/23 Seasons | Nicholson R | 14:00 – 14:25 | A Review of Chemical and Microbial Losses of Sucrose in Diffusers | Davis SB and Nel S |
| 14:20 – 14:45 | Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.): Challenges and Opportunities in Production and Improvements: A Review | Mugehu E, Shimelish H and lmpofu LTM | 14:25 – 14:50 | Review of Devices for Monitoring Juice Flow in Diffusers | Loubser RC |
| 14:45 – 14:55 | The Economics of Seedcane Production | Theunissen P, De Beer E, Stock K, Visser W, Adendorff M, Wilkinson D, Foxon J, Radzilani T, Nkala J, Govender P, Stranack R, Khomo B and McFarlane S | 14:50 – 15:10 | Old Conventional Power Drive Technology versus New Decentralized Power Drive Technology | O’Reilly C and De Souza C |
| 14:55 – 15:15 | Small-Scale Grower Contractors: The Adoption of a Code of Conduct | Msimango S and Nicholson RJ | |||
| 15:15 – 15:35 | Success Story of Mbetseni Farmers: Growing Sugarcane Under Rainfed Conditions in a Fully Irrigated Region of Malkerns, Eswatini | Mkhaliphi P and Mabuza J | |||
| 15:35 | Meet and Greet, Exhibition Hall | ||||
DAY 2: WEDNESDAY, 16 AUGUST 2023
| 07:30 – 17:00 | Registration | Registration Foyer | |||
| 07:30 – 08:00 | Arrival Tea / Coffee | Exhibition Hall | |||
| 08:00 – 08:30 | Plenary Presentation Chairperson: Andy Church Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D Dr Kitty Foxon: Lessons from Investigating Sugarcane Product Diversification Opportunities |
||||
| 08:35 – 10:00 | Agriculture Session 2: Irrigation, Water Management Chairperson: Dirk McElligott Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D |
08:35 – 10:10 | Factory Session 2: Back-End Chairperson: Natisha Padayachee Venue: Hall 4D |
||
| 08:35 – 08:55 | Sugarcane Ratoon Yield Decline Under Three Irrigation Systems: A Case of Ubombo Sugar | Tfwala C and Dlamini M | 08:35 – 09:00 | Rotary Vacuum Filter Operation in Rainy Conditions at Simunye. | Lung Kit HN, Myeni P and Dlamini H |
| 08:55 – 09:20 | The Impact of Electrical Load-Shedding on Irrigated Sugarcane Farms in South Africa – Part 1: A Situational Analysis Exploring Farmers’ Experiences and Practices in Response to Load-Shedding | Jumman A and Tweddle PB | 09:00 – 09:25 | A Review of the Estimation of Sucrose Inversion Loss Across a Raw Sugar Factory Evaporator Station | Rahiman SN, Mbuthuma Y and Walford SN |
| 09:20 – 09:40 | The Impact of Electrical Load-Shedding on Irrigated Sugarcane Farms in South Africa – Part 2: Determining the Severity and Extent of Load-Shedding | Tweddle PB, Jumman A and Paraskevopoulos AL | 09:25 – 09:50 | A review of Corrosion in V2 Systems in Factories that Practice High Levels of V2 Bleed | Munsamy S |
| 09:40 – 10:00 | The Impact of Electrical Load-Shedding on Irrigated Sugarcane Farms in South Africa – Part 3: Preliminary Results on Yield Impact Due to Irrigation Down Time | Jumman A, Paraskevopoulos AL and Tweddle PB | 09:50 – 10:10 | Sugar Screening – From Scalping to Fine Screening | Baraye J and Allan G |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Tea / Coffee break | Exhibition Hall | 10:10 – 10:45 | Tea / Coffee break | Exhibition Hall |
| 10:30 – 11:55 | Agriculture Session 3: Soil Nutrition Chairperson: Dr Rianto van Antwerpen Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D |
10:45 – 11:45 | Factory Session 3: Posters Chairperson: David Love Venue: Hall 4D |
||
| 10:30 – 10:40 | Evaluation of Available and Reserve Pools of Soil Micronutrients in the Zimbabwe Sugar Industry | Siyakisa F, Rambwawasvika H and Mutatu W | 10:45 – 10:55 | Improving Pan Stage Crystallisation Using the On-Line Pan Microscope Crystobserver® | Duc N |
| 10:40 – 11:05 | Management Options for Alleviating Zinc Deficiencies in Sugarcane Farming | Mutatu W and Rambwawasvika H | 10:55 – 11:05 | Development of Analytical Methods for the Determination of Colourant Types Present in Sugar Factory Processing Streams | Booysen KC and Walford SN |
| 11:05 – 11:30 | Can the Mehlich 3 Multi-Element Extractant be Used as an Alternative to Ambic and Resin Methods in Routine Soil Fertility Testing? Some Preliminary Results | Titshall LW, Naicker N, Msezane A, Kanamugire A, Ntshangase V and Collings K | 11:05 – 11:15 | Development of Potentiometric Methods for the Determination of Reducing Sugars in White and Raw Sugar | Moloi T and Walford SN |
| 11:30 – 11:55 | Evaluation of Mehlich-3 Multi-Extractant for the Determination of Exchangeable Bases and Essential Micronutrients in the Zimbabwe Sugar Industry Soils | Siyakisa F, Muchanyereyi N, Rambwawasvika H and Mutatu W | 11:15 – 11:25 | Automatic Sampling of Juice Streams in Sugarcane-Processing Factories | Barker B, Mbuthuma Y, Loubser RC and Davis S |
| 11:25 – 11:35 | Excel-Based Energy Balance Model for Steam System Analysis | Foxon KM, Ndinisa NV, Mkwananzi T, Mngomezulu NI and Mkhwanazi Z | |||
| 11:35 – 11:45 | Flow Behaviour Characteristics of C-Massecuite | Moloi T, Barker B and Walford SN | |||
| 11:55 – 13:00 | Lunch break | Exhibition Hall | 11:45 – 13:00 | Lunch break | Exhibition Hall |
| 13:00 – 14:25 | Agriculture Session 4: Varieties Chairperson: Moipei Lichakane Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D |
13:10 – 14:00 | Factory Session 4: Energy Chairperson: Dr Katherine Foxon Venue: Hall 4D |
||
| 13:00 – 13:20 | A Snapshop of the Total Industry Sugarcane Variety Data and the 2021/22 Variety Data in the Small-Scale Grower Sector: To Start the Debate on Capturing and Evaluating This Data into The Future | Nicholson R, Dube S, Landman M and Masondo T | 13:10 – 13:35 | Counterflow Air Heater for Industrial Watertube Boilers | Marais F, van den Berg, Barnard L |
| 13:20 – 13:45 | Indices for Estimating the Ratooning Ability of Sugarcane | Dlamini NE and Zhou M | 13:35 – 14:00 | Replacement of Syrup by Clear Juice to Melt B and C Sugar: Effect on Steam Consumption and Sugar Quality | Panda S, Dani R, Mahana N, Gopalakrishnan N |
| 13:45 – 14:05 | Cultivar Genetic Gains from the Coastal Breeding Programmes of South Africa | Zhou M, Joshi SV, Lichakane M and Mishasha T | |||
| 14:05 – 14:25 | Evaluation of Cross-Compatibility Between Commercial Sugarcane Hybrids and their Wild Relatives | Joshi SV, Lloyd Evans D and Ghai M | |||
| 14:30 – 15:10 | Agriculture Session 5: Entomology Chairperson: Dr Malcolm Keeping Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D |
||||
| 14:30 – 14:40 | Screening Transgenic Sugarcane Plants for Resistance to Eldana Larvae | Jacob RM, Ligege R, GM Meyer and SJ Snyman | |||
| 14:40 – 14:50 | Abundance and Diversity of Ground-Dwelling Arthropods Under Rainfed and Irrigated Sugarcane Conditions in South Africa | Smith R, Malinga L and Bouwer G | |||
| 14:50 – 15:10 | Modelling Yellow Sugarcane Aphid Using In Situ Infrared Spectroscopy: A Preliminary Study | Poona NK, Gokul A and Kistan CJ | |||
| 14:00 – 17:00 | Exhibition Open Afternoon, Exhibition Hall Cash bar branded by Rotex |
||||
DAY 3: THURSDAY, 17 AUGUST 2023
| 07:30 – 13:00 | Registration | Registration Foyer | |||
| 07:30 – 08:00 | Arrival Tea / Coffee | Exhibition Hall | |||
| 08:00 – 09:00 | Plenary Presentation Chairperson: Dr Sumita Ramgareeb Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D2023 ISSCT feedback session by the SASTA President and Jubilee Agriculture and Factory Winners |
||||
| 09:05 – 10:10 | Agriculture Session 6: Soil Nutrition Chairperson: Dr Thandile Mdlambuzi Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D |
09:05 – 10:40 | Factory Session 5: Lab/Management Chairperson: Dennis Walthew Venue: Hall 4D |
||
| 09:05 – 09:30 | An Overview of the Soil Fertility Status of the South African Sugarcane Industry from 2017 to 2022 | Titshall LW, Naicker N and Mdlambuzi T | 09:05 – 09:30 | Estimated Recoverable Crystal Measurement in the Zimbabwe Sugar Industry | Mutatu W |
| 09:30 – 09:50 | Long-term Trials Supporting N Management Guidelines for Sugarcane Grown in the Australian Moist Tropics | Schroeder B and Wood A | 09:30 – 09:55 | An Assessment of the Impact of 5S on the Safety Climate in an Agro-Processing Unit: The Case of a Sugarcane Processing Unit | Debwe M |
| 09:50 – 10:10 | Modelling Leaf Nitrogen Using In Situ Infrared Spectroscopy: A Preliminary Study | Poona NK, Radebe T and Titshall LW | 09:55 – 10:15 | How Do We Keep Our Microbes Aka ‘Bugs’ Happy and Healthy? An Overview: Trending Chemical Parameters with Biomass Population | Kungwa Z and Daya V |
| 10:15 – 10:40 | Installation of a Steam-Heated Pilot Pan at the Sugar Milling Research Institute | Rahiman SN, Mbuthuma Y, Love DJ and Davis SB | |||
| 10:10 – 10:45 | Tea / Coffee break | Exhibition Hall | 10:40 – 11:00 | Tea / Coffee break | Exhibition Hall |
| 10:45 – 12:10 | Agriculture Session 7: Soil Health Chairperson: Dr Ruth Rhodes Venue: Dube AgriLab Hall 4C & 5D |
11:00 – 12:25 | Factory Session 6: Commercial Chairperson: Gavin Smith Venue: Hall 4D |
||
| 10:45 – 11:10 | The Potential of Vermicomposted Sugarcane Filter Cake and Other Sugarcane Residues as an Alternative Fertiliser for Sugarcane Production – A Review | Mthimkhulu SS | 11:00 – 11:25 | The New Dimple Tube: A Technology to Improve Vacuum Pan Performance | Bezuidenhoudt D, Gokool M, Rosettenstein S and Stevens M |
| 11:10 – 11:30 | A Comparison of Pre-Harvest Dry Matter Allocation and Selected Nutrient Content of Various Plant Components Between ZN10 and N14 Sugarcane Varieties Over the First Five Ratoons in Zimbabwe | Mutatu W, Nzvenga P, Nzima M, Dzinotyiwei K and Chinorumba S | 11:25 – 11:45 | Flexible and Fast Steam Turbine for the South African Sugar Industry | Conrad M and Lopes R |
| 11:30 – 11:50 | Quantifying the Contribution of Residue Retention and Fertiliser Use to the Financial Viability of a Rainfed Sugarcane Crop | Van Antwerpen R and Tweddle PB | 11:45 – 12:05 | Common Grate Defects and Maintenance Recommendations | Du Preez J-P |
| 11:50 – 12:10 | A Comparison of Soil Compaction in Chopper-Harvested Fields and Manually-Cut Fields at Ubombo Sugar | Tfwala C, Ndlangamandla S, Ngomane D, Magagula M, Dlamini M and Kunene N | 12:05 – 12:25 | Operation of Falling-Film Evaporators in Cane Sugar Factories: Current State of Knowledge | Lehnberger A and Thaval O |
| 12:15 | Lunch break, Exhibition Hall | ||||
| Congress Closing by Dr Sumita Ramgareeb, Chair: SASTA Congress Organising Committee | |||||
