Yellow Leaf Syndrome of sugarcane is caused by Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Virus (SCYLV) and/or Sugarcane Yellows Phytoplasma (SCYP). Using tissue blot immunoassay to determine the presence of SCYLV, leaf samples of sugarcane variety N32 taken from a propagation plot at Mount Edgecombe all tested positive. In this study, two methods of tissue culture were used in an attempt to eradicate SCYLV from N3...

Bioethanol is one of the most important alternative renewable energy sources that substitute the fossil fuels. Sugarcane bagasse has a content of cellulose and hemicelluloses, which make it suitable as fermentation substrate when hydrolyzed. The objective of work is ethanol production from sugarcane bagasse (SCB) by the fermentation process. Eight laboratory experiments were conducted to produc...

Sugarcane is the most important crop for supplying sugar. Due to its high biomass, sugarcane needs to absorb a large amount of potassium (K) throughout its lifecycle. In South China, a deficiency of K available in soil restricts the production of sugarcane. Increasing the tolerance of sugarcane to low-K will be an effective approach for improving survival of the crop in this area. However, ther...

A conceptual framework for crop production effi ciency was derived using thermodynamic effi ciency concept, in order to generate a tool for performance evaluation of agricultural systems and to quantify the interference of determining factors on this performance. In Thermodynamics, effi ciency is the ratio between the output and input of energy. To establish this relationship in agricultural sy...

The production and use of sugarcane in Brazil is very important for bioenergy production and is recognized as one of the most efficient in the world. In our laboratory, Setaria viridis is being tested as a model plant for sugarcane. S. viridis has biological attributes (rapid life cycle, small genome, diploid, short stature and simple growth requirements) that make it suitable for use as a mode...

Background The plastics derived from petrochemicals have many applications. However, public concern and environmental laws led to conservation policies and establish programs that stimulate the research and use of new products based on renewable resources. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biopolymers synthesized by microorganisms under conditions of nutrient stress with similar properties to co...

BACKGROUND Pokkah boeng disease caused by the Fusarium species complex results in significant yield losses in sugarcane. Thus, the rapid and accurate detection and identification of the pathogen is urgently required to manage and prevent the spreading of sugarcane pokkah boeng. METHODS A total of 101 isolates were recovered from the pokkah boeng samples collected from five major sugarcane pro...

For almost two decades Brazil has become an important producer and consumer of biofuels as an energy alternative. The need to replace fossil fuels with clean fuels has given Brazilian ethanol an outstanding position. With the market promising, Brazil has been the scene of a growth of the cultivation of sugarcane monocultures to supply the sugarcane industry in the production of ethanol, sugar a...

In this study, we report on the isolation, identification, and characterization of seven fluorescent pseudomonads isolated from the roots, shoots, and rhizosphere soil of sugarcane and their impacts on the growth of sugarcane plantlets. 16S rRNA gene sequence of five isolates showed close homology with Pseudomonas putida, one with Pseudomonas graminis, and one with Pseudomonas fluorescens. Phys...

Lignocellulosic biomass has become an emerging feedstock for second-generation bioethanol production. Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids), a very efficient perennial C4 plant with a high polyploid level and complex genome, is considered a top-notch candidate for biomass production due to its salient features viz. fast growth rate and abilities for high tillering, ratooning, and photosynthesis. E...