Spatial-temporal variation of leaf area index and brix in sugarcane

Os objetivos do trabalho foram estudar a variação espaço-temporal do índice de área foliar (IAF) e do teor de sólidos solúveis (Brix) na cana-de-açúcar, em Piracicaba (SP), em 2003 e 2004, utilizando a geoestatística, visando melhorar a simulação da interceptação da radiação solar principalmente no ajuste do coeficiente de extinção. Verificaram-se maiores valores do IAF no ciclo de crescimento da variedade SP 80-3280 em comparação com a RB 85 5156 obtendo valores máximos de 6,41 e 4,27 respectivamente, medidos em 14/1/2004 com grande variação espacial nas áreas analisadas, além de maiores valores do IAF e menores do Brix em locais com maior disponibilidade hídrica, indicativo de atraso da maturação. A única medida do Brix feita em 29/4/2004 das variedades SP 80-3280 e RB 85 5156 indicaram valores médios de 12,86 e 17,06 respectivamente, mostrando a precocidade da RB 85 5156. O uso de valores diários variáveis do coeficiente de extinção em modelos de cultura é recomendado, melhorando a simulação da interceptação da radiação solar, minimizando erros na estimativa da produtividade principalmente quando analisamos diferentes variedades de cana-de-açúcar.The goals of this work were to study the spatial-temporal variation of leaf area index (LAI) and soluble solids (Brix) in sugarcane cultived in Piracicaba, São Paulo State, in the years of 2003 and 2004. Geoestatistic methodology was used aiming improvement in the simulation of solar radiation interception, and specially adjustment of extinction coefficient. During growth cycle larger values of leaf area index were verified in variety SP 80-3280 than in RB 85 5156. Those values ranged from 6.41 to 4.27 respectively, and were measured in 1/14/2004, with large spatial variation. Higher values for LAI and smaller values for Brix were also observed under high water available, indicating a delay in maturation. The only Brix measurement performed in the varieties SP 80-3280 and RB 85 5156 on 4/29/2004 indicated average values of 12.86 and 17.06 respectively, demonstrating the precocity of RB 85 5156. The use of daily variable values of the extinction coefficient is recommended, improving the simulation of solar radiation interception, minimizing mistakes estimating the productivity when different sugarcane varieties were analyzed

Modelo fisiológico para a estimativa da maturação em cana-de-açúcar

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) grows in different weather and management conditions which directly affect crop maturation. These conditions lead to the necessity of quantifying crop response to different stimuli for planning purposes. Forecast models for the quality of raw material are important tools in sugarcane farming, especially the forecast curve of sucrose accumulation in shoots. The goal of these models is to supply yield estimates during the crop cycle, aiming to characterize alternatives and to increase the efficacy for management and strategic decisions. The objective of this project was to develop empiric models capable of obtaining estimates of total recoverable sugar (TRS), for the varieties RB72454, SP81-3250 and SP80-1842 during the crop cycle, using reference data as the production factors. Sugarcane harvest results obtained in Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, Brazil were analyzed using the following parameters: maturation, stand age, type of soil, variety, flowering and management for the crops in the years 1998/99, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02 and 2002/03. Models developed for these years were used to estimate TRS from the 2003/04 cropping season. All the forecast models for ratoon crops were significant indicating that they are an excellent tool to optimize agricultural planning.A cultura da cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum spp.) é submetida a diferentes condições ambientais e de manejo durante o seu desenvolvimento, o que afeta diretamente a maturação. Assim, surge a necessidade de se quantificar as respostas da cultura aos diferentes estímulos para fins de planejamento. Modelos de previsão da qualidade da matéria-prima tornam-se ferramentas importantes na lavoura canavieira, em especial a previsão da curva de acúmulo de sacarose nos colmos, objetivando suprir estimativas de rendimento ao longo da safra, visando à caracterização das alternativas de manejo, aumentando a eficácia das decisões gerenciais e estratégicas. Desenvolveram-se modelos empíricos capazes de obter estimativas de ATR - Açúcar Total Recuperável nas variedades RB72454, SP81-3250 e SP80-1842 ao longo da safra, utilizando dados referentes aos fatores de produção. Foram analisados os resultados de colheita realizados no município de Piracicaba - SP, dos anos safras 1998/99, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02 e 2002/03 considerando a maturação, idade do canavial, solos, variedades, florescimento e manejo, utilizando-se de modelos estatísticos de estimativa da maturação para estimar a safra 2003/04. Todos os modelos de previsão para cana-soca mostraram-se significativos, sendo uma ótima ferramenta de auxílio para o planejamento agrícola otimizado.FAPES

Modelo fisiológico para a estimativa da maturação em cana-de-açúcar

A cultura da cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum spp.) é submetida a diferentes condições ambientais e de manejo durante o seu desenvolvimento, o que afeta diretamente a maturação. Assim, surge a necessidade de se quantificar as respostas da cultura aos diferentes estímulos para fins de planejamento. Modelos de previsão da qualidade da matéria-prima tornam-se ferramentas importantes na lavoura canavieira, em especial a previsão da curva de acúmulo de sacarose nos colmos, objetivando suprir estimativas de rendimento ao longo da safra, visando à caracterização das alternativas de manejo, aumentando a eficácia das decisões gerenciais e estratégicas. Desenvolveram-se modelos empíricos capazes de obter estimativas de ATR - Açúcar Total Recuperável nas variedades RB72454, SP81-3250 e SP80-1842 ao longo da safra, utilizando dados referentes aos fatores de produção. Foram analisados os resultados de colheita realizados no município de Piracicaba - SP, dos anos safras 1998/99, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02 e 2002/03 considerando a maturação, idade do canavial, solos, variedades, florescimento e manejo, utilizando-se de modelos estatísticos de estimativa da maturação para estimar a safra 2003/04. Todos os modelos de previsão para cana-soca mostraram-se significativos, sendo uma ótima ferramenta de auxílio para o planejamento agrícola otimizado.Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) grows in different weather and management conditions which directly affect crop maturation. These conditions lead to the necessity of quantifying crop response to different stimuli for planning purposes. Forecast models for the quality of raw material are important tools in sugarcane farming, especially the forecast curve of sucrose accumulation in shoots. The goal of these models is to supply yield estimates during the crop cycle, aiming to characterize alternatives and to increase the efficacy for management and strategic decisions. The objective of this project was to develop empiric models capable of obtaining estimates of total recoverable sugar (TRS), for the varieties RB72454, SP81-3250 and SP80-1842 during the crop cycle, using reference data as the production factors. Sugarcane harvest results obtained in Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, Brazil were analyzed using the following parameters: maturation, stand age, type of soil, variety, flowering and management for the crops in the years 1998/99, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02 and 2002/03. Models developed for these years were used to estimate TRS from the 2003/04 cropping season. All the forecast models for ratoon crops were significant indicating that they are an excellent tool to optimize agricultural planning

Estimativa da maturação da cana-de-açúcar por meio de parâmetros edafoclimáticos

A cultura da cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum officinarum L.) é submetida durante o seu desenvolvimento a diferentes condições ambientais que afetam diretamente a maturação. Modelos de previsão da qualidade da matéria-prima são ferramentas importantes no gerenciamento da lavoura canavieira, pois permitem estimativas de rendimento ao longo da safra, o que aumenta a eficácia das decisões gerenciais e estratégicas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver um modelo capaz de obter estimativas de Açúcar Total Recuperável (ATR), utilizando dados referentes aos fatores de produção como armazenamento de água no solo e graus-dias negativos. Para o teste dos modelos estatísticos de estimativa da qualidade da matéria-prima foi utilizado o banco de dados de uma usina açucareira com produções das safras 1999/2000, 2000/2001 e 2001/2002. O modelo de maturação para cana de ano mostrou-se significativo, com um coeficiente de determinação R² = 0,7049*. Na simulação não houve diferença entre os dados medidos e estimados (P < 0,05).Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) grows under different weather conditions directly affecting crop maturation. Raw material quality predicting models are important tools in sugarcane crop management; the goal of these models is to provide productivity estimates during harvesting, increasing the efficiency of strategical and administrative decisions. The objective of this work was developing a model to predict Total Recoverable Sugars (TRS) during harvesting, using data related to production factors such as soil water storage and negative degree-days. The database of a sugar mill for the crop seasons 1999/2000, 2000/2001 and 2001/2002 was analyzed, and statistical models were tested to estimate raw material. The maturity model for a one-year old sugarcane proved to be significant, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.7049*. No differences were detected between measured and estimated data in the simulation (P < 0.05)

FONTES DE FÓSFORO MINERAL E ORGANOMINERAL NO ESTADO NUTRICIONAL E NO CRESCIMENTO INICIAL DA CANA-DE-AÇÚCAR.

O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar o fertilizante fosfatado organomineral com o mineral no desenvolvimento inicial da cana-de-açúcar. Não houve diferença entre as fontes utilizadas sobre o desenvolvimento e o estado nutricional de plantas de cana-de-açúcar

Selection and validation of reference genes by RT-qPCR under photoperiodic induction of flowering in sugarcane ( Saccharum spp.)

Although reference genes have previously been used in the expression analysis of genes involved in sugarcane flowering they had not been experimentally validated for stability and consistency of expression between different samples over a wide range of experimental conditions. Here we report the analysis of candidate reference genes in different tissue types, at different temporal time-points, in both short and long day photoperiodic treatments. The stability of the candidate reference genes in all conditions was evaluated with NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder algorithms that complement each other for a more robust analysis. As the Normfinder algorithm was more appropriate for our experimental conditions, greater emphasis was placed on Normfinder when choosing the most stable genes. UBQ1 and TUB were shown to be the most stable reference genes to use for normalizing RT-qPCR gene expression data during floral induction, whilst 25SrRNA1 and GAPDH were the least stable. Their use as a reference gene pair was validated by analyzing the expression of two differentially expressed target genes (PIL5 and LHP1). The UBQ1/TUB reference genes combination was able to reveal small significant differences in gene expression of the two target genes that were not detectable when using the least stable reference gene combination. These results can be used to inform the choice of reference genes to use in the study of the sugarcane floral induction pathway. Our work also demonstrates that both PIL5 and LHP1 are significantly up-regulated in the initial stages of photoperiodic induction of flowering in sugarcane

Transcriptomic analysis of changes in gene expression during flowering induction in sugarcane under controlled photoperiodic conditions

Flowering is of utmost relevance for the agricultural productivity of the sugarcane bioeconomy, but data and knowledge of the genetic mechanisms underlying its photoperiodic induction are still scarce. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth in sugarcane could provide better control of flowering for breeding. This study aimed to investigate the transcriptome of +1 mature leaves of a sugarcane cultivar subjected to florally inductive and non-inductive photoperiodic treatments to identify gene expression patterns and molecular regulatory modules. We identified 7,083 differentially expressed (DE) genes, of which 5,623 showed significant identity to other plant genes. Functional group analysis showed differential regulation of important metabolic pathways involved in plant development, such as plant hormones (i.e., cytokinin, gibberellin, and abscisic acid), light reactions, and photorespiration. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed evidence of upregulated processes and functions related to the response to abiotic stress, photoprotection, photosynthesis, light harvesting, and pigment biosynthesis, whereas important categories related to growth and vegetative development of plants, such as plant organ morphogenesis, shoot system development, macromolecule metabolic process, and lignin biosynthesis, were downregulated. Also, out of 76 sugarcane transcripts considered putative orthologs to flowering genes from other plants (such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, and Sorghum bicolor), 21 transcripts were DE. Nine DE genes related to flowering and response to photoperiod were analyzed either at mature or spindle leaves at two development stages corresponding to the early stage of induction and inflorescence primordia formation. Finally, we report a set of flowering-induced long non-coding RNAs and describe their level of conservation to other crops, many of which showed expression patterns correlated against those in the functionally grouped gene network

Analysis of the PEBP gene family and identification of a novel FLOWERING LOCUS T orthologue in sugarcane

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an important economic crop for both sugar and biomass, the yields of which are negatively affected by flowering. The molecular mechanisms controlling flowering in sugarcane are nevertheless poorly understood. RNA-seq data analysis and database searches have enabled a comprehensive description of the PEBP gene family in sugarcane. It is shown to consist of at least 13 FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)-like genes, two MOTHER OF FT AND TFL (MFT)-like genes, and four TERMINAL FLOWER (TFL)-like genes. As expected, these genes all show very high homology to their corresponding genes in Sorghum, and also to FT-like, MFT-like, and TFL-like genes in maize, rice, and Arabidopsis. Functional analysis in Arabidopsis showed that the sugarcane ScFT3 gene can rescue the late flowering phenotype of the Arabidopsis ft-10 mutant, whereas ScFT5 cannot. High expression levels of ScFT3 in leaves of short day-induced sugarcane plants coincided with initial stages of floral induction in the shoot apical meristem as shown by histological analysis of meristem dissections. This suggests that ScFT3 is likely to play a role in floral induction in sugarcane; however, other sugarcane FT-like genes may also be involved in the flowering process

Residual biomass potential of commercial and pre-commercial sugarcane cultivars

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an efficient and sustainable alternative for energy generation compared to non-renewable sources. Currently, during the mechanized harvest process, the straw left in the field can be used in part for the second generation ethanol and increasing the electric energy production. Thus, this study aimed to provide information on the potential for residual biomass cultivars of sugarcane cropping system. This study provides the following information: yield of straw, depending on the calculated leaf area index and the number of tillers per linear meter; primary energy production of several sugarcane genotypes; contribution of dry tops and leaves; biomass yield; and evaluation of fiber, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Preliminary results obtained by researchers of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and reCviews related studies are presented. The results suggest that the production of sugarcane straw content varies according to the cultivars; the greater mass of sugarcane straw is in the top leaves and that the potential for the crude energy production of sugarcane per area unit can be increased using fiber-rich species or species that produce more straw. The straw indexes was shown to be a good indicator and allow the estimation of straw volumes generated in a sugarcane crop. The cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin composition in sugarcane is distinct among varieties. Therefore, it is possible to develop distinct biomass materials for energy production and for the development of sugarcane mills using biochemical processes and thermal routes

PREDPOL: A forecast model of sugarcane maturation seeking optimized planning

A cultura da cana-de-açúcar é submetida durante o seu desenvolvimento a diferentes condições ambientais e de manejo sendo a maturação afetada diretamente por estas condições. Destas condições, surge a necessidade de se quantificar as respostas da cultura aos diferentes estímulos para fins de planejamento. Modelos de previsão da qualidade da matéria-prima tornamse ferramentas importantes na lavoura canavieira, em especial a previsão da curva de acúmulo de sacarose nos colmos, objetivando suprir estimativas de rendimento ao longo da safra, visando à caracterização das alternativas de manejo, aumentando a eficácia das decisões gerenciais e estratégicas. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram desenvolver modelos empíricos capazes de obter estimativas de ATR - Açúcar Total Recuperável nas variedades RB 72 454, RB 85 5156, RB 85 5536, SP 81-3250 e SP 80-1842 ao longo da safra, utilizando dados referentes aos fatores de produção, gerando uma ferramenta que auxilie a tomada de decisão e o planejamento estratégico; medir a variação espaço-temporal do IAF - índice de área foliar e o ATR das variedades RB 85 5156 e SP 80-3280 ao longo de um ciclo para calibração do modelo, simulando os demais; confirmar e relacionar a influência do armazenamento disponível, queda sazonal da temperatura do ar (graus-dia negativos) e quantidade de carboidratos assimilados na maturação da cana-deaçúcar além de otimizar o planejamento agrícola utilizando a Pesquisa Operacional. Foram analisados os dados da Usina Costa Pinto/COSAN, localizada no município de Piracicaba &#150; SP, dos anos safras 1998/1999, 1999/2000, 2000/2001, 2001/2002 e 2002/2003 considerando a maturação, idade do canavial, solos, variedades, florescimento, aplicação de maturadores e manejo, utilizando-se de modelos estatísticos de estimativa da maturação e planejamento agrícola otimizado na safra 2003/2004. Todos os modelos de previsão para cana-soca mostraram-se significativos sendo uma ótima ferramenta de auxílio para o planejamento agrícola otimizado. O planejamento do corte otimizado promoveu uma distribuição homogênea da matéria-prima para a indústria ao longo dos meses de safra, obtendo o máximo lucro possível com os recursos considerados.Sugarcane grows under different weather and handling conditions that directly affect crop maturation. These conditions cause the requirement of quantifying the responses of the culture to the different stimuli for planning purposes. Forecast models for the quality of raw material are important tools in the sugarcane farming, in especial the forecast curve of sucrose accumulation in the stems. These models aim to supply yield estimates along the culture cycle, seeking the characterization of handling alternatives and increasing the efficacy of management and strategic decisions. The objectives of this work were to develop empiric models capable to obtain estimates of TRS - Total Recoverable Sugar in the varieties RB 72 454, RB 85 5156, RB 85 5536, SP 81-3250 and SP 80-1842 along the crop cycle, by using referring data to the production factors, generating a tool that helps the outlet decision and the strategic planning; to measure the space-temporary variation of LAI - leaf area index and TRS of the varieties RB 85 5156 and SP 80-3280 along a cycle for calibration of the model, simulating the others; confirm and relate the influence of available soil water storage, seasonal decreasing of air temperature (negative degreedays) and amount of carbohydrates assimilated in the maturation of sugarcane, besides optimizing the agricultural planning using the Operational Research. The Costa Pinto/COSAN sugar-mill (Piracicaba &#150; SP) database was analyzed considering the maturation, age of the culture, soils, varieties, flowering, ripeners and handling for the years crops 1998/1999, 1999/2000, 2000/2001, 2001/2002 and 2002/2003, utilizing statistical test models of maturation estimate and agricultural planning optimized in the crop 2003/2004. All the forecast models for ratoon were significant as an excellent tool for help the optimized agricultural planning. The planning of optimized cutting promoted a homogeneous distribution of raw material for industry along the months of crop, obtaining the maximum possible profit with the considered resources