Sugarcane

Development of portable electrostatic nozzle for sugarcane pesticide application

admin_irjstem Abstract , , ,

Development of portable electrostatic nozzle for sugarcane pesticide application
Corresponding email: [email protected]

A B S T R A C T

Agriculture remains a critical sector in the Philippine economy, with sugarcane ranking fifth among the most cultivated crops. However, pest infestations significantly reduce crop yield and quality. Conventional pesticide application methods are labor-intensive, inefficient, and contribute to health and environmental risks due to excessive spraying. This study aims to design, development and evaluate the portable electrostatic nozzle designed to improve pesticide application efficiency in sugarcane farming. The prototype incorporates a high-voltage arc generator using a 5-stage Walton-Cockcroft voltage multiplier, producing 14.09 kV to electrostatically charge pesticide droplets from a conventional sprayer. Utilizing ImageJ software for data gathering, an independent t-test was employed to compare its performance with traditional sprayers. Results demonstrated a significant increase in droplet deposition, with “back” leaf surface coverage improving from 1.048% to 21.421%, and “front” coverage increasing by 13%. Overall spray efficiency improved from a range of 18.344% – 20.374% in the control group compared to 34.444% – 34.661% in the experimental group, resulting an average of 20% greater coverage of pesticide using the electrostatic nozzle. It consumed 11.397 watts of power and operated for 1.5 hours per charge using a 3.9Ah Li-ion battery. The electrostatic nozzle consistently outperformed the conventional sprayer. Further research should focus on optimizing the electric field distribution, incorporating protective battery circuitry, and conducting field validation under practical agricultural conditions. These findings support the potential of electrostatic spraying technology as a sustainable solution for improving pesticide application in crop production.

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Sugarcane growth through fermented bamboo shoot application 

admin_irjstem Abstract , ,

Roniel A. Ardeña, Nyle A. Pardillo, Justine V. Gemida
Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology, Philippines
Sugar Regulatory Administration, Philippines
Corresponding Email: [email protected]

A B S T R A C T
This study was conducted to determine the growth of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) as affected by fermented bamboo shoot application in terms of plant height, number and diameter of nodes, number of leaves, and average number of tillers. Study results would help farmers to find an alternative source in growth promotant hormone that could find in fermented bamboo shoot (FBS) that is locally available compared to synthetic cytokinin. There were four treatments used: t1- 2 ml synthetic cytokinin/L of water (control); t2- 2 ml of FBS/L of water; t3- 7 ml of FBS/L of water, t4- 12 ml of FBS/L of water. These treatments were arranged in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) and were replicated four times. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used as a statistical tool of the study and comparison among means using Honest Tukeys Significant difference at 5% level of significance. Sugarcane plants applied with 7 ml bamboo shoot concoctions has highest mean in plant height and number of leaves which is significantly higher than synthetic cytokinin and 2 ml concoction. On the other hand, application of 12 ml concoction got the highest mean in number of nodes and nodes diameter which is statistically higher than synthetic cytokinin and 2 ml concoction but comparable to 7 ml concoction. Based on results, FBS is better source of cytokinin and could be an alternative of using synthetic cytokinin. Results also revealed that using 7 ml and 12 ml concoctions performs better in all agronomic parameters. It is recommended to use FBS as a replacement of using the synthetic cytokinin at the levels of 7 ml and 12 ml concoctions per litre of water. Further study on the effect of FBS must be conducted to determine significance in tiller production of sugarcane. Further research study for the FBS to be analyzed for cytokinin content and will be used as fertilizer to other crops and vegetables are recommended to truly validate the results.

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