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The Annual Plan of Operation is prepared on the basis of the five-year Research and Development Programme, which, being dynamic, may be modified according to the changing and evolving needs of the industry.
Agricultural Chemistry
- A number of tests are being offered within the scope of accreditation to conform with ISO17025
- Analysis of pH of water, soil and sugars
- Determination of electrical conductivity and salinity of water
- Quantitative estimation of total N, mineral N and acid total P and K in soils
- Determination of N, P, K, S, Ca and Mg in plant materials
- Quantification of organochlorine pesticides, organophosphate pesticides, triazines and phenylureas in water, sugars and molasses
Irrigation
- Irrigation feasibility studies
- Soil physical investigations
- Studies on irrigation water requirement, crop water use and yield response to water
- Assessment and recommendations on land use, land suitability, land planning, application of GIS, and large scale contour mapping by using the GPS (Global Positioning System)
- Assessment and recommendations on land use and land suitability
- GIS application
- Large-scale contour mapping by using the GPS (Global Positioning System)
Cultural Operations and Weed Agronomy
- Counselling and training on best cultural practices including weed management to growers
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Herbicide testing for registration purposes (sole responsibility towards Pesticides Control Board) and for development of new molecules (contract project with main pesticides manufacturing companies)
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Weed identification and recommendation of herbicide treatments for weed control in sugar cane (recommendations listed on website)
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Calibration of sprayers and recommending best nozzles
- Production of farm plans for mechanization and soil conservation
Biotechnology
- We produce in vitro plantlets of sugar cane, potato, banana, aloe vera and pineapple. Other crops can be micropropagated on request
- DNA fingerprinting of sugar cane varieties can be carried out on request
- We offer training in the following fields:
- tissue culture of sugar cane and other crops
- DNA fingerprinting of sugar cane varieties
- molecular diagnostic tests
Plant Breeding
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Advisory services to growers on variety policy
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Consultancy services on breeding of new sugar cane varieties, which includes seed production, selection from “fuzz”, policies and proposals for the introduction and evaluation of new varieties of sugar cane
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Export of sugar cane seeds ("fuzz") for establishing on-site selection programme
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Export of sugar cane varieties for evaluation of agronomic potential to suit local environment
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Training attachment in the Plant Breeding Department on ‘Breeding and Selection of New Sugar Cane Varieties’
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Training on experimental designs and analysis of experimental data
Entomology
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Advisory service to growers on the identification and management of insects, mites and nematodes affecting crops
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Identification of insects
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Provide training in entomological techniques and insect identification
Plant Pathology
- Advisory service to growers on plant diseases (laboratory identification, field inspection)
- Identification of diseases
- Seed potato production
- Training in plant pathology and seed production
- Microbiological analysis of sugars
Sugar Technology and Sugar Engineering
A number of analyses are carried out using the facilities in the Sugar Technology Laboratory under the aegis of the Agricultural Chemistry Department of MSIRI
- Analysis of industrial effluents (COD, turbidity, pH, oil & grease, conductivity, total suspended solids)
- Water flow measurements in closed and open channels
- Design and calibration of flumes and weirs
- Calibration of pressure and vacuum gauges
- Energy audits
- Noise level monitoring
- Analysis of sugar (pol, colour, turbidity, grain size, pH, reducing sugars, moisture, conductivity, ash)
- Analysis of molasses (brix, sucrose, reducing sugars)
- Analysis of bagasse and trash (moisture, ash, particle size)
- Laboratory audits - Control Board labs, sugar estate labs
- Sugar cane analysis (pol, fiber)
- Training on analysis of sugar factory products
- Analysis of sugar containing intermediate products