Water productivity into biomass and energy for Brazilian sugar cane varieties as a function of soil water availability: experimentation and simulation

Abstract

Sugar cane crop stands out as one of the main crops explored in Brazil. In new areas of expansion of the sugarcane industry (SP west, MS, MT, GO, MG, BA, AM, MA and PI) it is observed periods of more intensive drought in the soil throughout the year, being of fundamental importance to consider the water-plant relations to obtain economic productivity. So the project to be developed in Biosystems Engineering Department at ESALQ / USP, aims to present to sugar cane breeding programs in Brazil, the current rates of water productivity into Biomass conversion (biomass kg / m3 evapotranspired H20) and Energy conversion (MJ of energy / m3 H20 evapotranspired) for the main varieties under different maturation strategies and water levels in soil. The development of this project will also identify the maximum sucrose content for different varieties and parameterized the physiological model CANEGRO, aiming its application to the production environments of ETH Bioenergy Clusters. It is proposed in this research project the development of the research platform called "PAC-CANA" where it will be possible to quantify in a continuous and automated way the Productivity of Biomass Conversion into Water and Energy of any commercial crop, to serve as a support tool for breeding programs in Brazil and also to optimize water use in irrigation projects (expansion agriculture areas). (AU)