Grant Contract External Actions of the European Community 2010/247-871

Grant ContractExternal Actions of the European Community

2010/247-871

Improving Capacity and Speed of Sugar Cane Breeding in the Caribbean by Investing in State-of-the-Art Laboratory

Equipment  

Principal Investigator: 

Dr Anthony KennedyGeneticist

West Indies Central Sugar Cane Breeding StationGroves, St George

BarbadosWest Indies

Tel: (246) 433 1308Fax: (246) 433 5568

E-mail: wicscbs@caribsurf.com 

Main Objectives:Provision of high speed whole cane analyser to Variety SelectionProgrammes in Guyana, Jamaica and Belize

Increase in efficiency of selection, particularlyin the area of Multi-purpose Cane varieties

Secondary Objectve:Upgrade of suplemental aspects of sugar labs (HPLC etc)

Expected output:

New cane varieties with enhanced sugar and fibreTo sustain changing needs of small sugar producersparticularly with respect to biofuel and energy production.

Data from all stages of selection will allow effectiveSelection pressures for all quality parameter;Brix, pol and fibre.

Data from seedling populations will make FamilySelection more effective for quality and fibre.Breeding values for parental populations will be more precise.

Stage 1(Family Selection)

0 600

Stage 2 (Clonal Row) 0 3000

Stage 3 (Clonal Plots) 0 800

Stage 4 (Replicated Yield Trials)

450 450

Stage 5 (Pre-Commercial Trials)

20 20

Total 470 4870

TYPICAL SELECTION PROGRAMME ANALYSESBARBADOS

OUTPUT from SPECTRACANE

BRIX % JuicePol % Juice

Brix % CanePol % Cane

Fibre % Cane

Juice Purity

Moisture

Actions to date

December 2010:Contract signed

February 2011:Funds transferred from SAC to WICSCBS

March – June 2011:Calls for tender to construct buildingsTenders assessed and contracts awardedEstablish that single supplier of Spectracane

June – July:Construction works startedRequest for waiver of Rules of Origin

October 2011:Spectracane training WorkshopWICSCBSattendees 2 each from Guyana, Jamaica and Belize

December 2011:Waiver of Rules of Origin approved

Firm order placed for Spectracanes

January 2012:Buildings to house Spectracane completed

Spectracane initial payments made to start the building of the machines

Visit and evaluation by Scientific Advisory Group

February 2012:Dual wavelength polarimerter shipped to BelizeFirm order for the 3 Dedini cane shredders

August 2012:

Spectracanes shipped from New Zealand

Spectracane Building SIRI JAMAICA

Completed Building BSIL BelizeExterior

Completed Building BSIL BelizeInterior

Interior Spectracane Building Guyana

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