soil Archives - Sugarcane Industry

15 February, 2022

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry reuses waste as organic fertilizer to conserve soil

The Guatemala Sugar Industry has relied on research and science to be more environmentally sustainable for the planting and harvesting of sugarcane. An example of this is the development and implementation of practices for the conservation and sustainable use of soil.

Since 2012, the Sugar Industry has worked hand in hand with the Guatemalan Center for Research and Training of Sugar Cane -Cengicaña- and the Private Institute for Research on Climate Change -ICC- on practices to stop or prevent erosion, conserve soil, and improve their fertility and productivity.

Reuse of waste as organic fertilizer

During the production of sugar, significant amounts of organic waste are generated as byproducts that have a high agronomic value, including filter mud, ash, and vinasse. Cengicaña scientists discovered that applying these byproducts to the soil improves its physical, chemical, and biological properties.

For example, filter mud is a residue from the manufacture of sugar and provides phosphorus, calcium, and nitrogen, among others. It is estimated that each harvest produces more than 750,000 tons of this residue that is used to nourish fields.

Vinasse is a liquid residue from the distillation of alcohol and is mainly made up of water, organic matter and minerals that benefit the soil. Just as ash, mixed with filter mud, is beneficial for acidic soils, which favors greater availability of nutrients for plants and generally improves soil health.

Green fertilizer program

Just as they use organic fertilizers, the Sugar Industry also uses green fertilizers, an ecological measure of planting legume plants that provide the soil with nitrogen for nutrition in an ecological and environmentally friendly way.

When legumes are mixed with the soil, they provide organic matter that improves the texture and structure of the soil and promotes the development of microorganisms that are beneficial to crops.

All these good practices are promoted by Cengicaña with the aim of comprehensively using biological and organic elements that are sustainable with the environment for the cultivation of sugarcane.

7 October, 2021

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry works hard on Soil conservation practices

Soil conservation are practices to stop or avoid erosion, conserve the soil, and improve its fertility and productivity and the Guatemalan Sugar Industry is committed to enforce such measures.

The Guatemalan Center for Research and Training of Sugarcane -Cengicaña- published in 1994 the first study of soils in the sugarcane zone and since 2012, it has been working on the subject with the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC- for the development and implementation of practices for the conservation and sustainable use of soils.

Among the practices are:

Soil analysis: this is the basic tool to know the properties of the soil and the availability of nutrients and physical and chemical characteristics which are analyzed by sampling the areas, the region’s climate, sun radiation, thermal amplitude, topography, inclination, and risks of erosion among others.
Soil conservation structures and use of vegetation are implemented on the sides of the roads.
The protection of wetlands, forest areas and natural water courses is promoted.
Sowing the appropriate sugarcane that best adapts to each soil, based on its agronomic characteristics, resistance to pests and adaptation to climatic variations.
Sugarcane cultivation is renewed every 5 years to maintain its yield, therefore, in some suitable areas this renewal is used to nourish the soil through the Green Fertilizer program of the sugar industry.

Sustainable practices to maintain soil fertility

The application of nutrients is vital to maintain the fertility of the soils and derived from the analysis of the fields, the strategies for their use are determined, among which are:

Use of green fertilizer

The Green Fertilizer program of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry is an ecological measure of planting legume plants that provide the soil with nitrogen and thus avoid the use of commercial products. When legumes are mixed with the soil, they provide organic matter that improves the texture and structure of the soil and promotes the development of microorganisms that are beneficial for crops.

Use of organic fertilizers

Organic matter improves the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil, favoring a greater availability of nutrients for plants and improving the health of the soil in general.

In the Guatemalan Sugar Industry, significant amounts of organic waste are generated as by-products that have high agronomic value, including filter mud, ash, and vinasse.

- Filter mud is a residue from the manufacture of sugar and provides the soil with phosphorus, calcium, and nitrogen, among others. It is estimated that each harvest produces more than 750,000 tons of this residue that is used to nourish fields.
- Vinasse is a liquid residue from the distillation of alcohol and is mainly made up of water, organic matter and minerals that benefit the soil.
- The ash, mixed with filter cake, is beneficial for soils with acidic Ph.

Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater is captured in ditches and wells; this is an agronomic practice that contributes to the recharge of groundwater. This agronomic practice is responsible for the environment, contributes to the recharge of groundwater, to mitigate the erosion of the soil by precipitation and to avoid floods.

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry has 2,507 hectares of natural forests, which are protected and cared for. The reforestation and conservation of forests on the banks of rivers help to recharge water, to conserve soils by avoiding erosion and are also natural barriers that prevent floods and serve as home to species of flora and fauna.

Soil preparation

The soil is prepared for sowing: the objective of this practice is to prepare a good soil base for the optimal development of the plantation.

- In sandy soils there is minimal tillage to avoid impact on the natural conditions of the soil.
- In addition, there are minimum tillage or conservation practices to preserve the soil.

Strip cultivation

It is done during each crop renewal, they plant lines with green crops such as legumes alternating with lines of sugar cane, that is done in renewal batches.

The legume incorporates nitrogen and reduces soil erosion caused by water, wind and to make more efficient use of land.

Level curves

Information from drones or satellite images is used to determine the topography or relief of the area so that crops are planted at the same height above sea level.

Rainwater has an easier time seeping into the ground to prevent erosion.

2 June, 20219 June, 2021

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry works on soil conservation

Since 2012, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry has worked hand in hand with the Guatemalan Center for Research and Training of Sugar Cane -Cengicaña- and the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC- in the development and implementation of practices for soil conservation.

Soil conservation is based on those practices that make it possible to stop or avoid erosion, conserve the soil, and improve its fertility and productivity.

For example, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry in conjunction with the ICC have implemented ditches and wells that help rainwater infiltrate.

This agronomic practice, responsible with the environment, contributes to the recharge of groundwater, to mitigate the erosion of the soil by precipitation and to avoid floods.

Green fertilizer to nourish the soils

Another good practice for soil protection is the green fertilizer program developed by Cengicaña for the use of the sugar sector. This program is an ecological measure of planting legume plants that provide the soil with nitrogen and thus avoid the use of commercial products.

When legumes are mixed with the soil, they contribute organic matter that improves the texture and structure of the soil. In addition, it promotes the development of microorganisms that are beneficial for crops.

10 February, 202125 March, 2021

Green fertilizer for environmental sustainability

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry maintains its commitment to environmental sustainability, so through the Guatemalan Sugarcane Research and Training Center -Cengicaña-, have implemented the green fertilizer program.

Green fertilizer is part of the healthy soil program that some sugar mills have. This ecological measure consists of planting legumes that provide nitrogen to the soil reducing the use of commercial products.

In addition, it integrates crop rotation, intercropping, pest management, and soil conservation and nutrition in an environmentally friendly way.

Legumes and crop rotation

Legumes at Ingenio La Union — Photo courtesy of: Ingenio La Union

The cultivation of legumes as green fertilizer is a frequent practice in agriculture, in the case of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry crotalaria, a legume that produces a yellow flower, is used. Crotalaria is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae (subfamily Faboideae) commonly known as rattlepods.

Sugarcane cultivation is renewed every 5 years to maintain its yield and in the ideal areas, this renewal is used to nourish the soil with leguminous plants which grow and remain in the field between 6 and 8 months. Approximately 3 thousand hectares have been planted with crotalaria.

Legumes incorporate organic matter into the soil that provides nutrients, mainly nitrogen, one of the most important for plants and that will be used by subsequent crops.

Soil conservation and pest management

Legumes are the only group of plants that can capture nitrogen from the air and incorporate it into their organism. When they are mixed with the soil, they contribute organic matter that improves the texture and structure of the soil. In addition, it promotes the proliferation of microorganisms that are beneficial for crops.

Crop rotation also helps in pest control because, by exchanging the cane for legumes, the life cycle of the insects that feed on the sugar cane is broken.

All these good practices are promoted by Cengicaña with the aim of integrally using biological elements that are sustainable with the environment for the cultivation of sugar cane.