Africa-Press – Mauritius. A talk on the use of drones for Agronomic applications developed for sugarcane and prospects for Mauritian agriculture by the Director of the Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute (MSIRI), Dr Suman Seeruttun, was held, this afternoon, at the Mauritius Cane Industry Authority (MCIA), in ReĢduit.
The presentation targeted mainly the Heads and Representatives of institutions associated with the sugarcane industry such as the MCIA, the Mauritius Sugar Syndicate, the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture; Managers and Agronomists of sugar estates; Corporates; Large, Medium and Small sugarcane growers; and other institutions concerned with Agro-Industry sector including the University of Mauritius and the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council.
Several topics were outlined during the discussions including: the introduction of Information Technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions within different production sectors; the potential for embarking with such technologies in sugarcane industry and other agricultural sectors; and the opportunity of policy makers to decide on possibilities with these technologies.
Furthermore, the lecture provided insights on how the use of new agronomic applications will improve efficacy of several agronomic practices and facilitate better decision-making for optimising sugarcane production.
These include: spraying pesticides with drones to assist in reducing agrochemicals with precision farming approach and becoming an alternative to growers facing shortage of labour; assessing cane growth status, including mapping of neglected or abandoned lands; mapping and quantifying gaps and weed infestations in sugarcane fields; measuring cane and crop heights using technology; and applying herbicides and ripener with the drone sprayer on sugarcane for improving sucrose content.
In addition, the lecture aimed to assess the two drones acquired at the MCIA, notably, one quadcopter for images acquisition and one drone sprayer, together with associated software in 2019 from funds earmarked in 2017-2018 Budget with the aim of developing agronomic applications with the use of new technologies, all targeting at improving sugarcane and sugar productivity.
It also comprised a presentation of results and applications developed for the use of drone technology in sugarcane and potential use in other sectors of Mauritian agriculture.
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