INFLUENCE OF SUGARCANE BURNING ON THE TEMPERATURES OF THE CANE STALKS AND THE SOIL SURFACE

Abstract

To study the effects of burning on stalks and soil temperatures, two sugarcane burning experiments were carried out under experimental conditions at two times, 2:00PM and 6:00PM, at the end of the harvest period in the summer. At 2:00PM, the increase in the stalk temperature was 14.5 oC, measured 15 cm below the first dewlap; and at 6:00PM, the increase was 11.5 oC. The soil temperature, measured at a soil depth of 5mm depth, increased 7.6 oC at the 2:00PM burning and 5.8 oC at the 6:00PM burning. It was observed that the stalk and the soil temperatures returned to the initial observed values in approximately 50 minutes. Such information can be useful for agronomists, entomologists, phytopathologists, climatologists, and environmentalists.