ASSESSING THE PROCESSABILITY OF SUGARCANE VARIETIES
The Sugar Milling Research Institute (SMRI) is developing methods to characterise the processability of sugarcane, particularly pre-release varieties from the South African Sugarcane Research Institute’s (SASRI) breeding programme. The pith/fibre ratio and colour are presently used to characterise the processability of sugarcane; however, further parameters are required to obtain a better understanding of how a particular variety would behave during processing, particularly in the front end of the factory. A number of methods have been investigated; these include the use of a stereomicroscope to identify pith and fibre, an impact test method and a percolation test method. Each method is described and test results obtained on selected varieties are given. The suitability and feasibility of each of the different methods is discussed.
The development of an automated pith-fibre separator for the cane sugar industry.
The need to determine accurate pith-fibre ratios in cane prompted the design and development of a fully automated apparatus that separates pith, fibre and sand from a sample of shredded cane or bagasse. With the continuous introduction of new cane varieties into the sugar industry, a quick and simple method of categorising these components is useful as they impact on diffuser operations, e.g. percolation rates. The equipment has been tested on shredded cane and bagasse from various factories and on various cane varieties from the South African Sugar Association Experiment Station. The results show that the apparatus gives excellent repeatability in terms of pith and fibre quantities for the same batch of sample. The poster describes the advantages of the new method over the old method of separation. Results include data and comments obtained from tests on 10 different cane varieties.
AN INTRODUCTION T O THE SOILS OF THE SOUTH-EASTERN PORTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN ARID ZONE
Summary 
 
Seven soil regions, each of which is dominated by soils belonging to one or two great soil groups, are defined and mapped. The outstanding feature is the presence of a variety of soils with widely differing characteristics. The soils are deeper, have more profile differentiation and are finer-extured than those in most-arid regions and are frequently overlain by currently-forming deposits of wind-transported materials. Because the vegetative cover is better developed and there are only small areas of rocky hills and bare rock pediments, water erosion and deposition are not as prominent as in other arid areas.