Hot Water Treatment of seed cane against Ratoon Stunting Disease (RSD) at 50° C. For the Small, Medium and Larger Grower.

This is the most cost effective and reliable way for individual growers, or small groups of farmers, to produce consistently high quality seedcane that is free of Ratoon Stunting Disease (RSD).
It is a stand-alone unit with a power requirement of 30 kW, and a supply of clean water.
Treated cane can be produced at a rate of up to about 5 tons per day.
No mechanical lifting equipment is required.
CorTen steel plate and stainless steel is used in its construction, giving it a long life expectancy without excessive maintenance.
Because of the system of continuous rotation of small baskets of cane into a large volume of water, there is no temperature drop upon insertion of cane into the tank, so the cane in the tank is not subject to more than the required 2 hour treatment. This is an important advantage over bulk treatment systems.
The very high circulation rate of the water in the tank ensures that there are no hot or cold spots in the tank.
During operation, the time and temperature recorder continuously monitors production, giving an historical printout of the treatment received by each basket.
The simplicity of the operating procedure allows the use of unskilled labour with minimum supervision.
This system has been used successfully in the South African, and other sugar industries, for over 20 years. This plant was designed in collaboration with, and is endorsed by the South African Sugar Association Experiment Station (SASEX).
Recommendations for hot water treatment (HWT) (Keith McFarlane, SASEX)