New Sri Samrong 1 Sugarcane Impresses Local Farmers

The Department of Agriculture has recently introduced ‘Sri Samrong 1’, a new breed of sugarcane which yields more products, fine odor and delicious taste. The cane, when extracted, will give sparkling green and yellow juice. Thanks to its flexible stem, the cane is multi-purposed and produces more juice than the Suphan Buri 50. With the CCS or sweetness of more than 12, Sri Samrong 1 is ideal to plant in the lower part of northern Thailand because it resists the red rot wilt and smut diseases.

The Director General of the Department of Agriculture Ms. Sermsuk Salakphet said that the lower part of northern Thailand was an important area for sugarcane plantation and extraction. Around 1.8 million Rai land was dedicated to sugarcane plantation with an average of 11 tons of production. In Thailand, Suphan Buri 50 sugarcane is typically grown as it was certified by the Agriculture Department although the growing area geographically varies.

After the Sukhothai Agricultural Research and Development Center selected and assessed a hybrid of sugarcane made from the Farming Plant Research Center in Suphan Buri to obtain a new breed of sugarcane with higher quality than its predecessor, a new sugarcane was emerged and entitled, ‘Sri Samrong 1’.

When extracted, Sri Samrong 1 cultivated in 1 Rai land can give an average of 5, 647 liters, 38.1% of extraction and 19.1 Brix degree sweetness. The juice’s color is yellow and green and smells good. According to a survey on consumers’ satisfaction, the most favored is its smell, followed by color, taste and sweetness. In terms of producers’ and distributors’ satisfaction in Sukhothai and Phitsanulok, all sugarcane farm owners accepted Sri Samrong 1 thanks to its production amount, smell, taste, extraction percentage and size of stem.

Sri Samrong 1 is an alternative for sugarcane farm owners because its stem is not hard and it is multi-purposed as the plant can be extracted or transformed into factory products because of high extraction percentage, sparkling juice and good odor. The sugarcane can be processed to other products, adding more value in itself.

Ms. Weerawan Chuakittisak from Khon Kaen Farming Plant Research Center added that Sri Samrong 1 was a result of sugarcane upgrading in 1996 when researchers attempted to make a new breed of sugarcane that is resistant to the red rot wilt and smut diseases. The new sugarcane was born from KWT7 and RT96-018 sugarcanes planted in Sai Yok and Thong Pha Phum districts in Kanchana Buri. After 19 years of hard work emerged a new generation of sugarcane resistant to plant diseases.

Sri Samrong 1 can give 18.47-ton production per a Rai land and 5,647 liters of juice, which exceeds the amount of Suphan Buri 50. Its name comes from a research center in Sri Samrong, Sukhothai.