Cane quality at the farm is important information for both farmers and millers when evaluating cane maturity and determining harvest schedules. We investigated the non-destructive measurement of the sugar content of cane stalks using a portable near infrared (NIR) instrument. A commercially available portable NIR instrument was modified for use in transmittance mode and employed to quantify Pol levels in cane stalks. Calibration models using a partial least squares regression analysis were developed for predicting Pol values from the juice and the cane sample spectra (600-1100 nm). Results of these calibrations, root mean square error of prediction for juice and cane samples, were 1.0% and 1.1% Pol, respectively. Based on the results of this study, the developed measurement method appears to be useful for monitoring cane quality and the planning of harvest schedules.
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