F Yañez Cornejo1 and A Zambrano2
1Chacra Experimental Agrícola Santa Rosa (CEASR), Colonia Santa Rosa, Salta, Argentina; fyanez@chacraexperimental.org
2HANDTEC, Salta, Argentina
The Sugarcane Breeding Program at Chacra Experimental Agrícola Santa Rosa conducts crosses using artificial flower induction. To enhance this process, we developed a new automated photoperiod control system. This system utilizes microcontrollers that send ON/OFF signals to light fixtures in the photoperiod chambers while receiving real-time sensor data. Light schedules are designed based on the site’s natural photoperiod, with adjustments to smooth the decline in daylight hours, effectively simulating a tropical photoperiodic regime. The system has significantly improved our ability to artificially induce flowering. This allows us to evaluate flowering results between different seasons by recording natural and photoperiod chambers conditions. We are currently compiling data from multiple campaigns to refine environmental variable adjustments (temperature and humidity). Our goal is to further enhance the effectiveness of the flowering induction system while ensuring all plant requirements are met.