On Tuesday, March 10, the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) carried out destructive sampling on samples of the Arundo donax at their Central Farm Facilities, in Cayo, Belize. Here members of the CARDI and Belize’s Sugar Industry Research and Development Institute (SIRDI) teams check cuttings from the Arundo donax, also known as ‘wild cane’ for signs of germination.
Both CARDI and SIRDI are working with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), to research the germination and growth rates in two varieties of wild grasses under the Arundo donax Alternative Energy Project. The Centre is investigating the plant for its suitability as an alternative or supplementary fuel to bagasse for electricity co-generation. The Centre is working with the Green Climate Fund, CARDI and the local sugar industry on this the final stages of the Project.
CARDI and SIRDI are also looking to find the best planting and cultivating conditions for commercial quantities of the grasses. If current studies are favourable, the Project aims to introduce the Arundo donax as a new high energy crop for cultivation as a supplementary fuel for the generation of electricity in Belize. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting Project.
