REBECCA-DB.A: an opensource flexible database for managing data from energy cane

REBECCA is a research project on energy cane in Guadeloupe aiming at producing electricity from the burning of the whole sugarcane. This project has emphasised the importance to store, share and manipulate numerous field data and NIRS analyses collected. A relational database named REBECCA-DB.A has been created to manage agronomic and genotypic data from the project including biomass, fibre content, and low heating value of several above-ground biomass components (millable stalks, top of the stalks, green and dead leaves). The results of the analysis of fibre content and low heating value can be automatically imported into the database from the NIRS system. Data can be exported in an appropriate format to be used in other statistical and modelling tools; for example as input data in the tool REBECCA-LCA to carry out environmental studies on energy cane. From the results of biomass and biomass quality of 35 cultivars, it has been possible to easily select the best three cultivars for use as energy canes taking into account the main functional characteristics. REBECCA-DB.A, originally designed for a specific project, could be adapted for other applications on energy or fibre cane studies. This is a free tool within the scientific community. (Résumé d'auteur