Search Results (47)

Potassium (K) is the nutrient most required by sugarcane crops and is predominantly supplied through potassium chloride (KCl). However, as KCl production is highly concentrated in a few countries, Brazil—the world’s largest sugarcane producer—relies heavily on imported K fertilizers. In this context, identifying alternative sources, even if also imported, is strategic to diversify supply and reduce the risks associated with dependence on a single product. This study evaluated the performance of polyhalite, a natural multinutrient mineral, compared with KCl, as an alternative fertilizer for ratoon cane (CTC 4 variety) grown in a clay-textured Oxisol in Jataí, Brazil. A two-year field experiment was conducted evaluating four treatments: control (without K fertilization), KCl, polyhalite, and a 25/75 polyhalite + KCl blend. Potassium fertilization increased culm yield by about 38–61% compared with the unfertilized control. In addition, the association of polyhalite + KCl promoted greater plant height compared to the treatment without K fertilization and, when comparing the K sources applied alone, polyhalite promoted a larger culm diameter and a higher leaf S content than KCl. These results demonstrate the agronomic advantages of polyhalite and its blends for sugarcane fertilization, which reiterates their potential as efficient and sustainable alternatives to KCl and as part of a broader strategy for fertilizer-source diversification. Full article

Due to its benefits and efficiency, mechanized sugarcane harvest is a common practice in Brazil; however, continuous traffic of agricultural machinery leads to soil compaction at the end of each harvest cycle. Hence, this study evaluated whether machine traffic affects soil physical and hydraulic properties, root growth, and crop productivity in sugarcane areas during different harvest cycles. Four treatments were performed consisting of an area planted with different stages (years) of sugarcane crop: T1 = after the first harvest—plant cane (area 1); T2 = after the second harvest—first ratoon cane (area 2); T3 = after the third harvest—second ratoon cane (area 3); T4 = after fourth harvest—third ratoon cane (area 4). Five sampling sites were considered in each area, constituting five replicates collected from four layers. Two collection positions were considered: wheel track (WT) and planting row (PR). Soil physical properties, root system, productivity, and biometric characteristics of the sugarcane crop were evaluated at depths of 0.00–0.05 m, 0.05–0.10 m, 0.10–0.20 m, and 0.20–0.40 m. Traffic during the sugarcane crop growth cycles affected soil physical and hydraulic properties, showing sensitivity to the effects of the different treatments, producing variations in root growth and crop productivity. Plant cane cycle showed lower soil penetration resistance, bulk density, microporosity, higher saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, and macroporosity when compared with the other cycles studied. In the 0.10–0.20 m layer, all treatments produced higher soil penetration resistance and density, and lower saturated soil hydraulic conductivity. Dry biomass, volume, and root area were higher for the plant cane cycle in the 0.00–0.05 m and 0.05–0.10 m layers compared with the other crop cycles. Root dry biomass is directly related to crop productivity in layers up to 0.40 m deep. Sugarcane productivity was affected along the crop cycles, with higher productivity observed in the plant cane and first ratoon cane cycles compared with the second and third ratoon cane cycles. Full article

Nitrogen (N) fertiliser recommendations for ratoon sugarcane crops in the Australian subtropics do not specifically account for residual soil N. The present study was undertaken to determine whether residual soil N is sufficiently high to warrant incorporation into current N fertiliser guidelines in subtropical Australia. Nine soil cores were taken to 1 m depth (separated into 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80 and 80–100 cm layers) in 25 fields in the Australian subtropics after sugarcane harvest and assessed for soil pH, total carbon and nitrogen and mineral N (NO₃⁻ + NH₄⁺) concentrations, and potentially mineralisable N (PMN) in the top 40 cm. Root weight in each soil layer was also measured in one core per field to determine rooting depth. When coupled with 14 d PMN in the top 40 cm, total available N ranged from 44–346 kg N ha⁻¹, which could potentially contribute 30–100% of the typical 150 kg N ha⁻¹ accumulated in shoots of ratoon cane crops in the region. Further field studies are required to determine the actual contributions that these N reserves can make to the N nutrition of ratoon cane crops, and the ramifications of those contributions to fertiliser recommendations. Full article

Sugarcane requires high doses of phosphorus to achieve high productivity. However, not all the phosphorus applied to crops is utilized. Therefore, it is believed that some remaining phosphorus can meet the nutrient demand of the ratoon crop. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of mineral fertilization with triple superphosphate (TSP) and organic fertilization with poultry litter (PL), applied to plant cane and the first ratoon, on the quality of second ratoon sugarcane. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with a 5 × 5 factorial scheme with four replications. The treatments consisted of five TSP doses (0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg ha⁻¹) and five PL doses (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 t ha⁻¹). Fertilization with TSP and PL applied in the two preceding cycles promoted an increase in plant height, stalk diameter, number of tillers, and productivity in the second ratoon. The doses of triple superphosphate and chicken litter applied in cycles preceding the second ratoon were able to increase the agronomic performance of the genotype IACSP95-5094. However, the highest subsequent combined doses of triple superphosphate and chicken litter resulted in a 27% increase in stalk productivity. In general, the preceding doses of chicken litter showed greater potential to enhance the technological attributes. Full article

Integrating bioenergy crops into existing agricultural systems may influence soil biodiversity, yet evidence remains limited for second-generation bioenergy crops such as energycane. This study examined the impact of energycane integration on soil arthropod communities in the Everglades Agricultural Area, Florida, compared to traditional sugarcane and sweetcorn cropping systems. Over two crop cycles (plant cane and first ratoon), soil arthropod abundance and diversity were assessed using pitfall traps. Energycane and sugarcane, both perennial crops, showed no significant differences in order richness or Shannon diversity. Similarly, when energycane was compared with sugarcane and sweetcorn (during the first sampling), it had similar arthropod abundance. However, sweetcorn remained fallow in the second and third samplings, attracting arthropods like fire ants and earwigs, particularly due to pigweed. Diversity metrics based on Hill numbers revealed a decline in the effective abundance of ground-dwelling arthropods with increasing diversity order, influenced by differences in sampling duration. Importantly, no previous studies have been found that have reported on the effects of energycane integration into the existing cropping system on soil arthropod biodiversity. These findings highlight that energycane supports biodiversity levels comparable to sugarcane cropping systems with no negative impacts on soil arthropod abundance. This study underscores the need to consider soil biodiversity impacts when evaluating sustainable bioenergy crop transitions and the potential ecological trade-offs of perennial cropping systems. Full article

Drought significantly impacts sugarcane yield, making drought resistance an important trait in drought-prone regions. The effects of the timing and duration of drought on yield and yield components, including relationships among these traits, were examined using a diverse set of sugarcane genotypes in a 2-year (planted cane and first ratoon) field study. Three drought treatments (no water stress (SD0), short-term (SD1), and long-term (SD2) drought) were assigned as the main plot and replicated four times. Within each plot, six genotypes were nested in a split-plot design. Drought reduced yield and its components, with the decline greater in SD2 than in SD1. Strong relationships between yield and its components like stalk height and density and height growth rate, especially under drought, make these traits potential surrogates for yield in drought screening experiments. The genotypes F03–362 and KK3 displayed high, stable yield potential across drought treatments, but KK3 lost potential in ratoon crop under drought. Although KK09–0358 displayed high yield potential, it was very sensitive to drought stress while UT12 and KK09–0939 displayed low yield potential and sensitivity to drought. TPJ04–768 displayed low but stable yield potential across drought treatments and crops. F03–362 and TPJ04–768 have utility in studies seeking to couple physiological with agronomic parameters promoting drought resistance and as parents for developing cultivars combining high and stable yield performance under drought. Full article

The influence of potassium fertilizer on sugarcane (interspecific hybrids of Saccharum Spp.) yields and leaf and soil potassium levels was evaluated at six locations in Louisiana. The objective of this study was to determine if the sugarcane yields in Louisiana could be improved with potassium application. Different rates of potassium fertilizer (0–179 kg K₂O ha⁻¹) were applied to plant cane and ratoon sugarcane fields in Louisiana. Soil samples and sugarcane leaf samples were also collected from all experiments. Yield data were collected by harvesting plots with a single row, chopper harvester and a field transport wagon equipped with electronic load sensors. At all locations and soil types, potassium fertilizer did not increase cane or sugar yields. Soil properties data showed that significant increases in soil potassium levels did not occur until the second ratoon crop, where soil potassium increased by 30% for the high rate. Increases in plant potassium were also not observed until the second ratoon crop, where plant potassium increased by 10.5% for the high rate. The potential cause of the observed lack of response may be explained by interference from calcium and magnesium, combined with fixation by smectite and vermiculite clay minerals. Our soil and plant uptake data would suggest that repeated K applications at recommended rates, which currently vary from 90 to 157 kg ha⁻¹, may be required to achieve the potential benefits of K fertilizer in Louisiana sugarcane soils. However, this must be verified by additional on-farm trials. Full article

Conventional mineral fertilization (CMF) is a common practice in infertile sugarcane-cultivated tropical soils, increasing production costs and environmental concerns. Combining CMF with composted sewage sludge (CSS) could be a sustainable strategy. We aim to evaluate changes in soil chemical properties, macro- and micronutrient concentrations in the soil surface (A_p1; 0–25 cm) and subsurface (A_p2; 25–50 cm) horizons, after CSS application with or without CMF in sugarcane cultivation (first and second ratoon cane). Eleven treatments, featured by CSS increase rates and mixed with CMF at different concentrations, were tested in the first ratoon; during the second, the CSS residual effect was evaluated. Applying CSS in sugarcane-cultivated soils, improved the following: (i) soil organic matter, pH, the sum of bases, cation-exchange capacity, and base saturation; (ii) overall nutrient concentrations (P, K, Ca, Mg, B, Cu, and Zn). The treatments showing the best performances were those with 5.0 Mg ha⁻¹ of CSS. Composted sewage sludge has the potential for use as an organic natural fertilizer reducing the need for CMF. When applied in infertile tropical soils, additional positive effects can be achieved, such as decreasing production costs and providing socio-economic benefits. Full article

Drought is the major abiotic constraint affecting sugarcane productivity and quality worldwide. This obstacle may be alleviated through sugarcane genotypes demonstrating good water use efficiency (WUE) performance. This study aims to investigate the WUE characteristics of various sugarcane genotypes under different soil water availability levels. Plant and ratoon field experiments were conducted using a split-plot randomized complete block design with three replications. The main plots were assigned three types of irrigation: (1) rainfed conditions (RF), (2) field capacity conditions (FC), and (3) half-available water (½ AW). The subplots consisted of six sugarcane genotypes with varying levels of drought resistance, i.e., KK3, UT13, Kps01-12, KKU99-03, KKU99-02, and UT12. Data on yield, stalk numbers, stalk diameter, height, and WUE were collected throughout the crop cycle for both plant and ratoon crops. For the plant crop, the net photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and leaf area index (LAI) were recorded during the crop period. In both plant and ratoon crops, the WUE in the RF treatment was lower than in the FC and ½ AW treatments during the drought stress period 4 months after planting (MAP). In the recovery phase, the WUE in the ½ AW treatment fell between the FC and RF treatments. The RF treatment exhibited the lowest WUE compared to the other two water regime treatments at the maturity stage. The drought-resistant genotypes KK3 and UT13 maintained high WUE values throughout both the drought and recovery periods and exhibited outstanding LAIs at 4 and 6 MAP. A significant relationship existed between WUE and LAI during these periods. Moreover, WUE was positively correlated with cane yields and yield components, such as stalk weight, shoot diameter, and height, during recovery and tiller number and height during ripening. Therefore, WUE and LAI are efficient parameters for supporting and maintaining growth and yield during water deficit and recovery phases under rainfed conditions. Full article

This study was conducted at El-Sabahia Research Station (latitude 31°12′ N, longitude 29°58′ E) in Alexandria, Egypt to evaluate the effect of Spirulina platensis algae extract on the growth, yield, and juice quality of four sugarcane genotypes during the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons. The sugarcane genotypes tested (G.T. 54-9, G. 2003-47, G. 84-47, and G. 2004-27) were treated with four concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3%) of spirulina algae extract (SE) during their development as plant cane and first ratoon crops. At harvest, the growth, physiological, and juice quality characteristics were documented, while relative chlorophyll content was measured 210 days after sowing. Spraying canes with 0.2% of SE was the most effective treatment in enhancing all of the evaluated characteristics compared to those left without SE. Cane yield was more closely correlated with stalk weight (r = 0.88), followed by leaf area index (r = 0.82), relative chlorophyll content (r = 0.82), stalk length (r = 0.76), and number of tillers (r = 0.73), while recoverable sugar yield was closely correlated (p < 0.01) with sugar content % (r = 0.76). Full article

Studies on the development of the root system can provide important information about responses to different management strategies, such as the use of lower quality water, also evaluating the interaction between plants and the physical properties of the soil. This study tested the hypothesis that irrigation with treated sewage effluent (TSE) supplies the water needs of sugarcane plants, increasing root growth and improving the physical properties of the soil. We evaluated the effects of subsurface dripping with TSE or surface reservoir water (SRW) on the root development of first ratoon cane (Saccharum officinarum L.) and the physical properties of dystrophic red latosol. Irrigation treatments were applied at 20 and 40 cm and soil properties were evaluated at soil depth layers of 0–20, 20–40, 40–60, and 60–80 cm. We verified that under irrigation with TSE and SRW, shallower soil layers present better porosity, soil aggregation, and aggregate stability conditions, parameters that improve the root system development and plant growth. On the other hand, deeper soil layers have lower macroporosity and higher total clay volume, indicating the possibility of compaction and greater limitations for sugarcane root growth. These results are important for understanding soil quality and provide significant information for agricultural management and for the implementation of sustainable soil conservation practices. This study shows the efficiency of TSE as an alternative water source for sugarcane crops. Full article

Fifty-five sugarcane genotypes from around the world were collected and evaluated for potential use as parental material in the USDA ARS Canal Point (CP) sugarcane breeding program in Florida, USA. The genotypes were planted in a trial with four check cultivars on organic soils with four replications, and data were collected for two years [i.e., plant cane (PC) and first ratoon (FR) crops] to assess sucrose-yield-related traits and the cane-yield-related traits in PC. Using a multivariate analysis, variation was observed in all cane—[i.e., stalk weight, stalk population and cane yield] and sugar-yield-related traits [i.e., Brix, Pol, sucrose content and commercial recoverable sucrose (CRS)]. The mean CRS content was greater in the FR crop than the PC crop. Significant variations were attributed to genotype (G), crop cycles (C) and G × C effects. Variations between crop cycles were highly significant for all sucrose yield components, which could complicate the downstream selection of genotypes for sucrose yield. Based on CRS content, genotypes could be grouped into six distinct clusters. Based on plant cane data, cane yield traits (stalk weight, stalk population and cane yield) were used to estimate the breeding values of parents. Of the 55 genotypes, 8 had significantly greater t-BLUP values for cane yield, along with CP 00-1101. Combined sucrose yield traits, (Brix, Pol and sucrose content) from the two crops were used to estimate the breeding values of parents. Of the 55 genotypes, 10 genotypes had significantly greater t-BLUP values for CRS, along with CP 00-1101, CP 96-1252 and CP 01-2390, and can be considered as elite parents in future breeding efforts. These results provide a foundation for the efficient integration of genetic diversity in developing commercial cultivars, with improved sucrose yields, into the CP sugarcane breeding program. Full article

Since sugarcane is semi-perennial, it has no escape from water stresses in the Brazilian Cerrado, and consequently, drought impacts plant growth and industrial quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphophysiology and quality of the first ratoon of two sugarcane varieties submitted to irrigated and stressed treatments under field conditions. For the biometric characteristics, in general, significant decreases were observed under the stressed treatment for all periods, and only minor differences were detected between the studied cultivars. Physiological parameters decreased under stressed conditions, but to a different extent between the varieties. RB855536 was able to maintain a greater rate of transpiration. Productivity was reduced by 103 t ha⁻¹ for variety RB855536 and 121 t ha⁻¹ for RB867515, compared to plants with full irrigation during the dry period, but cane quality was similar in both genotypes. Measurements of physiological and morphological parameters may prove useful in the rapid identification of genotypes with greater tolerance to abiotic stress. Full article

Conventional straw-returning machines were incompatible with ridge cultivation terrain and unevenly distributed materials, resulting in substandard operations such as insufficient leaf fragmentation, damage to ratoon stumps, and high cutting energy consumption. In this regard, this paper proposes a novel profiling configuration of chopping and returning machine to adapt to the coverage characteristics of cane leaves in furrow-ridge terrain. The leaves piled at furrow sole are intensively collected and fed into the whirling space by the flexible hook teeth assembly, and are cooperatively broken by the unequal-length swing blades densely arranged along the double helix. Based on the measured topographic trends and dynamic analysis of the leaf-shredding process, experimental factors affecting profiling cutting and picking capabilities of the main components were determined. Further, using chopping qualification rate (CQR) and fragmentation degree (CFD) as indicators, field trails were conducted through a response surface method to test the comprehensive crushing performance of the machine. After multi-objective optimization, the optimal structural and operating parameters were determined as: blade length gradient of 1.57 cm, teeth spacing of 6.84 cm and feed speed of 3.2 km/h. With such adaptive configurations, CQR and CFD reached 81.14% and 0.101, respectively, which were significantly improved by 60.50% and 47.99% compared to those of conventional machines. Crushed leaves appeared to be more thoroughly mixed with the soil and more evenly spread in the field. Meanwhile, the traction resistance tended to be stable, with an effective RSM 45.85% lower than the value of higher-level blade gradient, indicating a better overall fit with the irregular terrain. This study can provide a reference for the development of leaf-chopping and returning machines suitable for ridge-type crops. Full article

The two most economically damaging insect pests of sugarcane in Louisiana are the sugarcane borer (SCB) and the newly invasive Mexican rice borer (MRB), both of which can be managed in part with cultivar resistance. High stalk fiber levels is a well-documented aspect of stem borer resistance but is inversely correlated with recoverable sugar levels. However, lignocellulosic components such as hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin are associated with resistance to other borer species in poaceous crops, potentially indicating mechanisms that may provide resistance without substantial trade-offs in yield. The goal of this study was to determine whether lignocellulosic composition varied among four cultivars—HoCP 85-845, HoCP 04-838, Ho 07-613, and HoCP 00-950—selected based on known variation in SCB and MRB resistance and total fiber content. We estimated lignocellulosic composition as well as Brix throughout the growing season and the total stalk fiber and recoverable sugar content at harvest for both plant cane and first ratoon crop years. We found that the Brix content throughout the growing season, as well as total fiber and sugar content at harvest, were significantly associated with the cultivar, aligning with previously documented trends in borer resistance (i.e., higher Brix and lower total fiber indicate a more susceptible cultivar). While lignocellulosic composition during the growing season was not associated with cultivar or resistance to either borer species, it was significantly impacted by sampling month and crop year. These data indicate the potential influence of alternative resistance mechanisms and interactions with abiotic conditions. Full article