Response of sugarcane varieties to nitrogen application: I. yield and yield components.
2000
Ambachew Dametie and Tekalign Mamo(Researchers)
A study was conducted at Metahara Sugar Estate in Ethiopia to determine the N requirement of the major sugarcane varieties. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with three replications. The main plot and subplot treatments were N rates (0, 104, 208 and 312 kg/ha) and cane varieties (B41-227, B52-298, Co421, Co449, NCo334 and NCo376), respectively. Nitrogen was applied half at planting and the remaining half at 2.5 months after planting. Nitrogen had a significant (P0.05) effect on mill able stalk number, dry stalk weight, aerial dry matter (DM) and cane yields at the age of 11 months. However, at final harvest (23 months) no significant response was found for the parameters measured except that pol percent cane was significantly (P0.05) depressed at N rates of 208 and 312 kg/ha. Significant interactions between N rate and varieties were found for above-ground dry-matter components, stalk weight, and cane yield (11 months). Moreover, significant (P0.05) differences among varieties were obtained for all parameters except juice purity at 11 months, and cane and sugar yields at final harvest. Thus, it was concluded that provided that appropriate cultural management is given to the crop, the major sugarcane varieties being cultivated at Metahara can be fertilized with similar rates of N. Likewise, the N by variety interactions observed at the early growth stage of the cane may be utilized in the improvement of yield and quality of seed-cane
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This bibliographic record has been provided by Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research