Effect of Cane Sugar By-products on Ratoon Production at Assalaya Sugar Scheme, Sudan

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of 15 tha-1 of each of green cane top (GCT), filter mud (FM) and bagasse (BA)and their combinations, on ratoon cane, sugar yield and ratoon yieldrecovery at Assalaya Sugar Scheme. The amendments were verticallymulched, in furrows, in a salt-affected clay soil. Plant cane crop washarvested in Dec. 2004/05 and Dec. 2005/06 and ratooned in seasons2005/06 and 2006/07, respectively. The treatments were arranged in arandomized complete block design, replicated four times. The treated soilgave significantly higher cane, sugar yield and ratoon yield recovery thanthe control. The different combinations of any two of the threeamendments had a significantly higher cane and sugar yields than that ofany single one. GCT + BA resulted in the highest cane yield (117.5),followed by FM + BA (116.7) and then GCT + FM (115.9 t ha-1 ); butwith no significant differences between them. The ratoon yield recoveryof the treated soil was significantly higher than the control. BA showedratoon yield recovery of 94.0 % in 2004/05 and 97.0 % in 2005/06.Whenever there was BA in a treatment, the ratoon yield recovery washigher. Although GCT had lower ratoon recovery percentage, it producedthe highest sugar tonnage. For high cane, sugar yield and ratoon yieldrecovery, 15 t ha-1 of each of GCT and BA are recommended.