EVALUATION OF THREE SUGARCANE VARIETIES GROWN UNDER DIFFERENT NUMBER OF IRRIGATIONS

Abstract

The present study was carried out at El-Mattana Agricultural Research Station, (latitude of 25.17o N and longitude 32.33o E), Luxor Governorate, Upper Egypt in 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 growing seasons to evaluate the performance of three sugarcane varieties F. 160, Phil. 8013 and the commercial variety G.T.54-9) grown under different number of irrigations to obtain maximum cane and sugar yields/Fed. A split-plot experimental design with four replications was used in this work, where the main plots were assigned for number of irrigations, while sugarcane varieties were distributed in the sub-plots. The results showed that increasing the number of irrigations from 14 to 18 and 22 increased considerably stalk height, number of millable canes/m2, reducing sugars, cane and sugar yields/Fed. Meanwhile, sucrose, purity and sugar recovery percentages were insignificantly influenced by irrigation number. The tested sugarcane varieties differed significantly in stalk height, number of millable canes/m2, reducing sugars, juice purity %, cane and sugar yields. Commercial variety G.T. 54-9 recorded the highest values of stalk height and number of millable canes/m2 (in both seasons) as well as purity %, cane and sugar yields (in the 2nd season). Sugarcane Phil. 8013 variety attained the highest cane and sugar yields, in the 1st season. Sugarcane F. 160 variety had the shortest stalks, the lowest number of millable canes/m2, juice purity%, cane and sugar yields, but it recorded the highest reducing sugars %, compared with the other two varieties. It could be concluded that under the conditions of the present work, growing either G.T.54-9 or Phil.8013 with the application of 22 irrigations can be recommended to obtain the highest cane and sugar yields/fed.