Abstract
Drought is one of the important problems that drastically affect sugarcane production in several countries. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of early drought stress on physiological parameters and agronomic traits of six sugarcane genotypes under field conditions. The experiment was arranged in a split plot in a completely randomized block design with three replications. The main plot was represented by three different water regimes: field capacity (FC), ½FC and rain-fed (RF), whereas the subplot consisted of six sugarcane genotypes: KK3 (drought tolerant), Q117 (drought tolerant), LK92-11 (drought susceptible), Ths98-271 (S. spontaneum), KK08-214 (the F1 hybrid derived from S. spontaneum × S. officinarum) and E08-4-019 (the F1 hybrid derived from Erianthus sp. × S. officinarum). The six sugarcane genotypes were subjected to three irrigation treatments. The 45-day-old plants of all sugarcane genotypes were exposed to drought by withholding water for 72 days. Certain photosynthetic parameters were measured in the leaves of four-month-old plants. Certain cane yield parameters were measured in the 12-month-old plants. The results showed that early drought stress decreased the maximum quantum yield of PSII efficiency, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and stomatal conductance. Drought stress significantly (p ≤ 0.01) decreased cane yield. The cane yield and sugar yield of KK3 were significantly (p ≤ 0.01) higher than those of the other genotypes. The wild-type sugarcane and the F1 hybrids derived from the wild and commercial sugarcane could maintain better photosynthetic performance while encountering early drought stress.
Highlights
Northeast Thailand Cane and Sugar Research Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
The main plot was represented by three different water regimes: field capacity (FC), 12 FC and rain-fed (RF), whereas the subplot consisted of six sugarcane genotypes: KK3, Q117, LK92-11, Ths98-271 (S. spontaneum), KK08-214 and E08-4-019
During days of water stress compared by least significant difference (LSD) test using Statistix 10 software. treatments, the soil moisture content at 15–45 cm below the soil surface decreased to 1⁄2FC
Summary
Northeast Thailand Cane and Sugar Research Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand. The 45-day-old plants of all sugarcane genotypes were exposed to drought by withholding water for 72 days. 1. Introduction with regard to jurisdictional claims in Sugarcane is a significantly productive crop used as the main source of sugar. The amount of water supplied by rain is insufficient and the early-season sugarcane plants can be damaged by delayed rain leading to drought. As a result, they are often exposed to early-season drought. They are often exposed to early-season drought To cope with this problem, using drought-tolerant cultivars is an important way to increase sugarcane production in drought-affected areas
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