Response of spring-planted sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) to phosphorus and sulphur application

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during the spring season of 2003-04 and 2004-05 on sandy loam soil at Pusa, Bihar to study the effect of four levels each of phosphorus (0, 17.5, 35.0 and 52.5 kglha) and sulphur (0, 40, 80 and 120 kglha) on growth and yield of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.). Application of 35.0 kg Plha to sugar- cane recorded significantly higher mean growth (tillers, 175,000lha; cane length, 221.0 cm; leaf area index, 4.04), yield attributes (millable canes, 131,100lha; single-cane weight, 570 g; cane diameter, 2.02 cm) and cane yield (73.54 Vha) over no P. The mean increase in cane yield with application of 52.5, 35.0 and 17.5 kg Plha over the control was 20.77, 18.83 and 9.97% respectively. Application of 35.0 kg Plha registered an increase of 4.4% in su- crose content in juice, 31.8% in P uptake and 22.1% in S uptake over the control. The use efficiency of P de- creased with corresponding increase in its level. However, S-use efficiency was maximum at higher level of P ap- plication. Apparent P recovery was the highest at 35.0 kg Plha (8.07 and 8.68%), whereas apparent S recovery progressively increased with increase in P levels from 0 to 52.5 kglha. The response of sulphur was also pro- nounced at 80 kglha as evident from significant increase in mean cane length (219 cm), leaf area index (4.02), number of millable canes (131,00O/ha), single cane weight (566.0 g), cane yield (73.17 Vha) and sucrose content in juice (17.3%). Sulphur levels significantly improved the uptake of P and S up to 80 kg S/ha and the increase was 21.4 and 22.2% over the control respectively. Application of 120 kg Slha recorded maximum P-use efficiency (361.6 kg canelkg S applied) and apparent P recovery (8.75%), but it recorded S-use efficiency (121.6 kg canelkg S applied) up to 80 kglha level only. There was decrease in apparent S recovery with successive increase in S level from 40 to 120 kg Slha.