Response of sugarcane genotypes to water deficit stress

Abstract

Drought is one of the major constraints for sugarcane cultivation, which necessitates the development of drought resistant varieties. The drought situation prevailed at Coimbatore (India) during 2003 was utilized to study the performance of 97 high sugared genotypes under water deficit situation. Cane formation was observed only in 55 clones showing the impact of drought on cane growth and susceptibility of high sugared clones to water deficit stress. Mean values of all the traits were lower and CV higher( except for cane diameter) under drought. Drastic reduction in single cane weight (64.16%) mainly through reduction in cane height (48.79%) affected cane yield under drought conditions, while juice quality traits were less affected in the high sugared clones studied. A wide range in sucrose content in the high sugared clones under drought indicated the need to identify stable high sucrose types among the high sugared clones. Six clones performed better for sucrose content under water deficit stress and showed steady performance under normal and drought conditions. Seven clones combining better yield and quality were identified as potential sources for breeding for drought resistance and for evaluation to identify promising cultivars suitable for drought prone areas. Large scale screening of genetic stocks for drought resistance is suggested to develop an effective breeding strategy for drought resistance.