Ripening Response of Sugarcane Varieties to Chemical Ripener Glyphosate at Kuraz Sugarcane Plantation in Ethiopia

Abstract

Reduced sucrose content (%) at Kuraz sugarcane plantations due to the influence of non-optimal temperature (>27°C) and the presence of excessive soil moisture were hypothesized to be a best option to boost sucrose content. Consequently, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the response characteristics of sugarcane varieties using split plot design with three replications. The main plot consisted of three varieties (B52298, NCo334 and C86/12), and the sub plot consisted of five ripener treatments (Glyphosate (450 g L-1) @ 240 g ai ha-1, Glyphosate (450 g L-1) @ 300 g ai. ha-1, Glyphosate (450 g L-1) @ 360 g ai. ha-1, Glyphosate (450 g L-1) @ 420 g ai. ha-1 and unsprayed control). The results showed a significant effect of the ripener glyphosate on the brix, pol, purity, sucrose content, and sugar yield. All the ripener treatments improved sucrose content by more than 1.30 % unit compared to the control. Similarly, ripener sprayed treatments outperformed the unsprayed control, and the increase in sugar yield in the ripener treatments ranged from 15.1 to 28.7 per cent unit. However, in terms of sugar yield application of glyphosate at 360 ai ha-1 was found to be best and it is crucial to verify this experimental result at commercial level at Omo Kuraz sugarcane plantation.