Abstract
ABSTRACT Water is limiting for growth and essential for photosynthesis. Crop yield depends on the available amount of this resource and on the efficiency of its use by the plant. This study aimed to evaluate the vegetative growth and the gross yield of sugar and ethanol from sugarcane along cane-plant and ratoon cane cultivation, under different irrigation depths for water replenishment, with and without nitrogen (N) application by subsurface drip irrigation. The experimental design was randomized blocks, analyzed in a split-plot scheme, with four replicates, in which the plots were represented by the interaction: irrigation depths (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% water replenishment of the field capacity), with and without N fertigation, and subplots were represented by 9 evaluation periods (90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300 and 330 days after planting/days after the first cutting for ratoon cane). The gross yields of sugar and alcohol for water replenishments below 93 and 97%, respectively, are higher in sugarcane of first year than in sugarcane of second year. Fertigation provided greater vegetative growth of ratoon cane.
Highlights
Sugarcane cultivation is in full expansion in the Brazilian agriculture, especially due to the increase in the global demand for renewable and sugar biofuels (Quintana et al, 2012).In Brazil, sugarcane cultivation is concentrated in the Southeast and Northeast regions, the production moves preferentially to the Central West region of the country, notably the states of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul (Vieira Júnior et al, 2008)
Sugarcane has been cultivated in different types of soil under the influence of various abiotic factors that are peculiar to each region, evidencing different production levels (Maule et al, 2001)
Since water is a limiting factor for plant growth and fundamental for photosynthesis, crop yield depends on the available amount of this resource and on the efficiency of use by the plant, which can be aggravated when water availability conditions are associated with soil acidity (Carlin & Santos, 2009)
Summary
Sugarcane cultivation is in full expansion in the Brazilian agriculture, especially due to the increase in the global demand for renewable and sugar biofuels (Quintana et al, 2012).In Brazil, sugarcane cultivation is concentrated in the Southeast and Northeast regions, the production moves preferentially to the Central West region of the country, notably the states of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul (Vieira Júnior et al, 2008). Sugarcane has been cultivated in different types of soil under the influence of various abiotic factors that are peculiar to each region, evidencing different production levels (Maule et al, 2001). Since water is a limiting factor for plant growth and fundamental for photosynthesis, crop yield depends on the available amount of this resource and on the efficiency of use by the plant, which can be aggravated when water availability conditions are associated with soil acidity (Carlin & Santos, 2009). Water availability in the soil is one of the environmental factors that most influence sugarcane production, since only 30% of its weight consists of dry matter and 70% is water, depending on the phenological stage (Rhein, 2012)
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