EVALUATION OF CHIP BUD SETTLING OF SUGARCANE FOR ENHANCING YIELD TO VARIOUS ROW SPACING

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1 Research article IJAAER (2015): 1(2): 8-13 International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Research Free and open access Available online at ISSN (Online) EVALUATION OF CHIP BUD SETTLING OF SUGARCANE FOR ENHANCING YIELD TO VARIOUS ROW SPACING SHAH KHALID 1, FAZAL MUNSIF 1*, AMJID ALI 2, MUHAMMAD ISMAIL 2 AND NOORUL HAQ 2 AND M. SHAHID 1 1 Department of Agronomy, the University of Agriculture Peshawar, AMK Campus Mardan 2 Sugar Crop Research Institute Mardan, Agricultural Research System, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa * Corresponding author: Abstract Conventional planting, poor management practices and improper row spacing are the major constraints in the reduction of cane and sugar yield of sugarcane. A field experiment was conducted at Sugar Crop Research Institute Mardan, during to investigate the performance of chip buds settling of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) planted at different row spacing. The experiment was laid out in Randomized complete block designed having three replications. The experiment consisted of three row spacing (60 cm, 90 cm and 120 cm) having plot size of 5 m by 6.6 m (33 m 2 ). Number of tillers m -2, number of internodes tiller -1, plant height, leaf area tiller -1, leaf area index, internode length and cane yield were significantly higher in 120 cm row spacing and the lesser number of tiller m -2, number of internodes tiller -1, plant height (cm), leaf area tiller -1 (cm 2 ), leaf area index, internode length (cm), cane yield (tons ha -1 ), were recorded for plots with 60 cm row spacing. Quality parameter such as brix %, Commercial Cane Sugar (CCS), Pol % and recovery % were not significantly influenced by row spacing however higher brix, CCS, Pol and recovery were recorded in 120 cm row spacing. It is concluded that chipbud settling of sugarcane cultivation with 120 cm rows apart are recommended under agrological condition of District Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Key Words: Chip bud, sugar cane, yield and row spacing INTRODUCTION Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is a major sugar crop of Pakistan. It is next to cotton as a cash crop and plays a vital role in national economy as its share in value addition to agriculture and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is 4.5% and 0.9%, respectively ( MNFSR, 2013). In Pakistan, average yield of sugarcane is much lower than that of world average, which is tons ha -1 (MNFSR, 2013). The reasons for low yield include conventional planting methods, costly inputs, heavy weed infestation, improper land preparation, less than recommended seed rate, imbalanced fertilizer application, shortage of irrigation water, illiteracy, less support price. It has been observed that the major problem in the way of increasing yield at farmer s fields is improper row spacing (Bashir et al., 2000; 8

2 Mahmood et al., 2005). Moreover, improper row spacing is the most critical factor reducing sugarcane yield in the country (Mahmood et al., (2007). Better results have been obtained by scientists who worked on this aspect of sugarcane agronomy i.e. sugarcane planting in 120 cm row spacing improved cane yield by 30% (Chatta, 2004). Sugarcane is planted in cm in single rows that ultimately improves plant population but hinders the various agronomic operations necessary for crop growth (Bashir, 1997). Under conventional system of sugarcane cultivation, about 6 8 tons seed cane ha -1 is used as planting material, which comprises of about 32,000 stalk pieces having 2-3 buds. This large mass of planting material poses a great problem in transport, handling, seed storage etc. The huge stuff of seed is also prune to disease attack and undergoes rapid deterioration thus reducing the viability of buds and subsequently their sprouting. Thus more and more seed is required to get recommended amount of healthy seed, from the stock, for cultivation. Van Dillewijn (1952) stated that a small volume of tissue and a single root primordium adhering to the bud are enough to ensure germination in sugarcane. Cane cuttings with one, two or three buds, known as setts, are used as seed (Jain et al., 2010). These bud chips are less bulky, easily transportable and more economical seed material. The left-over cane can be well utilized for preparing juice, sugar or jiggery. This necessitates to-develop appropriate planting techniques for improving sugarcane yield. There is a contradiction regarding the effect of row spacing on the quality parameters such as brix, sucrose content, juice extraction and commercial cane sugar (Sharar et al., 2000 and Asokan et al., 2005) but Pawar et al., (2005) was of the view that wider row spacing improved the sucrose content and commercial cane sugar percentage. Sucrose contents in cane juice and commercial cane sugar (C.C.S.) were not affected significantly by different planting patterns. Similarly, harvest index was not affected significantly by different planting patterns (Maqsood et al., 2005). A field experiment was conducted by Bashir et al. (2002) on different seeding rates of (37500, 50000, 65500, and 75000) DBS ha-1 with an intra row spacing of 0.72 and 1.20 m. their results showed that crop planted with the seed rate of and DBS ha-1 produced the maximum cane yield (73.41, t ha-1, respectively) and sugar yield t ha-1 (10.17 and 10.01, respectively). Soomro et al. (2009) found that yield parameter viz number of millable canes, cane thickness, number of internodes per plant, cane weight, plant height and CCS % were influenced by inter row spacing.the row spacing of 1.25 m was found best for obtaining maximum cane yield ( tons ha 1 and sugar content (12.83%). Ghaffar et al. (2012) reported that the higher crop growth rate of g m -2 d -1 and g m -2 d -1 was recorded in 120 cm spaced trenches and maximum yield of stripped cane and tons ha -1. Hence keeping the importance of row spacing as crop management tools for enhancing cane yield and quality, the present study was undertaken to determine the influence of row spacing on yield and quality of chipbud settling of sugar cane under agroecological condition of District Mardan. MATERIAL AND METHODS The experiment was conducted at Sugar Crops Research Institute, Mardan during The site lies at an altitude of 354 meter above the sea level with a prevalent subtropical climate. The mean maximum and minimum temperature for summer are 45 0 C and 27 0 C, respectively. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block design with three replications. The experiment consisted of 60, 90, and 120 cm row to row distance whereas plant to plant distance was kept at 0.61 m for all the treatments. The plant crop of chip buds settling of sugarcane variety CP-77/400 were transplanted to field in February 2013 with a plot size of 5 m by 6.6 m (33 m 2 ). The seed bed was prepared by two to four ploughing followed by planking and other cultural practices like hoeing, earthing up while irrigation frequency were kept uniform for all treatments. Data were recorded for the different quality and quantity parameters i.e. number of tillers m -2, number of internodes tiller -1, plant height (cm), leaf area tiller - 1 (cm 2 ), leaf area index, cane yield (tons ha -1 ), brix percentage, commercial cane sugar (CCS), pol %, and recovery %. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Number of tillers m -2 : Data on number of tiller m -2 of sugarcane are shown in Table 1. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that number of tillers m - 9

3 2 was significantly influenced by different row spacing. It is evident from the mean value that higher number of tillers m -2 (21) was recorded from the row spacing of 120 cm followed by the row spacing of 90 cm (15.33) and least value of 13 was recorded in 60 cm row spacing. The reason for higher number of tillers m -2 in 120 cm row spacing may be due to the efficient light interception, aeration and lesser inter and intra-row plant competition. The results are similar with Ehsanullah et al. (2010) who found higher number of tillers m -2 in wider row spacing compared to closer row spacing. Number of internodes tillers -1 : Statistical analysis of the data revealed that number of internodes tillers -1 was significantly affected by the different row spacing. Higher number of internodes tillers -1 (12.13) was recorded for the 120 cm row spacing followed by 90 cm row spacing (10.86), whereas lower number of internodes tillers -1 (10.33) was recorded for 60 cm row spacing (Table. 1 ). The higher number of internodes tiller -1 in 120 cm row spacing may be attributed to proper orientation of plants in this row spacing. The findings are in conformity with Chatta et al. (2007) who found that sugarcane planting in wider row spacing had more number of internodes tiller -1. Plant height (cm) : Data regarding plant height are presented in Table 1. There was significant difference in plant height of sugarcane due to different row spacing. Long stature plant ( cm) was obtained in treatment no 1 i.e. 120 cm row spacing, followed by treatment number 2 ( 90 cm row spacing) with a plant height of cm whereas short stature plant (286.0 cm) were found in 90 cm row spacing (treatment no 3). Higher plant height in wider row spacing was probably due to optimum availability of all resources in 120 cm row spacing. The results are contrary to the findings of Ehsanullah et al. (2010) who found that the higher cane length was recorded in 90 cm spaced row strips because of more inter plant competition. On the other hand Cheema et al. (2002) reported significantly higher plant height at 120 cm row spacing. Table 1. Effect of different row spacing on number of tiller m -2, number of internode tiller -1 and plant height (cm). Row spacing Number of tillers m -2 No. internode tiller -1 Plant height (cm) 60 cm row space 13.0 c b b 90 cm row spacing 15.3 b ab a 120 cm row spacing 21.0 a a a LSD Leaf area tiller -1 (cm 2 ): Mean values of the data recorded for leaf area tiller -1 are presented in the Table 2. Analysis of data showed that there was significant influence of different row spacing on leaf area tiller -1. Higher leaf area tiller -1 (563.3 cm -2 ) was recorded in 120 cm row spacing followed by 90 cm row spacing (591.7 cm -2 ). The lowest was noted for treatment no. 3 (60 cm -2 row spacing) with a leaf area leaf -1 of cm -2. The results are parallel with Ahmad. (2002) who concluded that leaf area tiller -1 was significantly affected by different planting space. Leaf area index: Statistical Analysis of the data regarding leaf area index are shown in Table 2. The results clearly show that that there was a significant influence of different row spacing on the leaf area index. Treatment no 1, 120 cm row spacing, gave higher leaf area index (7.90) followed by 90 cm row spacing (6.44) whereas minimum leaf area index (6.02) was recorded in row spacing of 60 cm. More leaf area per plant, better leaf expansion and development can be the causal agents for these results. The findings are in line with Ahmad. (2002) mentioned that wider row spacing had significant effect on LAI. Internode length (cm) : Statistical analysis of data shows that internode length was significantly influenced by different row spacing. Mean value of the data indicated that higher internode length (10.73 cm) was recorded in 120 cm row spacing followed by 90 cm row spacing (10.74 cm) whereas lower 10

4 internode length (10.67 cm) was recorded in 60 cm row spacing (Table 2). The higher intermodal length in 120 cm row spacing may be due to optimum availability of all resources. Although internode length is a varietal character, but it is also influenced by temperature, humidity and better crop management. Similar results were reported by Gill (1995) who recorded higher internode length in wider row spacing crop of sugarcane as compared to closer. Table 2. Effect of different row spacing on leaf area tiller -1 (cm -1 ), leaf area index and internode length (cm). Row spacing Leaf area tiller -1 (cm 2 ) Leaf area index Internode length (cm) 60 cm row space b b b 90 cm row spacing ab 6.44 b b 120 cm row spacing a 7.90 a a LSD Means followed by different letters in each column are significantly different from each other at 5% level of probability Brix (%): Statistical analysis of data (Tabl e 3) showed that Brix % was not significantly influenced by the different row spacing. It is evident from mean value that higher brix % (20.4) was recorded in treatment no 1(120 cm row spacing) followed by treatment no 2(90 cm row spacing) with a value of 19 and lowest brix % (18.75) was recorded in 60 cm row spacing (treatment no 3). Brix is the varietal character remains unchanged to the environmental factors. These results are not in agreement with Singh et al. (2011) who stated that higher Brix % was recorded from 120 cm row spacing. Pol (%): Statistical analysis of the data shows that Pol % in sugarcane was not significantly affected by different row spacing. It is clear from mean value that higher pol % (17.61) was recorded in 120 cm row spacing followed by 60 row spacing (17.02) whereas lower (17.55) pol % was recorded in 90 cm row spacing (Table 3). Almost similar results were obtained by Mahmood et al. (2007) who reported that wider row spacing increase the pol %. Likewise, Ehsanullah et al. (2011) found significant influence on pol % under wider row spacing. Sugar Recovery (%): Data recorded on the recovery % are shown in Table 3. Analysis of variance of the data shows that recovery % in sugarcane was not significantly affected by different row spacing. though there was no significant difference among varying row spacing for sugar recover, yet Higher sugar recovery (17.08%) was recorded under wider spacing (120 cm) followed by 90 cm row spacing (17.55%) and lesser (15.68%) sugar recovery for 60 cm row apart. Recovery percentage depends on the genetic makeup of cultivar and environment. These results are contrary to Rehman et al. (2011) who reported higher sugar recovery under wider rows spacing. Table 3. Effect of different row spacing on brix, pol and sugar recovery. Row spacing Brix (%) Pol (%) Sugar recovery (%) 60 cm row space cm row spacing cm row spacing LSD 0.05 Ns ns Ns Ns = Non-significant 11

5 Cane yield ha -1 (tons ha -1 ): Statistical analysis of the data (Table 4 ) showed that row spacing had a significant influence on cane yield. Higher cane yield (92 tons ha -1 ) was recorded in 120 cm row spacing followed by 90 cm row spacing (84 tons ha -1 ). The cane yield (77 tons ha -1 ) for lesser row spacing (60 cm row spacing) was statistically similar to row spacing of 90 cm. higher can yield under wider row spacing might be due to the availability of optimum of nutrient, water and light utilization that did not create any sort of competition whereas in case of lesser spacing might built some sort of competition among the plants and hence resulted in lower yield. The results of Ehsanullah et al. (2011) are similar to our findings who stated that increased row to row distance in sugarcane improves cane yield. Commercial Cane Sugar (CCS) : The data regarding Commercial Cane Sugar are shown in the Table 4. Statistical analysis of the data shows that CCS was not significantly influenced by the different row spacing however, higher CCS (15.3 and 15.5 %) was recorded in 120 cm and 90 cm row spacing respectively, whereas lower CCS % (12.5) was recorded in 60 cm row spacing. The probable reason for similar SSC among different row spacing might be due to the prime genetic trait of the cultivar and hence row spacing did not largely affect the CCS of sugarcane. Similar result was also found by Maqsood et al. (2005) who stated that CCS was not significantly affected by wider row spacing in sugarcane. Table 4. Effect of different row spacing on can yield (tons ha -1 ) and commercial can sugar (%). Row spacing Can yield (tons ha -1 ) CCS % 60 cm row space 77.0 b cm row spacing 84.0 b cm row spacing 92.0 a 15.3 LSD Ns Means followed by different letters in a column are significantly different by LSD at P = 0.05 Ns = non-significant CONCLUSION It is concluded from the study that row spacing of 120 cm for chipbud sugarcane settling had increased cane yield and yield associated traits however the quality traits like sugar recovery, brix and CSS were not influenced under varying row spacing. Hence for enhancing sugar cane yield, chipbud settling of sugarcane cultivation with 120 cm rows apart are recommended under agrological condition of District Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. REFERENCES Ahmad, I Bio-economic efficiency of springplanted sugarcane as influenced by spatial arrangement and nutrient management. Ph. D. Thesis, Dept. Agron., Uni, Agric., Faisalabad, Pakistan. P: Asokan, S., A.N. Murthi and M. Mahadevaswamy Effect of nitrogen level and row spacing on yield, CCS and nitrogen uptake in different sugarcane varieties. Sugar Tech., 7(213): Bashir, S., M. Saeed, A. Ghaffar, Z. Ali and R.M.Z. Khan Analysis of economic aspects of raising autumn sugarcane at different planting patterns and seeding densities. Int. J. Agric. Biol., 2: Bashir, S., M. Saeed, A. Ghaffar, Z. Ali and R.M.Z. Khan Analysis of economic aspects of raising autumn sugarcane at different planting patterns and seeding densities. Int. J. Agric. Biol., 2: Bashir, S Planting patterns and population dynamics effects on bio-economic efficiency of autumn sugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum L.). Ph. D. Thesis, Dept. Agron., Uni. Agric., Faisalabad, Pakistan: Chatta, M.U., A. Ali, M. Bilal Influence of planting techniques on growth and yield of 12

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