1Department of Agronomy, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
2School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, Louisiana State University, USA
3Department of Soil Science and Environment, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
4Department of Agricultural Extension and Agricultural Systems, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
*Corresponding Author: A. Polthanee, Department of Agronomy, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand, Email: panan@kku.ac.th
Online Published on 11 November, 2022.
In north-eastern Thailand, sugarcane is planted normally in late rainy season wherein the plants may experience drought stress during its early growth stage in dry season and waterlogging stress during late growth stage at peak of rainy season. Hence, the objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of soil application alone and soil combined with foliar application of nutrients on growth, yield and sugar quality of sugarcane grown under rainfed conditions.
The field experiment was conducted during November 2016 to December 2017. A split-plot design with three replications was laid out. The two sugarcane cultivars (KK3, K93–219) were assigned as main plots. The fertilizer application methods were assigned as sub-plots that comprised of four treatments: (1) soil applied NPK, (2) soil NPK + foliar N and K applied at 90 days after planting (DAP), (3) soil NPK + foliar N and K applied at 210 DAP and (4) soil NPK + foliar N and K applied at 90 and 210 DAP.
The soil NPK + foliar N and K applied at 90 and 210 DAP improved yield components and cane yield. The cultivar K93–219 produced significantly higher cane yield than KK3. The fertilizer application methods and cultivars had no significant effect on sugar quality such as brix (%), purity (%), polarity (%), fiber (%) and commercial cane sugar (CCS-%).
Drought, Flood, Foliar N and K, Soil NPK, Sugarcane
