In sugarcane the setts obtained from the top portion of the stalk germinate better than the one from the bottom portion. With respect to three experiments data are presented with respect to relative magnitude of sett positions component as compared to error component. Data presented show that this component has a large value. Varieties × sett positions interaction has a comparatively low magnitude. Data indicate that removing the sett positions component from error will reduce the error with respect to both germination and characters affected by germination. For this the method used in the first experiment involving confounding sett positions with the replications will be most convenient. Use of this method in other clonally and seed propagated plants may be useful.
The nature and the causes of the differences in germination of top and bottom 3-butted setts, i.e., polarity, have been examined. Data presented suggest that polarity is not markedly different for the varieties studied. At early stages of germination polarity is not affected by artificial reduction of germination.
