Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore
The light interception varied considerably among genotypes of sugarcane and is largely determined by leaf area index. The genotypes Co 775, Co 997 and MS 68/47 intercepted more radiation, recording above 62 per cent at 6th month stage which was significant when compared to other genotypes. However, energy conversion rate (ECR) per unit of absorbed solar radiation was more in Co. 6806, Co 7219, Co 7704, Co 7712, CoC 671 and MS 68/47. The ECR has shown significant positive correlation with total biomass production and cane yield (0.77 and 0.64 respectively) which may be considered as a reliable physiological parameter for evaluating sugarcane genotypes for high productivity.
