Evaluation of Some Promising Sugarcane Varieties for Yield, Quality and Natural Infection with Pokkah Boeng Disease under Different Row Spacing

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at El-Mattana Research Station (latitude of 25.25° N and longitude of 32.31° E), Agricultural Research Center, Luxor Governorate, Egypt on a plant cane in 2016/2017 and its 1st ratoon in 2017/2018 to evaluate the performance of four promising sugarcane varieties viz. ʻG.2004-27ʼ, ʻG.84-47ʼ, ʻG.2003-47ʼ and ʻC.57-14ʼ compared to the commercial ʻG.T.54-9ʼ variety for yield, quality and natural infection with pokkah boeng disease (Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon) under three inter-row spacing (80, 100 and 120 cm). The studied combinations were randomly distributed in a randomized complete block design in a split-plot distribution, with three replications, where, inter-row spacing were allocated in the main plots, while sugarcane varieties were randomly distributed in the sub-plots. The results indicated that planting sugarcane in rows spaced at 100 cm attained significant increases in the number of millable canes/ha, stalk length, stalk weight, sucrose %, sugar recovery % and cane and sugar yield/ha in the plant and 1 st ratoon cane crops as well as purity % in the plant cane. Brix% was not affected by inter-row spacing in both seasons. Moreover, insignificant difference was found between 80 and 100 cm inter-row spacing in the stalk weight, cane yield and sugar recovery % in the plant cane as well as stalk length, stalk weight, sucrose and sugar recovery % in the 1st ratoon crop. Increasing inter-row spacing from 80 to 120 cm led to a significant reduction in disease severity % of pokkah boeng disease in the plant and 1st ratoon crops. The promising sugarcane variety ʻG.2003-47ʼ showed the significant superiority in the number of millable canes/ha and quality traits. The promising sugarcane ʻG.2004-27ʼ variety surpassed the other ones in stalk length, stalk weight as well as cane and sugar yields/ha in the plant and 1st ratoon cane. Also, it recorded the lowest percentage of infection with pokkah boeng disease (Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon). However, the difference between ʻʻG.2004-27ʼʼ and ʻG.2003-47ʼ in the number of millable canes/ha in the 1st ratoon cane