Explanatory Study of the Possibility of Replacement Sugar Beet Instead of Sugar Cane Under Limited Water Resources

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out at Mallaway Research Station, El-Minia Province, Middle Egypt during the growing seasons of 2006 and 2007. The research plan of this study aimed to evaluate and compare the validity of applying the partially or completely using of sugar beet instead of sugar cane crops. The study includes a comparison between the two crops and their water consumption and agricultural practices on the economical side and also providing suggestive sequence about the replacement to study the validity of the replacement from the present cropping pattern and especially the crops which consume much water such as sugar cane under the condition of the current limited water supply. The results indicate in terms of water that the average quantities of water applied and actual consumptive use were 10682.12 and 6491.12 m 3 /fed for sugar can crop, respectively. While it were 3374.76 and 1990.12 m 3 / fed for sugar beet, respectively. The sugar beet has high values of field and crop water use efficiency (10.37 and 17.58 kg root / m 3), while sugar cane has lowest values of them (4.35 and 7.16 kg stalk cane /m 3), respectively. The results indicate also that, from view point water and economic, the sugar beet recorded the highest values of net return of each water applied and consumptive use units (0.31 and 0.52 L.E /m 3), respectively, while sugarcane has the lowest values of them (0.20 and 0.33 L.E /m 3), respectively. This due to increasing the quantity of water applied and water consumptive use for sugar cane which led to decrease this efficiency. Results indicate that, from view point of social, the water awareness of farmer is less which leads to waste much water where over irrigation practices by the farmers usually leads to low irrigation efficiency water logging and high losses of water and fertilizer. The Results indicate that 6.6% of sugar cane farmers agree on the completely replacement of sugar beet instead of sugar cane and 71.1 % of farmers accepted the partial replacement by decreasing the sugar cane areas and cultivating using the sugar beet, this due to the insistence of cane farmers on planting the cane because they used to cultivate it for along time. Also the results indicated that there are a few farmers (7.9%) know the idea of planting the cane by transplanting method and the majority of farmers prefer planting the cane in furrow and small portion (13.2%) know the idea of Stiva plant and 11.8 % agree on planting the sugar in new lands. So we concluded that the sugar cane farmers prefer planting the sugar cane crop in furrow, this due to decrease water awareness about the water importance by limiting the water, and decreased agriculture and water culture about applying the modern methods as the method of transplanting to limit the water, this due to, there isn't agricultural direction to increase the culture of farmers. At the end of study it could be concluded that it is necessary to expand, the sugar beet in the old lands by partially replacement and in the new lands. On other hand...