IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND NITROGEN FERTILIZER IN RELATION TO YIELD AND QUALITY OF SUGAR CANE VARIETIES

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Sugar Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt

2 Faculty of Agriculture at Moshtohor, Zagazig University, Egypt

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out in El-Mattana Research Station (Qena governorate) in the two successive seasons of 1992 and 1993 in order to evaluate the relative effect of some irrigation systems and nitrogen fertilizer on growth characters of some sugar cane varie­ties. The two experiments included eighteen treatments which represent the combination between two irrigation systms (drip and furrow irriga­tion), three nitrogen levels (150, 180 and 210 kg Wfed.) and three sug­ar cane varieties (G.T. 54-9, F.153 and G.74-96). A split plot design with four replications was used. Irrigation sys­tems were arranged in the main plots and the combination between sug­ar cane varieties and nitrogen levels were allocated in the sub-plots. The results indicated that drip irrigation was superior to furrow irrigation in both cane and sugar yields_ Both cane and sugar yields significantly in­creased by increasing nitrogen application up to 210 kg/fed. Sugarcane variety G.T. 54-9 surpassed the other two varieties in cane and sugar yields. The percentages of nitrogen, brix, reducing sugar, sucrose, fiber, purity and sugar recovery were insignificantly affected by irrigation sys­tems and cane varieties. Brix, sucrose, purity and recovery percentages showed a reverse relationship due to nitrogen fertilizer application. There was a gradual increase in fiber percentage of cane stalk accompanied the increase of the added doses of nitrogen.