Evaluation of seed cane treatments on sugarcane germination and cane yield in two planting methods

Abstract

The experiments were conducted in the glasshouse and field of Sugarcane Research and Development Farm, Pyinmana to evaluate the effect of seed cane treatments on sugarcane germination of K-95/84 variety in two planting methods from 2015-2016. At first, the glasshouse experiment was conducted in 2x4 factorial arrangement in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCB) with three replications. It evaluated two different planting methods (single budded setts and three budded setts) with pre-planting treatments by using different levels of lime (7.5, 15, 22.5 g l‾¹), different levels of topsin fungicide (0.5, 1, 1.5 g l‾¹) and different degree of hot water (50, 52, 54˚C). In this experiment, the lowest levels of different treatments gave the maximum germination percentages in both single budded and three budded setts. Based on the results from this experiment, the field experiment was carried out in split-plot design with three replications. Two different planting methods, single budded setts (S) and three budded setts (T) were assigned in main plots and four different pre-planting treatments: lime 7.5 gl‾¹ (T₁), topsin fungicide 0.5 gl‾¹ (T₂), hot water 50˚C (T₃) and control (water, T₄) were assigned in sub-plots. Single budded setts gave the earliest and higher percentage of germination than three budded setts. Among the pre-planting treatments, the earliest and higher percentage of germination was obtained from the lowest level of lime 7.5 g l‾¹ treatment. As a combined effect of two factors, ST₁ gave maximum germination whereas TT₁ gave numerically the highest cane yield without any significant difference in other yield component characters with ST₁. Thus, this study highlighted that lime 7.5 g l‾¹ treatment should be used for the uniformity of germination in both planting methods.