Effect of management practices on yield and quality of sugar cane and on soil fertility

摘要

AnexperimentwascarriedoutwithsugarcaneattheGoatandRabbitResearchCentre,Hatay,Vietnam,fromJanuary1993toDecember1995tostudytheeffectofrowwidth(75,100or150cm),plantmaterial(stemcuttingsortops),andremovingorleavingthedeadleaves,onbiomassyieldandjuicequality(°Brix).Yieldofcanestalkswashigherwhenstemcuttings,ratherthantops,wereusedasplantingmaterial.Theeffectwasmostpronouncedinthefirstharvestyearandbecamelesswithsucceedingharvests.Thecostofseedwasalsoreducedby9-10%comparedwiththetraditionalwayusedbythefarmersinNorthVietnam.Increasingpopulationdensitybyreducinginter-rowspacingto75cmledtohigheryieldsofbiomasswithnoreductionin?Brixorextractionrateofthejuice.Mulchingwiththedeadleavesincreasedyields,thedifferencebeingmoremarkedinthesecondthaninthefirstyearandevenmoreapparentinthethirdyear(6.3,20and30%increasesformulchinginplant,1stand2ndratoons,respectively).Mulchingalsoimprovedsoilfertilityandincreasedtheamountofcarbonsequesteredinthesoil,indicatingthatmulchingisapositivealternativetothetraditionalwayofremovingthedeadleaves.Soilfertilityincreasedsteadilywithincreasingratoonsindicatingthatthegrowingofsugarcanedoesnotexploitsoilnutrientsbut,incontrast,hasbeneficialeffectsongrowthofsubsequentcrops.