EFFECT OF SOIL APPLICATION OF VINASSE ON JUICE QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF SUGARCANE

摘要

Aims: To evaluate the soil application of vinasse on juice quality in sugarcane. Methods and Results: The distillery spent wash (DSW or vinasse) collected from the sugar mill was chosen as our treatment solution. It was further diluted 2-4 folds and expressed as @ 25%, 50% concentrations of the spent wash compared to stock solution collected from the mill. These were applied during early growth stages of three genotypes of sugarcane plants (CoS 95255,CoS 767 & BO91) at 30 and 60 days after planting.The application of spent wash @ 25 % has shown improvement in total soluble solids and sucrose content with decline in reducing sugars over a period of time. The pH and titratable acidity index of cane juice remained within the normal limits (towards neutral). However, two fold dilution of DSW i.e., @ 50% and stock (100%) affected adversely in all three sugarcane genotypes. The application of spent wash at all levels has shown lowering of acid invertase activity in cane juice and this effect continued till the crop maturity/ harvesting. The vinasse application @25% dilution may improve juice quality compared to its double fold concentrated dose (@ 50%) and original stock. Significance of study: The study shows that the vinasse can be effectively used as fertilizer after its proper dilution. Its application improves juice quality in sugarcane.