Effect of lodging and pre-harvest irrigation on juice quality and sugar recovery in different varities of sugarcane at Nawabshah, Sindh.

摘要

Sugarcane lodging is a serious problem in Nawabshah, Sindh, Pakistan. In an experiment conducted during 2001-02, the preharvest irrigation to mature sugarcane and lodging adversely affected the juice quality and sugar recovery. The brix content gradient within cane from base to top varied significantly in the field. The brix gradient from base to top was 7.28 and 8.05% in erected/lodged cane, respectively, under irrigated and normal dry field. The average decrease in brix, purity, pol and recovery as a result of lodging was 3.0, 0.9, 1.5 and 1.3%, respectively. Similarly, in irrigated and lodged cane, the total decline in juice quality when compared with normal dry cane field was 4.0, 1.5, 2.3 and 1.8% in Brix, purity, pol and recovery, respectively. From the study, it is concluded that preharvest irrigation should not be practiced because it adversely affects the quality parameters mainly in lodged sugarcane crop..