EFFECT OF ROW SPACING AND NITROGEN FFERTILIZATION ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF TWO SUUGARCANE VARIETIES

The present work was conducted at Shandaweel Agricultural Research Station, Sohag Governorate during 2009/2010 (plant cane) and 2010/2011 (first ratoon) to investigate the effect of three row spacing (80, 100 and 120 cm), three nitrogen levels (170, 200 and 230 kg N/fed in plant cane and 185, 215 and 245 kg N/fed in the 1 st ratoon) on yield and quality of two sugarcane varieties viz. G.99-160 and G.T.54-9 (the commercial variety) in a split-split plot design with three replications. The results showed that planting sugarcane varieties in rows spaced at 80-cm apart attained a significant increases in cane stalk height, number of millable canes, cane yield/fed, brix, sucrose, sugar recovery percentages and sugar yield/fed compared with those planted at 100 and 120 cm. Significant increase in stalk diameter was recorded at 120 cm row spacing. The results indicated that the two sugarcane varieties differed significantly in cane stalk height, stalk diameter, number of millable canes, cane and sugar yields, whether they were grown as plant cane or 1 st ratoon crop, as well as brix, sucrose percentages in the 1 st ratoon. Insignificant variance was detected between the tested varieties in sugar recovery %, in the plant and 1 st ratoon crops. Raising N fertilization level from 170 to 200 kg N/fed for the plant cane and from 185 to 215 kg N/fed for the 1 st ratoon crop resulted in a significant increase in cane stalk height, stalk diameter, number of millable canes, cane and sugar yields /fed. Under conditions of the present work, growing G.T.54-9 and/or G.99-160 sugarcane varieties in rows of 80-cm apart and fertilized with 200 and 215 kg N/fed for the plant cane or 1 st ratoon, respectively, can be recommended to get the maximum cane and sugar yields/fed.