Optimizing Sugarcane Growth, Yield, and Quality in Different Ecological Zones and Irrigation Sources Amidst Environmental Stressors

Muhammad Manzoor; Muhammad Zameer Khan; Sagheer Ahmad; Mashael Daghash Alqahtani; Muhammad Shabaan; Sair Sarwar; Muhammad Asad Hameed; Usman Zulfiqar; Sadam Hussain; Muhammad Fraz Ali; Muhammad Ahmad; Fasih Ullah Haider

doi:10.3390/plants12203526

Optimizing Sugarcane Growth, Yield, and Quality in Different Ecological Zones and Irrigation Sources Amidst Environmental Stressors

Plants (Basel). 2023 Oct 11;12(20):3526. doi: 10.3390/plants12203526.

Affiliations

¹ Land Resources Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
² Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad 45500, Pakistan.
³ Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan.
⁵ College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China.
⁶ Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
⁸ University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China.

Abstract

The imbalanced use of fertilizers and irrigation water, particularly supplied from groundwater, has adversely affected crop yield and harvest quality in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.). In this experiment, we evaluated the impact of potassium (K) and micronutrients [viz. Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), and Boron (B)] application and irrigation water from two sources, viz. canal, and tube well water on sugarcane growth, yield, and cane quality under field trails. Water samples from Mardan (canal water) and Rahim Yar Khan (tube well water) were analyzed for chemical and nutritional attributes. The results revealed that tube well water's electrical conductivity (EC) was three-fold that of canal water. Based on the EC and total dissolved salts (TDS), 83.33% of the samples were suitable for irrigation, while the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) indicated only a 4.76% fit and a 35.71% marginal fit compared with canal water. Furthermore, the application of K along with B, Fe, and Zn had led to a significant increase in cane height (12.8%, 9.8%, and 10.6%), cane girth (15.8%, 15.6%, and 11.6%), cane yield (13.7%, 12.3%, and 11.5%), brix contents (14%, 12.2%, and 13%), polarity (15.4%, 1.4%, and 14%), and sugar recovery (7.3%, 5.9%, and 6%) in the tube well irrigation system. For the canal water system, B, Fe, and Zn increased cane height by 15.3%, 13.42%, and 11.6%, cane girth by 13.9%, 9.9%, and 6.5%, cane yield by 42.9%, 43.5%, and 42%, brix content by 10.9%, 7.7%, and 8%, polarity by 33.4%, 28%, and 30%, and sugar recovery by 4.0%, 3.9%, and 2.0%, respectively, compared with sole NPK application. In conclusion, the utilization of tube well water in combination with canal water has shown better results in terms of yield and quality compared with the sole application of canal water. In addition, the combined application of K and B significantly improved sugarcane yields compared with Zn and Fe, even with marginally suitable irrigation water.

Keywords: balanced fertilizer use; climatic conditions; environmental stressors; sugarcane; water quality.

Grants and funding

Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2023R355), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.