Sugarcane cultivar response to glyphosate and trinexapac-ethyl ripeners in Louisiana

PLoS One. 2019 Jun 20;14(6):e0218656. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218656. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Sugarcane ripening in Louisiana is necessary to ensure adequate sucrose levels in early-season harvested sugarcane. The response of nine sugarcane cultivar's yield components to glyphosate and trinexapac-ethyl ripeners was determined in field trials. Glyphosate (210 g ae ha-1) and trinexapac-ethyl (200 g ai ha-1) treatments failed to increase sucrose yields more than non-ripened sugarcane. Sugarcane ripened with glyphosate or trinexapac-ethyl increased theoretical recoverable sucrose (TRS) 4 to 12% more than non-ripened sugarcane in seven out of nine cultivars, but greater TRS values were counterpoised by lower sugarcane stalk weight. An unintentional consequence of reduced late-season vegetative growth may benefit growers by allowing them to harvest more sugarcane hectares to meet their daily load quota and exposes fewer hectares to a freeze event. The cultivars HoCP 00-950, Ho 09-804, and HoCP 09-840 were not responsive to glyphosate or trinexapac-ethyl ripeners and should not be treated. A delayed harvest from 28 to 49 days after treatment (DAT) coincided with greater TRS values and 17% more sucrose yield.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture
  • Crop Production
  • Cyclopropanes / pharmacology*
  • Glycine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Glycine / pharmacology
  • Glyphosate
  • Louisiana
  • Quinones / pharmacology*
  • Saccharum / drug effects*
  • Saccharum / growth & development*
  • Saccharum / metabolism*
  • Seasons
  • Sucrose / metabolism*
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Cyclopropanes
  • Quinones
  • Sucrose
  • trinexapac-ethyl
  • Glycine

Grants and funding

This research was partially funded through the American Sugar Cane League, Inc., of the USA and the USDA-ARS Sugarcane Research Unit. The funders had no role in study design, data collection, and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.