Minimization of post-harvest sucrose losses in drought affected sugarcane using chemical formulation

Varucha Misra; S Solomon; Abeer Hashem; Elsayed Fathi Abd Allah; Albandari F Al-Arjani; A K Mall; C P Prajapati; Mohammad Israil Ansari

doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2019.09.028

Minimization of post-harvest sucrose losses in drought affected sugarcane using chemical formulation

Saudi J Biol Sci. 2020 Jan;27(1):309-317. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2019.09.028. Epub 2019 Oct 16.

Authors

Varucha Misra¹, S Solomon², Abeer Hashem^{3

4}, Elsayed Fathi Abd Allah⁵, Albandari F Al-Arjani³, A K Mall¹, C P Prajapati¹, Mohammad Israil Ansari⁶

Affiliations

¹ ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow 226 002, U.P., India.
² CSA University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur 208 002, U.P., India.
³ Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box. 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Mycology and Plant Disease Survey Department, Plant Pathology Research Institute, ARC, Giza 12511, Egypt.
⁵ Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box. 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Botany, University of Lucknow, Lucknow 226 007, U.P., India.

Abstract

Sugarcane is a significant crop for production of sugar and ethanol in the world. In present perspective, drought is one of the frequently occurring abiotic stresses hampering the productivity of sugarcane causing heavy losses in sugar recovery. Post-harvest sugarcane deterioration attains more importance. Measures have been recommended in harvested canes to prevent these losses in general and under drought conditions but application of chemical formulation has not yet been tested over drought effected ones. Thus, we tried to investigate the efficacy of chemical formulation [Benzalkonium chloride (BKC) + Sodium metasilicate (SMS)] on sucrose losses occurring in harvested canes grown under drought and normal conditions. Results showed that application of chemical formulation had higher effect on drought canes in comparison to normal grown canes. Loss in cane weight was reduced to 8.25% and 11% in drought treated and normal treated grown canes, respectively, after 240 h of harvest in comparison to their respective control. In sucrose content and Commercial cane sugars %, drought treated canes showed an effect of BKC + SMS by reducing the losses to 1.26 units and 1.42 units, respectively, whereas in normal ones, reduction was of 0.38 units and 0.10 units, respectively. Biochemical analysis revealed that in reducing sugars, reduction in increase were of 44.51% and 25.50% in drought and normal grown canes, respectively, after 240 h of harvest. Dextran and soluble acid invertase estimations revealed that after application of BKC + SMS, reduction of dextran and invertase activity were of 49.74%, 66.84%, respectively, and 33.92%, 42.75%, respectively, in drought and normal grown canes, respectively. Total microbial load, showed effectiveness of 25.01% in drought grown canes while 14.41% in normal grown ones after 240 h of harvest. Our study was planned to use the anti-bacterial efficiency of both the chemicals over harvested canes so that the major sucrose losses occurring due to microbial deterioration could be inhibited. The use of this chemical formulation proves to be an effective one over post-harvest sucrose losses, particularly in drought grown canes.

Keywords: Benzalkonium chloride + Sodium metasilicate; Dextran; Drought; Microbes; Sucrose; Sugarcane.