WATER IRRIGATION RATIONAL EFFECT ON SUGAR CANE YIELD AND QUALITY

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out at El Mattaana Research Station, Upper Egypt in two successive seasonsof 1993/95 and 1994/96 to study the rational effects of irrigation systems and potassium fertilization on sugarcane yield and quality. The study included five irrigation systems (surface irrigation,. drip irrigation only,. drip irrigation + leaching soil once every 6-week, drip irrigation + leaching soil once every 12-weeks and drip irrigation + leaching soil once every 18 weeks after planting date). and the potassium (K) levels (24, 48 and 72 kg K20/fed).

The obtained results showed that the most characters i.e. the num,ber of stalks/m2 , stalk diameter and length were not significantly affected by irrigation system but drip irrigation attained a superiority over the suirface irrigation in respect to these characters. The number of plants, stalk diameter , length and stalk elongation were insignificantly affected by the application of potassium fertilizer. Na % and K % in sugarcane leaf blades did not significantly responded to the used irrigation systems. Na, K and N content in cane stalk were not significantly affected by the tested irrigation systems. Na content in cane stalk decreased as K fertilizer levels decreased. Increasing K fertilizer level was accompanied by an increase in N % of cane stalk. Brix % was insignificantly affected by the used irrigation systems or K fertilization. Drip irrigation + leaching soil once every 18 weeks gave the highest values of TSS %. Drip irrigation + leaching soil every 6 weeks and adding 48 kg K2 0/fed. produced the