ARS | Publication request: Sugarcane Genotype Response to Flooding soon after Planting

Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: September 1, 2012
Publication Date: October 21, 2012
Citation: Glaz, B. 2012. Sugarcane genotype response to flooding soon after planting. ASA, CSSA and SSSA Annual Meetings (Cincinnati, OH Oct. 21-Oct. 24, 2012):248-8.

Technical Abstract: Research has shown that rapidly growing sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) tolerates short-duration flooding well during the summer in Florida. However, little is known about the reaction of young, recently planted, or recently ratooned sugarcane during spring months. The purpose of this study was to test the yield responses of two sugarcane genotypes exposed repeatedly to different flood durations and drainage depths soon after planting. Sugarcane genotypes CP 06-2400 and CP 06-2897 were transplanted into 30 lysimeters at Canal Point, Florida during the first week of March 2011. Water-table depths were maintained at 42 cm until flood treatments were initiated on 30 Mar. 2011. Treatments were 0, 2, 4, and 6 d floods combined with drainage depths of 15 and 42 cm. Flood treatments were repeated on 3 May and 17 May. Drained water-table depths were maintained at either 15 or 42 cm until drainage of the 17 May flood applications. Thereafter, except for 1 week when all lysimeters were flooded in August for control of white grubs (Ligyrus subtropicus Blatchley), all water-table depths were maintained at 42 cm until harvest in October. As flood duration increased from 0 to 6 d, commercial recoverable sucrose (CRS) decreased linearly at the rate of 0.95 g sucrose kg-1 cane d-1 of flood (R2 = 0.97**). The CRS of CP 06-2897 was not affected by drainage depth (99.5 and 97.5 g kg-1 at 15 and 42 cm, respectively), but the CRS of CP 06-2400 was significantly less at the 15 (93.0 g kg-1) than at the 42 cm (99.2 g kg-1) depth. Tonnes of cane (TCH) and tonnes of sucrose ha-1 (TSH) were not affected by flooding when drainage depth was 15 cm. However, when drainage depth was 42 cm, TCH and TSH decreased at the rates of 0.95 (R2 = 0.94*) and 1.07 (R2 = 0.91*) t ha-1 with each additional day of flood, respectively. Also, TSH of CP 06-2400 was more negatively affected by increasing flood duration than that of CP 06-2897. Compared with previous research, the present results indicate that young sugarcane plants are more susceptible to periodic flooding than well established sugarcane. However, these preliminary data suggest that this susceptibility varies substantially among genotypes and is influenced by depth of drainage before and after flooding.