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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Canal Point, Florida » Sugarcane Field Station » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #73855
Title: CHANGES IN SUCROSE AND FIBER CONTENTS DURING SUGARCANE MATURATION

Author
item Tai, Peter
item POWELL, J - OKEELANTA CORPORATION
item PERDOMO, R - OKEELANTA CORPORATION
item EILAND, B - OKEELANTA CORPORATION

Submitted to: Sugar Cane
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/23/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Sugar and fiber are the two most important products of sugarcane. Information about accumulation of sucrose and fiber in cane stalks as sugarcane matures should help scientists carry out more effective variety selection. The objectives of this study were to determine the patterns of accumulation in both sugar and fiber contents in whole stalks of some sugarcane clones during the maturing stage and to evaluate the correlations between fiber and characters of juice quality. Stalk samples were collected from from a group of sugarcane varieties during harvesting season at 6 weeks over five months period to measure sucrose and fiber contents. This research demeonstrated that clones differed widely in their onset and extent of ripening. Accumulation pattern of sucrose was best described by quadratic regression while change in fiber content appeared to be linear. According to the sucrose accumulation pattern, sugarcane clones reached their maximum maturity at different times. Information about the maximum sucrose content and the corresponding fiber level may allow sugarcane breeders to develop varieties with properly balanced high sugar recovery and fiber yield from sugarcane crop.

Technical Abstract: Depositional changes in sucrose and fiber in cane stalks as sugarcane (hybrids of Saccharum spp.) matures are important in the evaluation of variety performance. Nine Canal Point (CP) clones were used to determine the patterns of change in both the sugar and fiber contents in cane stalks during plant maturation. Three five- stalk samples were harvested from both the plant-cane and first- ratoon crops every 6 weeks from October 6, 1995, through February 9, 1996. Measurements included Brix, sucrose, and fiber. Polynomial regressions were fitted to these data across sampling time. Changes of both Brix and sucrose were best described by quadratic regressions while fiber changes were linear. The regression models for either Brix or sucrose content demonstrated that different clones approached their peaks at different times, while the fiber content increased steadily with time. The stage of ripening stage affected the correlations between fiber content and various characters of juice quality. Data on the maximum sucrose content and the corresponding fiber level may allow us to select sugarcane cultivars with balanced high sugar recovery and high fiber percent cane.