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Relation between Early Season–Measured Agronomic Variables and Sugar Yield Responses to Nitrogen
Author(s) -
Kanke Yumiko,
Tubaña Brenda,
Dalen Marilyn,
Lofton Joshua,
Viator Howard
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj2015.0037
Subject(s) - saccharum , sugar , growing season , agronomy , cane , biology , yield (engineering) , sugar cane , human fertilization , biomass (ecology) , fertilizer , biochemistry , materials science , metallurgy
Several studies have demonstrated the use of early‐season plant response to N as a basis for determining N fertilizer requirements in cereal crops. In sugarcane ( Saccharum spp. hybrids) production, the relationship of early‐season growth and responses to N fertilization to sugar yield at harvest has not been pursued. The objective of this study was to evaluate and relate the early‐season response to N fertilization (RI) of select agronomic variables to RI of measured sugar yield at harvest of three sugarcane varieties (HoCP 96‐540, L 01‐283, and L 99‐226). A variety × N (0, 45, 90, and 135 kg N ha −1 ) trial was established at two LSU AgCenter research stations: the Sugar Research Station in St. Gabriel and the Iberia Research Station, Jeanerette, LA, from 2010 to 2012. The positive correlations between RIs of agronomic variables collected at 4 and 5 wk after nitrogen application (WKN) and RIs at harvest were considered notable with RI biomass at 5 WKN obtaining the highest r value (RI sugar = 0.69 and RI cane = 0.68). Sugar and stalk yield increases due to N were also correlated to RI N% and RI Nuptake at 4 to 6 WKN. The findings of the present study demonstrated that RIs of agronomic variables measured early in the season were related with RI at harvest, suggesting the potential use of response to N early in the season as a basis for in‐season determination of sugarcane N rate requirements. Core Ideas Determining seasonal N requirement in sugarcane is essential. High spatial and temporal variability in sugar and stalk yield to applied N were observed. Agronomic variable at early season can be used to predict N response of sugar yield.