1 EFFECT OF DELAYED PLANTING OF SEEDCANE ON ...

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EFFECT OF DELAYED PLANTING OF SEEDCANE ON SUGARCANE
GERMINATION, GROWTH RATE AND YIELD.
G. Omoto, G.O Abayo and J.E Jamoza
Kenya Sugar Research Foundation, P.O Box 44-40100, Kisumu-Kenya.
Email: director@Kesref.org
Omotogeorge@yahoo.com/george.omoto@kesref.org
ABSTRACT
Seedcane quality and quality of planting operations determine the vigour of the crop at the
beginning of the growing cycle. Its health is crucial for successful establishment and eventual
productivity. We established experiments at KESREF, Kibos and Musingu-Kakoyo in West
Kenya in May 2005 to determine the effects of delayed planting of seedcane after stalks
preparation (harvesting) on sugarcane germination, growth and yield. The treatments
consisted of planting heaped sugarcane variety KEN 82-472 seedcane delayed for 0, 3, 6, 9,
12, 15 and 18 days after harvesting. Zero day was the control. The experimental design was a
randomized complete block with three replicates. The plant crop was harvested at the age of
19 months. The results showed that germination percentage resulting from 9-18 days delay
(late) after harvesting seedcane before planting at both sites differed significantly (P< 0.05)
with 0-6 days (early) planted treatments. Similarly tiller density was significantly different
(P< 0.05) between early and late treatments. Moreover there were significant differences in
plant cane yields (tch), plant population and stalk height resulting from seedcane used from
six days after harvesting. However, girth did not differ among the treatments. The results
further showed that the longer the delay in planting prepared seedcane the higher the cane
yields reduction and more the money lost. Therefore seedcane should be planted within six
days after harvesting.
Key words: Delayed planting, seedcane and cane yield loss
1. INTRODUCTION
Seed of any crop is the most important input in agricultural production (Shibale, 2002). In
Kenya seedcane contributes 15-25% of total cost of production of sugarcane (Omoto and
Abayo, 2007). In India the cost accounts for 16-18% of total production (Tamil-Selvan,
2006). The quality of seed (Performance) may not be evident till much later after planting or
even after harvesting. Some farmers are actually aware that delayed planting after seedcane is
cut may have some negative effect on cane germination and consequently result into poor

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yields. However, since the information given is purely descriptive, and since there is no
systematic observation by farmers, it was not possible to quantitatively correlate delayed
planting of heaped harvested seedcane with crop yield losses. Observation in the Kenya sugar
industry show that harvested seedcane some times take more than two weeks before it is
delivered to farmers by the millers due to lack of transport or some farmers take longer time
to plant supplied seedcane due to delayed seedbed preparation or lack of labour. Singh
(1972) in India found that delay in planting seedcane reduced cane yield significantly.
However, in India seed cane is planted at most five days after harvesting and if it has to stay
longer is covered with trash from harvested seedcane to minimize drying up. In Kenya some
millers and or outgrowers supply farmers with seedcane but little follow up is made to ensure
that seed is planted within the acceptable time. Hence a need to determine quantitative
relationship between delayed planting of harvested seedcane and its corresponding effect on
germination, crop growth and crop yield.
2. OBJECTIVES
• To determine the effect of delayed planting harvested seedcane on sugarcane
germination, growth and cane yield.
• To determine the optimum delay time before planting seedcane.
3. MATERIALS AND METHODS
3.1 Experimental site
One experiment was conducted on KESREF’s research farm in Kibos, Kisumu, Kenya. The
farm is situated between longitude 0 0 24’N and latitude 34 0 48’E at altitude of 1185m above
sea level. The mean long-term maximum monthly temperatures range is 28 0 - 32 0 C while
minimum temperatures range from 14-17 0 C. The mean annual rainfall is 1490mm (KESREF,
2001). Kibos lies in sub- humid region. The soils are mainly Montmorillonitic Vertisols and
Cambisols (KESREF, 2001).The other experiment was planted at Musingu-Kakoyo in West

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Kenya, Kakamega District, Kenya, situated between longitude 0 0 33’ N and latitude 34 0 50’ E
at altitude of 1620m above sea level. The mean long-term maximum monthly temperatures
range from 20-30 0 C. The mean annual rainfall is 2028 mm and the area is in humid region
(KESREF, 2001). The soils are moderately deep with underlied lateritic murram consisting of
well-drained red clays of low natural fertility.
Table 1: Weather data at planting times at the two sites.
Site
Treatment KESREF, Kibos Musingu- Kakoyo, West Kenya
Planting time interval (days) Mean Temp 0 0 C Rainfall (mm) Mean Temp 0 0 C Rainfall (mm)
0 23.4 5.5 20.4 6.0
3 23.7 8.3 21.6 10.0
6 23.3 Nil 22.4 Nil
9 23.0 Nil 20.8 11.2
12 23.2 Nil 21.2 9.4
15 17.9 8.5 20.5 15.4
18 23.8 3.5 21.5 Nil
Source: KESREF Meteorological section, 2007
3.2 Experimental treatments
The trials were established at Kibos and Musingu-Kakoyo in May 2005 with recently
released sugarcane variety KEN 82-472. KEN 82-472 is medium, maturing sugarcane
variety, harvested at 17-19 months with high sucrose content (Pol of 14%) and high cane
yield (100-120 tch) and is recommended for Western, Nyando, Awendo and Trans Mara
sugar belts of Kenya. The treatments consisted of planting sugarcane variety KEN 82-472
seedcane delayed for 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 days after harvesting. Zero day or planting
immediately harvested seedcane was the control. The seed cane was harvested and leaves of
the cane stalks stripped off by hand to minimize eye bud damage. It was then heaped at one
place exposed to sunshine. Sugar cane stalks were then taken at staggered time (0-18 days
each at 3 days interval) cut into three eye bud setts then dipped in Confidor® SL 200 solution
at the rate of 200ml/ha to control termite attack on the setts, then laid in 25 cm deep furrows
end-end and covered. In every furrow of 10 m long, 30 setts from clean seedcane of 12
months old were planted. The plots measured 7.2 m wide x 10 m gross. The experimental
design was a randomized complete block with three replicates. The trials were hand-weeded
six times at one month interval. 50kg P 2 O 5 /ha of diamonium phosphate was used at planting

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at Kibos while 80 kg P 2 O 5 /ha at Musingu-Kakoyo. 100 kg N/ha of Urea was used as topdress
at the age of four months at both sites.
3.3 Data collection and analysis
The data collected included germination percentage at 30 days after planting, tiller count at
3, 5, 7 and 9 months after planting and yield and yield components at harvest at the age of 19
months. Analysis of variance was conducted by a computer using Statistical Analysis System
(SAS) package and means separated from the treatments by least significance level at 5%
significance level. Correlation was done by use of the Spearman correlation.
4. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Germination percentage
The results show that germination percentage at both Kibos and Musingu-Kakoyo resulting
from (9-18 days) delay treatment after harvesting seedcane before planting was significantly
(P

4.2 Tiller numbers
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There were significant differences (P< 0.05) in tiller numbers at both Kibos and Musingu-
Kakoyo among the seven treatments (Figures 1 and 2). The tiller numbers at both sites
increased significantly then reached a maximum at seven months and finally declined in all
treatments. Tiller density is an important yield determinant in sugarcane. The more the tillers
the higher the sugar cane yields. Tiller number was affected by delayed planting. The poor
germination observed in treatments from the 9 th
day delay in planting resulted in the
differences observed. However, some late delayed planted treatments showed higher tiller
numbers because sugarcane has tremendous capacity for tiller compensation.
250
200
150
100
50
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
0
3 5 7 9
20
0
3 5 7 9
Time (months)
Time (months)
Fig 1: Changes in tiller numbers over growth period
as affected by delayed planting at Kibos
Fig 2: Changes in tiller numbers over growth period
as affected by delayed planting at Musingu-kako
4.3 Yield components and yield of sugarcane
The cane yield components were stalk height (cm), stalk population, girth (mm) and cane
weight (tch). Table 3 show that cane yield in tch at both Kibos and Musingu-Kakoyo between
late days before planting was significantly (P< 0.05) lower than the early planted cane. The
highest cane yield was observed in plots planted immediately (zero day) at both sites. We
attribute this yield cane differences to original low germination percentage at both sites of
late planted seedcane. Similar result was noticed in millable stalk population too (Table 3).
Treatments that had lower germination percentage showed lower stalk population. Thus cane
yield is positively correlated with stalk number and stalk length in this KEN 82-472 variety.
This is in agreement with Legendre(1970) and Zhou et al (2003). The latter studied the

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correlation of stalk numbers to cane yield of Co 1148 in Zimbambwe and found that stalk
numbers accounted for 80% of cane yield while the former found that cane yield was
positively associated with stalk number and stalk length. Overall cane yields at Kibos were
significantly greater than cane yields at Musingu-Kakoyo, this was attributed to different
weather sequences at the two sites.
Table 3: Effect of delayed planting of seedcane on sugar cane yield and yield components of KEN 82-472
Delayed planting
time interval (days)
Height (cm) Girth
(mm)
Stalk
pop/ha
TCH Yield loss
(tons)
%
Loss
Loss
(Kshs)
0 221.9 27.7 78,559 89.9 - - -
3 223.1 27.4 75,799 86.2 3.7 4.3 7,955
6 218.7 28.0 72,760 84.9 5.0 5.9 10,915
9 227.9 29.0 70,153 79.4 10.5 13.2 24,420
12 215.9 27.8 69,687 78.3 11.6 14.8 27,380
15 220.7 27.0 70,666 77.5 12.4 16.0 29,600
18 215.0 26.9 71,597 78.2 11.7 15.0 27,750
Mean 220.5 27.7 72,746 82.1 9.2 11.5 21,337
LSD (0.05) 4.7 2.6 1500 5.1
CV% 8.9 5.7 13.8 11.5
Site
Kibos 272.8 28.6 83,346 100.8 11.1 11.0 20,535
Musingu-Kakoyo 167.6 26.8 60,205 60.6 7.2 11.9 13,320
Mean 220.2 27.7 71,776 80.7 9.2 11.5 16,928
LSD (0.05) 108.4 3.2 2400 45.4
CV% 9.0 5.9 14.2 10.6
4.4 Sugar cane yield loss
Sugarcane yield loss (tch) at Musingu-Kakoyo showed that the loss increased gradually from
3 rd to 6 th day delay then increased drastically to 9 th day thereafter increased slowly (Figure 3).
At Kibos the yield loss increased gradually from 3 rd to 6 th day delay then increased gradually
to 15 th day thereafter declined (Figure 3). The correlation for planting time delay and yield
loss was positively correlated. This shows the longer the delay the higher the cane yield
reduction and more the money lost. However, the cane yield loss at Kibos was higher than at
Musingu-Kakoyo (Figure 3). This is attributed to higher rate of evapotranspiration at Kibos
than at Musingu-Kakoyo.

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18
16
14
Yield loss tch
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0 3 6 9 12 15 18
Kibos
M.Kakoyo
Delayed planting (days)
Figure 3: Cane yield (tch) loss over change in delayed planting period at Kibos and Musingu-Kakoyo
4.5 Correlation relationship
Spearman correlation coefficients were used to evaluate sugarcane germination percentage
and yield. The Spearman correlation coefficients, for germination percentage and planting
time at Kibos and Musingu-Kakoyo were r = -0.964 and -0.893 respectively, while for cane
yield and planting time at Kibos and Musingu-Kakoyo were r = -0.937 and -0.964
respectively. The correlations at both sites were significant and negative. The negative and
significant correlation coefficients indicate that delayed planting of harvested seedcane is
associated with reduction in cane yield. The longer the delay the higher the cane yield
reduction as shown in (table 3).
5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
The results showed that delayed planting for 6 days and beyond lowered germination percent
and cane yields of sugarcane variety KEN 82-472 by atleast 10.5% and 13.2% respectively.
This cane yield loss in tch translates to KShs. 24,420 loss. Furthermore, subsequently this
delay negatively affects tiller density, millable stalk population as well as cane height.
Therefore seedcane must be planted within six days of cutting at both sites. Since this study
was only conducted using one cane variety we recommend that several varieties currently in
the industry be tested varying; age of seedcane at harvest, storage of seedcane after
harvesting, specifying soil type and sucrose content be assessed.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
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The authors would like to thank the KESREF, Director for financial and logistic support. Our
sincere gratitude goes to Messer; S. Mutai and G. Jira for data collection and the farmer Mr.
L. Sasaka for providing land.
REFERENCES
Kenya Sugar Research Foundation. (2001). Sugar cane, Grower’s Guide.
Legendry, B.L. (1970). Associations involving yield of sugar per acre and its components in
sugarcane. PhD. Thesis. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La 170 pages.
Tamil-selvan, N. (2006). Sugarcane response to chip bud method of planting. Regional
Research Station, India. ISSCT Agronomy Workshop, Khon Kaeno, Thail land. 23-26 May
2006.
Omoto, G and Abayo, G.O (2007). The effect of seed rate on sugarcane yield in Nyando
zone. Kenya Sugar Research Foundation. Technical Bulletin No. 2 (December 2007)
Singh, P.P . (1972). Annual Progress Research Report, G.BP.V.A. pantnager, India.
Zhou, M.A. Singel, S and Savage, M.J. (2003). Physiological parameters for modeling
differences in canopy development between sugarcane cultivars, Proceedings; SASTA. 77:
610-621.