ADAPTATION AND RESPONSIVENESS OF SUGARCANE CULTIVARS UNDER IRRIGATED AND RAINFED PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Abstract

Sugarcane is grown in several countries and environmental conditions, and production increases should not only be based on the expansion of the cultivated area. As water is a limiting factor for sugarcane yield, irrigation is crucial to increase its yields. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of five sugarcane cultivars under irrigated and rainfed conditions and compare yields in each treatment with those of previous cycles. The experiment was carried out from July 2017 to July 2018, which stands for the fourth sugarcane harvest. It consisted of two irrigation factors (irrigated and rainfed conditions), and five sugarcane cultivars (CTC4, IACSP93-3046, RB86-7515, IACSP95-5000, and IAC91-1099). Irrigation was applied to supply 100% of crop evapotranspiration. Irrigation increased sugarcane yields, and such increases varied with the genotype and crop cycle evaluated. In general, the cultivars most responsive to irrigation were IACSP93-3046 and IACSP95-5000, regardless of the evaluation cycle, and CTC4 from the fourth harvest onwards. Irrigation did not interfere with sugarcane technological quality if harvested after the middle of the crop season (June). Cultivars with higher tillering capacity, such as CTC4, had improved yield stability throughout the cycle when under irrigated conditions.