ASSESSMENT OF RATOONING POTENTIAL IN VARIOUS PROMISING STRAINS OF SUGARCANE UNDER SOUTH PUNJAB CONDITIONS

Abstract

The present study aimed to assess the ratooning potential of various sugarcane strains at the Sugarcane Research Station Khanpur during the 2019-20 period. The selected promising sugarcane genotypes, including S2013-US-917, S2014-SL-1359, S2014-SL-2200, PSR-07-45, S2015-SL-89, S2015-SL-289, S2015-SL-404, S2015-SL-444, CPF-253, and HSF-240 (check), were subjected to experimentation. The research followed a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Significant variations in ratooning performance were observed among the studied genotypes. Notably, the strain S2015-SL-444 emerged as the most promising, exhibiting the highest cane yield at 119.80 tons per hectare and excellent stubble sprouting with 1.64 sprouts per plant. Additionally, this top-performing strain demonstrated good quality, registering a field brix of 19.55%. Although the highest field brix (21.65%) was recorded in S2013-US-917, S2015-SL-89 closely followed with a field brix of 21.24%. S2015-SL-444, the standout sugarcane clone, outperformed the check by producing 14.02 tons more ratoon cane yield per hectare. Therefore, it is recommended that the genotype S2015-SL-444, with its exceptional ratooning potential, be cultivated in the agro-ecological climatic conditions of South Punjab for ratoon crop cultivation