Screening of promising sugarcane genotypes in relation to agroecological conditions of Tandojam district of Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

Worldwide, sugarcane is the major sugar-producing crop and the sugar industry ranks second largest industry of Pakistan. Field experiments were conducted during the sugarcane cultivation seasons of 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 at Sugarcane Research Institute, Tandojam, Pakistan. Seventeen sugarcane genotypes (G1 to G17) were studied to select potential genotypes having better agronomic and quality performances. Results of both studied years indicated that the maximum sprouting (66%) was noted by G1 followed by G8 (64%) in the first season, while G10 recorded the highest sprouting of 62.66% in the second year. The lengthiest cane length of 3 and 2.7 m was observed by G1 in two consecutive seasons, respectively. The maximum number of nodes was recorded in G15 (29.67) and G12 (40.67) in the 1^st and 2^nd years of study, respectively. Regarding cane girth, G1, during the first of study, while G1 and G2 performed better in the second year of study. With respect to quality attributes of studied genotypes, the highest brix percentage (23.66 and 23.62) was recorded by G13 and G12 in the first season. In the case of second year, the maximum brix percentage of 23.77 and 23.63 was recorded by G11 and G4, respectively. The highest cane yield of 126.33 t ha^-1 was recorded by G1 in the first season, and in the next season, both G1 (138.6 ha^-1) and G2 (124.6 t ha^-1) produced the maximum cane yield. Among the tested genotypes, G1, G2, G4, G11, G12, and G13 were observed as promising genotypes with the best potential for yield and quality attributes to fulfill the needs of growers and industry.