Identifier

etd-0603103-132428

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Accounting

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

New varieties are provided to the Louisiana sugarcane industry by researchers at Louisiana State University AgCenter, the United States Department of Agriculture-ARS, and the American Sugar Cane League of the USA, Inc. Currently, Louisiana farmers plant sugarcane at rates ranging from two to five or more whole stalks. A two-stalk planting rate is used to plant all stages of the LSU AgCenter’s sugarcane variety development program. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of planting rate on sugarcane variety trial data and interpretation. A planting rate by variety experiment was conducted at the LSU AgCenter’s Sugar Research Station. A randomized complete block design was used for the experiment with three replications, eight clones, and three planting rates consisting of two, three, and four whole stalks. Increasing planting rate from two to four stalks significantly increased sugar yield by 11 to 15%. Cane yield and stalk population significantly increased when planting rate increased from two stalks to either three or four stalks in the 2001 plant cane crop. Stalk population and mean stalk weight were negatively correlated, thus the lower stalk populations tended to compensate with greater mean stalk weight. Theoretical recoverable sugar was not significantly different regardless of planting rate. As expected, clones differed for sugar yield and its components. Of utmost importance, the planting rate by clone interaction was not significant for any trait in any of the experiments. Thus, increasing the planting rate from two stalks to three or four stalks did not change sugarcane variety / clone ranking. A germination study was also conducted in the Fall of 2002. A randomized complete block design was used in this experiment, consisting of eight sugarcane clones replicated three times. The planting rate was two stalks planted at two locations at the Sugar Research Station. Sugarcane variety / clone germination was similar for both soil types. The Pearson correlation coefficients indicated taller stalks also had more buds per stalk than did shorter stalks. Mean stalk weight was greater for taller varieties. Mean stalk weight tended to increase as the number of buds increased on a stalk.

Date

2003

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Kenneth Gravois

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.3700

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