Propagation Materials do not Affect Nutrient Absorption of Sugarcane During the Plant-Cane Cycle

Abstract

While, sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an important crop for bioenergy production, due to its high potential of biomass accumulation, plant stand establishment remains a limiting step for long-term successful field cultivation. In this sense, the adoption of alternative planting methods to the conventional one, based on billets, such as the use of presprouted seedlings (PSS), has been considered a promising approach. Nevertheless, remains unclear how billets and PSS of distinct origins, i.e. obtained either from individualized buds or in vitro culture, affect sugarcane yield potential under field conditions. Therefore, we aimed to improve our understanding on this issue by evaluating the effects these propagation materials on crop nutrient absorption at critical phenological phases. A field experiment was conducted during the plant-cane cycle aiming to assess the accumulation of aboveground biomass and nutrients at tillering (128 days after planting, DAP), grand growth (282 DAP) and ripening (381 DAP). Our results revealed that the absorption of macro (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur) and micronutrients (boron, copper, manganese and zinc) across the whole growing season did not depend on propagation materials. This phenomenon occurred because both aboveground dry mass production and shoot nutrient concentration did not vary as a function of treatments. Accordingly, propagation materials of contrasting features, in terms of stored reserves and stage of root and canopy development, do not pose any effect on growth and nutrient acquisition capacities of sugarcane plants. There seems to be, hence, no clear reason to propose significant adjustments in fertilizer guidelines during field establishment with the adoption of PSS of distinct origins.