EVALUATION OF CHIP BUD SETTLING OF SUGARCANE FOR ENHANCING YIELD TO VARIOUS ROW SPACING

Conventional planting, poor management practices and improper rowspacing are the major constraints in the reduction of cane and sugar yield ofsugarcane. A field experiment was conducted at Sugar Crop Research InstituteMardan, during 2012-13 to investigate the performance of chip buds settling ofsugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) planted at different row spacing. Theexperiment was laid out in Randomized complete block designed having threereplications. The experiment consisted of three row spacing (60 cm, 90 cm and120 cm) having plot size of 5 m by 6.6 m (33 m2). Number of tillers m-2, numberof internodes tiller-1, plant height, leaf area tiller-1, leaf area index, internodelength and cane yield were significantly higher in 120 cm row spacing and thelesser number of tiller m-2, number of internodes tiller-1, plant height (cm), leafarea tiller-1(cm2), leaf area index, internode length (cm), cane yield (tons ha-1),were recorded for plots with 60 cm row spacing. Quality parameter such as brix%, Commercial Cane Sugar (CCS), Pol % and recovery % were notsignificantly influenced by row spacing however higher brix, CCS, Pol andrecovery were recorded in 120 cm row spacing. It is concluded that chipbudsettling of sugarcane cultivation with 120 cm rows apart are recommendedunder agrological condition of District Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan.