The Arrangement and Spacing of Sugarcane Planting Influence Root Distribution and Crop Yield

Change in the planting arrangement can provide roots a different environment that alters access to soil resources, which can subsequently impact the productivity of above ground crop compartments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the sugarcane yield as well as the distribution and biomass accumulation of roots across different spacing configuration treatments, in the absence of the confounding effect of machine traffic between the crop rows, in two areas with contrasting soil conditions. Two experiments were conducted under field conditions, in clayey and sandy soil. The experiments were conducted across two crop seasons and incorporated a randomized block design that tested six planting configurations: CS, conventional spacing (1.50 m); AS, alternated spacing (0.90 × 1.50 m); TS, triple spacing (0.75 × 0.75 × 1.50 m); PP 1.0 m, precision planting (1.0 × 1.0 m); PP 0.75 m, precision planting (0.75 × 0.75 m); and PP 0.50 m, precision planting (0.5 × 0.5 m). Results showed, in clayey soil, higher sugarcane yield for the PP 0.75 m spacing in the two crops evaluated; while, the PP 1.0 m spacing had the higher production in sandy soil, but only during the first ratoon. In relation to the total sugarcane production per unit area, the yield gains from reduced spacing were most evident for the first two crop cycles. The distribution and root biomass accumulation of sugarcane did not explain the above ground productivity in planting configurations.