Effect of Cane Sugar By-products on Ratoon Production at Assalaya Sugar Scheme, Sudan

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of 15 t
ha-1 of each of green cane top (GCT), filter mud (FM) and bagasse (BA)
and their combinations, on ratoon cane, sugar yield and ratoon yield
recovery at Assalaya Sugar Scheme. The amendments were vertically
mulched, in furrows, in a salt-affected clay soil. Plant cane crop was
harvested in Dec. 2004/05 and Dec. 2005/06 and ratooned in seasons
2005/06 and 2006/07, respectively. The treatments were arranged in a
randomized complete block design, replicated four times. The treated soil
gave significantly higher cane, sugar yield and ratoon yield recovery than
the control. The different combinations of any two of the three
amendments had a significantly higher cane and sugar yields than that of
any single one. GCT + BA resulted in the highest cane yield (117.5),
followed by FM + BA (116.7) and then GCT + FM (115.9 t ha-1 ); but
with no significant differences between them. The ratoon yield recovery
of the treated soil was significantly higher than the control. BA showed
ratoon yield recovery of 94.0 % in 2004/05 and 97.0 % in 2005/06.
Whenever there was BA in a treatment, the ratoon yield recovery was
higher. Although GCT had lower ratoon recovery percentage, it produced
the highest sugar tonnage. For high cane, sugar yield and ratoon yield
recovery, 15 t ha-1 of each of GCT and BA are recommended.