Effect of potassium and magnesium on sugarcane yield and quality in Yunnan province

IPNI-1998-CHN-YN8

28 May 2001

1998 Annual Interpretive Summary


Effect of potassium and magnesium on sugarcane yield and quality in Yunnan province, 1998

Yunnan has traditionally been an important sugarcane production area in China. Despite the region's favorable climate, imbalanced fertilization is severely reducing yield potential and cane sugar content. In Baoshan county, the combination of 525 kg K2O/ha with 350-202-60-60 kg N-P2O5-S-Mg/ha (i.e., -K treatment) increased yields from 108 to 167 t/ha and sugar content from 11.9 to 13.9 percent. Net income for the balanced fertilization and -K treatments were US$8,520 and US$4,504/ha, respectively. Compared to the -Mg treatment, the +Mg treatment increased yield from 138 to 158 t/ha. Sugarcane crops in Wenshan and Mile counties responded similarly to K and Mg fertilization. Transfer of the research to local leaders and farmers will play an important role in the improvement of crop yield, quality, and farmer income. YUNNAN-08