Right Fertilizer Timing Promoted Sugarcane Yields in Guangxi

In order to showcase the effect of right fertilizer time on sugarcane yields to growers, industry, technicians, and fertilizer retailers, educational field trials were conducted in a sugarcane base located in Laibin, Guangxi in 2011. The field trials consisted of four treatments with different combinations of fertilizer timing: basal + topdress at tillering stage, basal + topdress at cane elongation stage, basal + topdress at tillering stage and at cane elongation stage, and basal + topdress at seedling stage and at cane elongation stage (the farmers’ practice). All the treatments used the same source and rates of fertilizers: 450-135-320 kg of N-P₂O₅-K₂O/ha. The trials were used as an on-site training site for the above mentioned groups in 2011.

Results showed that the treatment of basal + topdress at tillering stage and at cane elongation stage produced the highest cane yield, 3.7 to 6.0 t/ha (7.8 to 8.5%) more than the farmers’ practice. Net income was increased by USD 468 to 496/ha (7.7 to 8.5%). The other two treatments also increased cane yields and net income compared to the farmers’ practice, but significantly less than the treatment of basal + topdress at tillering stage and at cane elongation stage. Thus, this treatment can be considered as the best timing combination for sugarcane production in Laibin region. The trials convinced local farmers that the effect of properly timing of fertilizers can generate significant improvements in sugarcane yield and net income by using the same fertilizer source and application rates. Guangxi-BFDP-11