Tuesday, 7 February 2006 - 2:45 PM

This presentation is part of: Crops--Sugarcane and Miscellaneous

Plant Crop Sugarcane Responses to N-rate on Organic-Amended vs. Non-Amended Mineral Soils.

Ike V. Ezenwa and Peter Newman. University of Florida/IFAS, Southwest Florida Research & Education Center, 2686 SR 29N, Immokalee, FL 34142

The effect of long-term application of organic amendments on plant crop sugarane development was determined on Immokalee fine sand (sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Arenic Alaquods) at Immokalee (26° 27' N; 81° 26' W), south Florida. The site was used yearly for fall and spring vegetable production from 1993 to 2003, and sorghum x sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor L. ‘Sx17') as cover crop in 2004. The organic-amended plots received 7 to 180 Mg/ha/year of composted municipal solid waste (biosolids), yard trimmings, and/or cow manure, depending on availability. On 13 January 2005, two sugarcane (interspecific hybrids of Saccharum spp.) cultivars, CP 78-1628 and CP 80-1743 (sub-sub plot) were planted at 1.5 m row spacing, and randomly assigned to four N-rates (subplots). Organic amendment (with or without) were randomly assigned to whole plot while N rates (0, 78.5, 156.9, and 235.4 kg N ha-1 yr-1) and sugarance varieties (CP 78 1628 and CP 80 1473) were sub plot and sub-sub plot, respectively. At planting, P, K, Mg, and micronutrients were applied in the furrows at recommended rates, with additional K supplied with the first two split doses of N. N was side-dressed as ammonium nitrate in four-split doses at six-week intervals starting in late 28 March through 1 August 2005. Soil samples were taken from 0 to 15 cm and 15 to 30 cm depths prior to planting On 21 December 2004, after planting on 14 February 2005, and at two and five weeks after application of each split dose. Leaf samples were taken on 8 August 2005. Between June and September, stalk height (soil surface to the top visible dewlap) measurements were recorded at two-week intervals. Water table was maintained at 45-60 cm below soil surface.

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