Investigating crop rotational benefits of a soybean and sugarcane cropping system in South Africa.
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Date
2013
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Abstract
Crop rotation is not commonly practised in the sugarcane industry in South Africa. It
has, however, proven to be beneficial to other crops in South Africa. The objective of
this study was to determine the impact of soybean-sugarcane crop rotation on
selected physiological and phenological indicators of sugarcane performance and its
subsequent effect on cane and estimated recoverable crystal (ERC) yields. A field
trial was conducted at Mount Edgecombe, where soybean cultivar A5409RG and
sugarcane cultivar NCo376 were planted under drip irrigation with different
management practices. After the soybean crop, the following sugarcane crop was
planted and fertilized with different levels of nitrogen (N) fertilizer (50% and 100% of
the recommended N rate). The effects on sugarcane growth were recorded by taking
into consideration date of emergence, plant height, tiller population, leaf N, plant
performance index and chlorophyll content. Sugarcane yield and quality at harvest
were also evaluated. Tiller population in all crop rotation treatments at Mount
Edgecombe weresignificantly (P<0.05) higher than the monocrop treatment. There
was a trend of increased leaf N in all of the cane-after-soya (crop rotation) crops
compared to the cane-after-cane (monocrop) treatment, although this was not
significant. A similar pattern was obtained with respect to the chlorophyll content and
plant performance index. Sugarcane yields at Mount Edgecombe did not differ
significantly between monocrop and crop rotation treatments. Crop rotation with
soybean is beneficial for cane production, but its long term impact on soil quality and
farm economy requires further investigation.
Description
M.Sc.Agric. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2013.
Keywords
Sugarcane--KwaZulu-Natal., Soybean--KwaZulu-Natal., Crop rotation., Sugarcane--Growth., Sugarcane--Yields., Sugarcane--Diseases and pests., Theses--Crop science.