EFFECT OF IRRIGATION TREATMENTS, POTASSIUM FERTILIZER AND THEIR INTERACTION ON SUGARCANE UNDER ASWAN GAVERNORATE

A field experiment was carried out at private farm in Aswan Governorate, Egypt during 2013/ 2014 and 2014/2015 seasons to study the effect of number of irrigations, potassium fertilizer levels and their interaction on sugarcane. The experiment included fifteen treatments represent three irrigation (22, 19 and 16 irrigations) and five potassium levels (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 kg K₂O/fed.). A spilt – plot design with four replications was used in both seasons. Irrigation treatments were allocated in the main plots, while potassium fertilizer levels were randomly distributed in the sub - plots. The experimental unit area was 21 m² with 6 ridges of 3.5 meters in length and 1.0 meter apart. The commercial cane variety of G.T.54/9 was planted during the first week of March using dry method in both seasons.
The results revealed millabel cane length, number of millable cane /m², diameter of millable cane, millable cane yield(ton/fed.), sugar yield (ton/fed.), total soluble solids, sucrose percentage and sugar recovery percentage were significantly affected by irrigation treatments in both seasons. Twenty-two irrigation produced the highest values for the previous traits. It was found that potassium level of 60 kg K₂O /fed.significantly increased these characters in the two seasons. The interaction effect between irrigation treatments and potassium levels was significant for all studied traits except no. of millable cane /m²in both seasons. Fertilized sugarcane with 60 kg K₂O /fed. with 22 irrigations produced the highest valuesfor the previous traitsin the two seasons.
The data revealed that irrigation treatments attained a significant effect on purity percentage and reducing sugar percentage in both seasons, the highest purity percentage resulted from 19 irrigations treatment in both seasons. On the other hand, the highest reducing sugar percentage resulted from16 irrigations treatment. Increasing potassium fertilizer level caused decrease in purity percentage and reducing sugar percentage in both seasons.
In conclusion, cultivation of the commercial sugarcane variety G.T. 54/9 at Aswan Governorate with applying 22 irrigation during the growing seasons and fertilizing sugarcane plants with 60 kg K2O /fed. cleared positive response to improve yields of cane and sugar and maximized production of sugarcane crop.