E. O. Dufrene

Planting Method and Timing Effects on Sugarcane Yield

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) in Louisiana is propagated from vegetative plantings in late summer and early fall as either whole stalks with 4 to 8 nodal buds or as stalk pieces (billets) with 2 to 4 buds. This research was conducted to determine if planting method and planting date affects yields of the varieties currently grown in Louisiana. Billet planting was compared to whole-stalk planting at three planting dates (August 15, September 15, and October 15) for 2 years with three different varieties (LCP 85-384, HoCP 85-845, and HoCP 95-555). Cane and sugar yields were compared in plant-cane and first-ratoon production years. When compared to whole-stalk planting, cane and sugar yields from billet planting were inconsistent, and no clear trends were observed. Averaged across varieties and planting method, the August planting date had higher cane and sugar yields than the September and October plantings. All varieties responded similarly to billet and whole-stalk planting. Our data suggest that farmers should attempt to plant the majority of their crop in August to maximize yields and should be aware that billet planting may give inconsistent yields compared with whole-stalk planting.