Enhancement of sugarcane growth and sugar accumulation using phytohormones

Abstract

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) an important crop in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), whose quality and quantity can be considerably increased through innovative means, different from the promotion of conventional crop improvement technologies and optimal use of production resources. Although the use of plant growth regulators, also known as phytohormones, is not novel, their application in crop production systems in Tanzania is still non-existent. The objective of this study was to evaluate the synergistic effect of combined gibberellic acid 3 (GA3) and benzyl-amino purine (BAP) on sugarcane growth and sugar content in Tanzania. A field experiment was conducted using different concentrations of Gibberellic Acid (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mgL-1) and Benzyl-amino-purine (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mgL-1), and using two sugarcane varieties (N-41 and R-579) commonly grown in Tanzania. Mother shoots were initiated from bud chips that had been soaked for 24 hours in gibberellic acid 3 and benzylamino purine containing solutions. These shoots were grown in nursery pots of 1 liter and, after 15 days, were transplanted to experimental plots laid out in a randomised complete block design with four replications. Number of stems or cane stalks (38.75), internode length (10 cm), Pol values (16.1), Brix values 21.17 and 20.9, were observed in treatment T4,2 comprising of 4 mgL-1 GA3 + 2 mgL-1 BAP for sugarcane varieties N41 and R579, respectively. Sugar purity was significantly higher (86.32 %) for variety N-41 from seedlings regenerated in treatment T4,2 and 84.40 % obtained in variety R-579. From the results of this study, 4 mg GA3 combined with 2 mg BAP per liter is optimal for development of the sugarcane plant and sucrose content in Tanzania.