Yield and Water Productivity of Sugarcane under Different Irrigation Intervals, Nitrogen Fertilizer Levels, and Planting Methods

Due to the climatic conditions of Iran, increasing water scarcity, and the effect of drought stress on the efficiency of irrigation water consumption and chemical fertilizers application, an experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of irrigation intervals (6, 9, and 12-day intervals), different levels of nitrogen fertilizer (200, 300, and 400 kg urea per hectare) and cultivation methods (on-ridge or heeling up and in-furrow) on yield and productivity of sugarcane as a factorial design based on randomized complete block design in 3 replications at Hakim Farabi Agro-Industry Company in Khuzestan province. The results showed that the maximum (106.73 tons/ha) and minimum (59.10 tons/ha) sugarcane yields were observed in 9-day and 12-day irrigation intervals, respectively. Also, the highest sugarcane yield (99.89 tons per hectare) was obtained in the treatment of 400 kg urea per hectare and the in-furrow planting method resulted in a higher yield compared to the on-ridge planting method. The highest water productivity in sugarcane stem yield and sugar production with 3.55 and 0.34 kg per cubic meter of applied water, respectively, was obtained in a 9-day irrigation interval. A significant increase in water use efficiency in sugarcane stem yield was observed in 400 kg urea/ha compared to the other two fertilizer levels. However, there was no significant difference in water productivity of sugar yield between different fertilizer treatments. The results showed that 6 and 9-day irrigation intervals in most of the studied traits were not significantly different. Therefore, using a 9-day irrigation interval is suggested in the studied area when the sugarcane cultivation area is high and the amount of available water is limited. In-furrow planting method can also be effective in reducing water consumption. Therefore, deficit irrigation and proper nitrogen fertilizer consumption can be very effective in sugarcane cultivation.