Excerpt from the
Proceedings of the Florida State Horticulture Society
by Lester Muralles, Alex Bolques, Henry Grant and Gilbert Queeley
Sugarcane eye propagation in
northern Florida
In
northern Florida, sugarcane (Saccharum
officinarum L.) is grown on a
small-scale production basis and in backyard landscapes. Normally
sugarcane is planted during September and November by planting stalks
in furrows. Since sugarcane is highly susceptible to frost, it is
important that growers use propagation methods that help mitigate the
effects of freezing temperatures.
The objective of this study was to
propagate sugarcane from cane nodes in a protective environment to
overcome early and late frost damage on seed stock and to evaluate the
germination rate of selected varieties after hot water treatments.
The
two varieties used in this trial were CP31-511, a chewing variety, and
CP67-500, a syrup variety. These are the most desired varieties for
chewing and syrup making, respectively.
To overcome early and late
season frost, sugarcane was propagated using cane nodes in a protected
environment. By using this technique, one can increase the number of
plants per stalk and shorten the field growing season. Sugarcane nodes
were treated with hot water to break dormancy and increase germination.
The hot water treatments consisted of a control, 100 °F, 110 °F, and
120 °F for 10 seconds.
Canes were divided into segments and designated
as tops, middles, and bottoms.
Overall sugarcane tops had the best
germinating rate (83% to 94%), compared to middles (11% to 67%) and
bottoms (0% to 39%); there were significant differences in germination
between segments.
But, there was no significant difference between
temperature treatments for any of the tested varieties. These finding
are important because of the high demand for planting material for
homeowner landscapes and small-scale farming.
122:411–413. 2009: Proceedings of the Florida State Horticulture Society pdf
|
|
Bibliography
Muralles, L., et al. "Sugarcane eye propagation in northern
Florida." Ornamental,
Garden & Landscape, Vol 122 (2009): Proceedings of
the Florida State Horticulture Society, 1 Dec. 2009, Florida State
Horticulture Society (FSHS), (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0),
journals.flvc.org/fshs/article/view/87600. Accessed 4 Jan. 2020.
Published 20 Apr. 2021 KJ
|