Sugarcane Research: 7 varieties can be productive in SNNPR
Sugarcane is important crop of sub-tropical and tropical countries and Ethiopia has begun its production way back in 1950s at Wonji; later it was extended to Shoa, Metahara, Fincha and Tendaho; its present production correspondingly meets 60% demand and per capita consumption is 5 to 6 kg whereas it’s 16.5 and 24 kg in Africa and world respectively.
However, with mushrooming population, existing volume of sugar production in Ethiopia isn’t adequate thus it needs to be scaled up for which agricultural scientists across the country are cudgeling brains to find varieties for better yield and quality. In this regard, AMU’s Prof A Q Khan with Dr Berhanu Lemma and Mr Amare Girma, in their twin research conducted in 2019 and 2020, having identified the promising varieties they also did morphological characterization of those introduced verities for genetic purity.
Initial research conducted in 2019, called – ‘Evaluation of Introduced sugarcane varieties for yield and quality characteristics in SNNPR,’ having examined 14 varieties i.e. B 49/224, 49/338, 53/165, 57/371, Co 842, 945, 978, 1001, CP 72/2083, PR 1007; Habesha, Nech Habesha, Wonji and Shelle Habesha, they found cane stalks and malleable canes were high in PR 1007, Wonji, B 53/165, and Co 978; more height in Wonji, B 49/338, 53/165 and 49/224 while canes were medium thick and medium in Shelle Habesha, Nech Habesha, Habesha, B 49/224, 53/165, Co 842 and B 53/165 varieties.
Likewise, canes in varieties like B 49/224, Shelle Habesha, B 49/338, and Co 842 were weighty and yield was high in Wonji, B 53/165, Co 978, PR 1007, and B 49/338. PR 1007, CP 72/2085, B 57/371 and B 49/224 had high juice content while PR 1007, Co 1001, B 49/224, Co 978, B 49/338 and B 53/165 had high sugar yield; sugar recovery percentile was high in PR 1007, CP 72/2083, Co 842, B 57/371 and Co1001. And finally adjudged 7 varieties i.e. PR 1007, Co 1001, B 49/224, Co 978, B 49/338, B 53/165 and Wonji to be promising and suggested for further testing for their specific and wide area adaptation in Southern Ethiopia.
The 2nd research focused on ‘Morphological characterization of sugarcane varieties for identification and selection for improvement in Southern Ethiopia’, 47 observable discrete morphological characters under 9 sub-heads i.e. stool/stem, internodes, node and leaf characters, flowering, cane characteristics, lodging, disease and insect infestation were discovered for identification and selection of sugarcane varieties for maintenance of genetic purity.
The 1st research dully evaluated the performance of cane varieties for yield and quality characteristics in plant crop at Arba Minch while morphological characterization of varieties done in 2nd research was needed to maintain genetic purity and follow up of healthy seed production system for commercial exploitation of the genetic potential of variety, Prof A Q Khan summed up.
Source: Arba Minch University