Effect of silicon nutrition on yield, yield attributes and physiological parameters of Sugarcane

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during 2021 to study the response of sugarcane to silicon nutrition atAgriculture Research Station, Hukkeri, Karnataka. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with two treatments ofsoil application of silicon as main plot and eight treatments of foliar application of silicon as sub plots along with control(Recommended package of practice with no silicon application). The main plot treatments were viz., soil application of(DE) Diatomaceous earth (60 % SiO2) @ 300 (S1) and 600 (S2) kg ha-1, respectively. Sub plot treatments were foliarapplication viz., F1: (HAS) Hydrated aluminium silicate (60 % SiO2) @ 0.25 % at 60 days after planting (DAP), F2: HAS@ 0.25 % at 90 DAP,F3:HAS @ 0.5 % at 60 DAP, F4: HAS @ 0.5 % at 90 DAP, F5: (OSA) Ortho silicic acid (2 % Si asH4SiO4) @ 0.2 % at 60 DAP, F6: OSA @ 0.2 % at 90 DAP, F7: OSA @ 0.4 % at 60 DAP and F8: OSA @ 0.4 % at 90 DAP.Soil application of DE @ 300 kg ha-1 recorded significantly higher single cane weight, number of millable cane and cane yield.Foliar application of OSA @ 0.2 % at 60 DAP recorded significantly higher single cane weight, number of millable cane andcane yield. Among the interactions, soil application of DE @ 300 kg ha-1 with foliar application of OSA @ 0.2 % at 60 DAPrecorded significantly higher single cane weight, number of millable cane and cane yield. Cane yield increased by 37.38 percent over the control. Similar trend was observed for silicon uptake also. Application of DE @ 300 kg ha-1 with foliarapplication of OSA @ 0.2 % at 60 DAP was found promising for increasing the productivity.