EVALUATION OF PROMISING AND COMMERCIAL SUGARCANE CLONES AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN THAL AND SOUTHERN PUNJAB

Abstract

Topographical areas better adapted for sugar cane cultivation must be identified and preserved, for this study Indus valley river delta in South Punjab represents promising features for prosperous sugarcane cultivation (lower water pumping costs due to higher water tables, sugarcane being flood resistant crop in Pakistan. Eight sugarcane varieties and eight promising clones were grown on different locations in Punjab at farmer’s field using RCBD with three replications. The objective of this study is to evaluate varieties under different ecological zones. These clones were tested for their proficiency at four different locations during 2018-19. The “Thal” and Southern Punjab viz; 142/TDA Lalazar Layyah, Indus Sugar mills Rajanpur, Ashraf Sugar Mills Bahawalpur and Adam Sugar Mills Chishtian. The data on germination %, tillers / plants, Number of mill able canes, canes yield tones/ ha and commercial cane sugar (CCS) were recorded during the course of study. It is obvious from pooled mean of four locations that cane yield of clone S2002-US-133 gave 84.13 % higher cane yield as compared the check variety CPF 248 as far as CCS% is concerned, sugarcane clones S200-US-633 and S200-US-133 gave the higher sugar recovery that is 15.31 % & 15.23 % respectively more than check variety. Whereas S200-US-658 and HSF240 have the lowest CCS% 1.22 & 1.14 % less than check.