Avances de la investigación realizada en el Perú sobre los efectos de la salinidad en la producción de la caña de azúcar [Saccharum officinarum, suelos].

Abstract

In the present work principal results obtained in 5 years of field research with sugarcane cultivated on saline and saline-sodic soils are reported. All the experiments were carried out with cultivar H32-8560 under field conditions (clime extremely arid) and on alluvial soils of the Peruvian northern coast. The results indicate that, in order to obtain a good sprouting of sugarcane (better than 85 percent), salinity must be less than 5 mmhos/cm. Furthermore, that on saline fields with a deep water-table (more than 2 m), sugarcane behaves as a salt sensible crop (15% reduction in yield with salinity of 2 mmhos/cm); on the contrary, in saline fields with a shallow water-table (0.80 to 1.10 m) sugarcane behaves as a salt semi-tolerant crop (15 percent reduction In yield with salinity of 8 mmhos/cm). It was also found that in slightly saline soils (from 2 to 8 mmhos/cm) high rates of nitrogenous fertilizers, more than 180 kg N/ha, did not increase cane nor recoverable sugar yield; however, the lowest rate of N used (180 kg/ha) produced higher yields than the control plot (no N). Likewise, it was found that with 15 percent of exchangeable sodium (ESP) cane or sugar yield decreased in 15 percent and that yield was reduced by one half when the ESP varied between 25 to 26.