Influence of Planting Date on Yield and Quality of Sugarcane under the Agro-Climatic Conditions of Mardan

Sustainable sugarcane productivity is among the challenges in the era of climate change and food security. Planting dates being an ecological factor can be utilized for allowing cane cultivation in different cropping patterns. The losses in yield due to reduction in crop cycle or delay planting can be compensated by increasing the cropping intensity on same field. A field experiment was carried out during the year 2015- 16 at Palatoo Research Farm of Amir Muhammad Khan Campus Mardan, The University of Agriculture Peshawar. The experiment was consisted of traditional cultivation of sugarcane both in winter season (20th September, 10th October, 30th October and 20th November) and spring season (20th February, 10th March and 30th March). Randomized complete block design was used having four replications. The sub-plot size was kept 5m × 5 m having six rows with length of 5 m. The effect of different planting dates revealed that planting dates had significant effect on tillers m-2, plant height, number of leaves tiller-1, mean leaf area, leaf area index, stem diameter, number of nodes tiller-1, internodes length, cane yield, total dry matter, cane yield, pol and sugar recovery. Higher number of tillers (14.0), number of nodes tiller-1 (15.3) mean leaf area (466.3 cm2), leaf area index (10.47), internode length (14.3 cm), thicker canes (2.48 cm), total dry matter (105.8 t ha-1), cane yield (82.5 t ha-1) and higher sugar recovery (13.49 %) was achieved when sugarcane setts were sown on 20th September. The performance of plots sown on 30th March was found not promising as compared to all other sowing except POL and sugar recovery which were comparatively better compared to rest of sowing dates.