Characterization of Different Areas with Maximum Potential Productivity Planted with Sugarcane in the Cauca River Valley (Colombia)

Cenicaña has a good amount of information from different databases that are supplied by the sugar mills, farmers and the permanent research in Cenicaña. Based on the foregoing, the maximum productivity that each field with sugarcane had obtained in the period 1990 - 2008 was taken and there were generated six areas with different productivity level and stability. Once the areas were generated, they were characterized with factors such as soil type, moisture group, agroecological zone, harvesting month, year, climatic features during its growing season, harvesting age, number of ratoon, among others. In areas of high and medium maximum productivity, similar characteristics of those factors were found out. The areas of low maximum productivity have some different characteristics, mainly associated with the particular group of moisture, the agro-ecological zone, soil type and climate. It was found out that, generally in order to obtain high maximum productions of sugar cane it is necessary to plant varieties with yields equal to or greater than those of varieties CC85-92, CC84-75 or V71-51, planting in the period June to September, harvesting age of 13 months, harvesting in the period July to October, with normal weather conditions or influenced by El Niño phenomenon, plan cane or no longer than third ratoon, well-drained , deep and fine texture soils, with a good drainage system and making a crop management practices timely and in adequate quantities.