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The course of fertilizer nitrogen uptake by rainfed sugarcane in Mauritius

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

K. F. Ng Kee Kwong  and
J. Deville
K. F. Ng Kee Kwong
Affiliation:
Sugar Industry Research Institute, Réduit, Mauritius
J. Deville
Affiliation:
Sugar Industry Research Institute, Réduit, Mauritius
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Summary

The patterns of N uptake and dry matter synthesis by sugarcane (Saccharum hybrid spp.) were studied at four locations in Mauritius with 15N–labelled ammonium sulphate (100 kg N/ha) applied either in a single dressing in September or in two split applications in September and the following February. More than 80% of the total N recovered at harvest (100–120 kgN/ha) was absorbed by the sugarcane during an active uptake period from October to January. Split application prolonged this active N uptake until April only and had no effect on dry matter accumulation. While total Nabsorbed by above-ground sugarcane showed no decline over time, 10–20 kg N/ha of the 15N–labelled N was lost from the green tops even when the N was applied on two occasions. The fertilizer N losses from above-ground sugarcane were, however, not evident when fertilizer N recovery with time was studied by the difference method. In view of the observed losses of fertilizer N from the aerial parts of sugarcane, measurement of fertilizer N recovery at harvest by the N isotope dilution technique underestimates fertilizer N uptake by sugarcane and attributes too large a fraction of N loss to denitrification/volatilization of NH3.

Type
Crops and Soils
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 122 , Issue 3 , June 1994 , pp. 385 - 391
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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