Dry matter productivity of high biomass sugarcane in upland and paddy fields in the Kanto region of Japan

Abstract

Eight high biomass sugarcane clones and two commercial sugarcane cultivars were planted in upland and paddy fields in Tsukuba in 2003-2005 to identify a new crop suitable for abandoned paddy fields in the Kanto region of Japan. The paddy field was flood irrigated until harvest in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, the paddy field was flood irrigated for one month after transplantation and then the water was drained to above ground level to maintain an ill-drained condition. The highest dry matter (DM) yield of the high biomass clones was over 40 Mg/ha in the upland field, and even in the ill-drained paddy field, all high biomass clones achieved almost 30 Mg/ha. Because DM yield of feed-use rice cultivars is reported to be around 20 Mg/ha, DM yield of high biomass clones grown in ill-drained conditions would exceed that of feed-use cultivars grown in a flooded condition. Average DM yield, stalk number and plant length of the high biomass clones grown in the ill-drained paddy field were better than those grown in the flood-irrigated condition. Although the average DM yield in the paddy field was lower than the upland field every year (P < 0.01), the average proportion (paddy/upland) of DM yield in 2005 when the paddy field was in the ill-drained condition was 0.79, whereas it was 0.59 in 2003 and 0.54 in 2004 when the paddy field was flood irrigated. The results suggest that sugarcane and high biomass clones can be grown in ill-drained paddy fields with good yields; however, cultivars with improved initial growth rates and winter survivability are necessary for the Kanto region.