Deficiency, Critical Threshold, and Sufficiency Levels for Hydroponic Supplementation of Major Nutrients for Evaluating Sugarcane under Controlled Conditions

• Published in: Journal of soil science and plant nutrition Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 1002 - 1014
• Main Authors: Vengavasi, Krishnapriya, Elumalai, Karpagam, Srinivasavedantham, Vasantha, Raja, Arun Kumar, Shareef, Anusha, Vazhakkannadi, Vinu, Muthalagu, Alagupalamuthirsolai, Raju, Gomathi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.03.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agriculture; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Controlled conditions; Crop growth; Crops; Dietary supplements; Ecology; Efficiency; Environment; Fertilizer application; Genotypes; Growth stage; Hydroponics; Life Sciences; Morphology; Natural resources; Nitrogen; Nutrient uptake; Nutrients; Original Paper; Phosphorus; Physiological responses; Physiology; Plant Sciences; Pollution control; Potassium; Productivity; Resource conservation; Soil Science & Conservation; Sorghum; Sugarcane; India; spp; Cate-Nelson analysis; Nutrient use efficiency; Hydroponic culture; Phosphorus; Nitrogen; Potassium
• ISSN: 0718-9508; 0718-9516
• DOI: 10.1007/s42729-023-01604-w

Nutrient efficient sugarcane varieties are required to sustain the yield under optimal fertiliser application with an aim of reducing environmental pollution and conserving natural resources. In this context, it is essential to evaluate sugarcane genotypes at an early crop growth stage for major nutrient (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)) use efficiency under controlled conditions. Hydroponic culture facilitates evaluating crops under minimal to nil nutrient levels, thus response to varying levels of N, P and K may be observed earlier as compared to field conditions. To identify the deficiency, critical threshold, and sufficiency levels of major nutrients for hydroponic nutrient supplementation, an experiment was conducted by subjecting a popular sugarcane variety Co 86032 (Nayana) to differential levels of N, P and K (0 to 2000 µM). The crop response was analysed through the morpho-physiological traits and nutrient uptake in three-month-old plants. With the Cate-Nelson analysis of relative shoot dry weight (RSDW) vs nutrient uptake, and RSDW vs nutrient supplementation, the critical threshold levels were determined to be 19.41 mg N plant −1 , 4.40 mg P plant −1 , and 12.65 mg K plant −1 , corresponding to hydroponic supplementation of 375.0 µM N, 87.5 µM P, and 175.0 µM K, respectively. Nutrient supplementation below and above the critical threshold were identified as deficiency and sufficiency levels, respectively. Based on the morpho-physiological responses of Co 86032 to varying levels of major nutrients, hydroponic nutrient supplementation for genotypic evaluation under controlled condition was optimised, including deficiency (20.0 µM N, 2.0 µM P, and 10.0 µM K), critical threshold (375.0 µM N, 87.5 µM P, and 175.0 µM K) and sufficiency (2.0 mM N, P and K) levels.