Ratooning Ability of two Sugar Cane varieties affected by Whip Smut (Sporisorium scitamineum. Sydow) at Badeggi, NIGERIA

• Published in: International Journal of BioSciences, Agriculture and Technology Vol. 9; no. 5; pp. 32 - 42
• Main Author: Wada, A C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Coimbatore A. Prabhu Britto, Editor and Publisher 01.01.2018
• Subjects: Agricultural economics; Agricultural production; Agriculture; Crop diseases; Crop yield; Crops; Infections; Inoculum; Plant diseases; Sea level; Shutdowns; Smut; Sporisorium scitamineum; Sugarcane; Teliospores; Tillers; Tonnage; Nigeria
• ISSN: 0975-4539
• DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1486289

Two varieties of sugar cane, Bida local and Co 957 were inoculated with four levels of Sporisorium scitamineum inoculum, 0 x 106, 2 x 106, 4 x 106 and 6 x 106 teliospores/ml respectively and planted in a split plot design in four replicates at Badeggi (lat.9°045'N; long 6°07'E at an altitude of 70.57m above sea level), between 1998 and 2000. Results showed that their ratooning ability was significantly impaired by the effect of whip smut. Bida local chewing sugar cane significantly had the least number of tillers and the highest number of dead stools than Co 957 in both plant and ratoon crop cycles of 1998, 1999 and 2000. The 6 x 106 teliospores/ml inoculum concentration recorded the least number of tillers and the highest number of dead stools as well as the lowest yield in the two test cane varieties. The ability of a cane variety to produce large number of tillers is an indication of its high tonnage yield. The significantly reduced number of tillers in Bida local with the consequent dead stools resulted in its poor ratoonability and lower yield than Co 957. The implication is that chewing sugar cane should be effectively managed against infection by S. scitamineum as its effect, particularly on the ratoon crop destroys and kills the cane, producing dead stools resulting in total loss to the grower. Chewing cane growers at present avoid maintaining the ratoon of their canes to escape this loss but incur additional wages and cost on land preparation and seed cane.