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Stalk Number in Sugarcane in Spaced and Competitive Plantings¹

Twenty random F₁ sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) clones from three crosses were grown as spaced stools in a 21-replication, randomized block experiment. They were also planted at the commercial planting rate in competitive tests with eight replications. The objective was to examine, for a series of genotypes, the relationship between stalk numbers in spaced stools and competitive plots. For the 20 clones, there was a positive correlation (0.69) between mean stalk number per stool and mean stalk number per competitive plot. The 20 clones were more variable in the spaced-stool test than in the competitive test, with clonal means ranging from 4.90 to 14.72 stalks per stool in the spaced test (5% confidence interval ± 1.18) but only from 108.7 to 162.9 stalks per 7 m₂ plot (5% confidence interval ± 15.2) in the competitive test. It appears possible to select, in the single-stool stage, clones that will produce high stalk populations in commercial plantings. However, to provide adequate precision, the spaced stool test must be replicated.

Key Words: Saccharum • Sugarcane breeding • Tillering • Plot techniques

² Assistant professor of Agronomy; Agric. Research and Education Center, Belle Glade, Fla.

³ Research geneticist and research agronomists, respectively, ARS, USDA, Canal Point, Fla.

Received for publication September 7, 1976.