Germination of the artificial sugarcane seed (Saccharum spp.)

Abstract

Objective: Determinate the sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) seed germination and seedlings emergence from the artificial seed in an Eutric Fluvisol.

Design/methodology/approximation: A completely random design was used, and the treatments were distributed in experimental plots with 4 replications each. The study variables were: the emergence of seedlings and the vigor of seedlings at 30 days after sowing.

Results: Encapsulate sugarcane buds using sodium alginate at 2 % plus calcium chloride at 10 % and starch at 15 %, provided an adequate mean for the conservation of the viability of the yolk, obtaining emergency percentages of 94.4 and 97.2 %, respectively at 30 days after planting

Limitations/implications: The encapsulated of Sodium alginate at 2% plus calcium chloride at 10% obtained a good percentage of germination, however, its high cost makes its implementation in the unprofitable field.

Finding/Conclusions: The results demonstrate the ability of the artificial seed of sugar cane encapsulated with starch for a rapid and homogeneous emergency in field conditions, evidencing the enormous potential of this technology as an alternative to improve the quality of sugarcane seeds and to reduce the weight of the planting material used.