2008 Volume 77 Issue 1 Pages 54-60
The growth of sugarcane plants at the initial stage is slower than that of other C4 plants. The improvement of initial growth is very important to obtain a high sugar content and high cane yield in sugarcane. In the present study, we examined the factors affecting the growth at the initial growth stage in Saccharum species (Saccharum spp. Hybrid, S. edule) and a related species (Erianthus spp., Pennisetum purpureum). The growth characteristics of the plants at 2 months after germination were compared with those at the 7th leaf growth stage. In the two-month-old plants, the shoot dry matter, leaf area and the number of shoot roots were larger in KRSp93-30 than those in the other species. However, at the 7th leaf stage, the number of shoot roots in KRSp93-30 were almost similar to those in other species. Efficient growth of KRSp93-30 at the initial stage may be attributed to a high leaf emergence rate and high net assimilation rate.
