Abstract
The development of high quality seedlings contributes to the viability of sugarcane production. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of electrolyzed water treatment on germination and initial growth of sugarcane seedlings. Electrolyzed water treatment is a safe method with low environmental impact; however, it has never been applied to the preparation of sugarcane seedlings. In this experiment, we prepared sugarcane seedlings with strongly acidic electrolyzed water (pH 2.3-2.4) or strongly alkaline electrolyzed water (pH 11.6-11.8) and allowed them to soak for 3-24 h. Electrolyzed water treatment had no effect on germination or growth of seedlings. However, the weight of roots was increased after 3 h of acidic electrolyzed water treatment. We conclude that acidic electrolyzed water treatment increased root growth and may therefore be useful in sugarcane cultivation.
