Effects of Harvest Method and Harvest Residue Management on Sugarcane Growth and Yield in Florida and Costa Rica.

Sugarcane (a complex hybrid of Saccharum spp.) in Florida and Costa Rica is primarily harvested through burnt cane harvest method, but increased urbanization and environmental concerns increased the importance of alternate green cane harvest method. In burnt cane harvest, there is a controlled pre-harvest burning to get rid off cane tops and other leafy material. In green cane harvest, sugarcane is harvested without burning which leaves thick harvest residue layer on the soil surface after harvest. As sugarcane is multi-harvest crop, harvest residue layer may affect growth and yield of following crop (ratoon crop). Field trials were conducted at the Everglades Research and Education Center, Belle Glade, and Hilliard Brothers farm, Clewiston in Florida, and El-Viejo in Costa Rica to determine the effects of green cane harvest method and harvest residue management on sugarcane growth and yield parameters. Harvest residue was managed through inter-row raking and disking. Data were collected on sugarcane plant population, Leaf Area Index (LAI), millable stalks, Tons of Cane per Hectare (TCH) and Tons of Sugar per Hectare (TSH). In general, plots with burnt cane harvest had greater plant population, LAI, TCH and TSH than green cane in ratoon crops at all three locations. Raking and disking improved sugarcane growth and yield in green cane harvested plots. It indicates that the thick harvest residue layer left on the soil surface after green cane harvest had negative effects on plant growth and yield in ratoon crops, and harvest residue management may help in mitigating these effects.