Introduction: Drought is an important stress factor for sugarcane production in many areas of the world. Water proportion and moisture indices are applicable information for agronomic planning to forecast water excess or deficit during the crop cycle. Objective: Leaf anatomical features of two different sugarcane Saccharum ‘UT12’ (drought susceptible cultivar) and Saccharum ‘UT13’ (drought tolerant cultivar) were compared under early drought stress situation between 30 and 90 days after planting. Methods: Forty leaf anatomical features were investigated using peeling and free hand sectioning technique. Results: Some anatomical characteristics showed response to drought stress. Saccharum ‘UT12’ demonstrated higher sensitivity toward anatomical characteristics than Saccharum ‘UT13’. A total of 23 and 15 out of the 40 anatomical characteristics showed significance in Saccharum ‘UT12’ and Saccharum ‘UT13’, respectively. Some anatomical features such as cell wall and cuticle thickness, vascular bundle size, stomatal size and density can be used as important markers for drought stress assessment in sugarcane leaf. Conclusions: This is the first report describing comparative leaf anatomy of sugarcane Saccharum ‘UT12’ and Saccharum ‘UT13’ in Thailand under drought stress. Results will provide important information to improve adaptation mechanisms of tolerant sugarcane cultivars under initial drought stress situations.

Poor ratooning ability for sugarcane can limit crop productivity and profitability of sugarcane growers. The objective of this study was to determine the association of physiological responses and root distribution patterns on the yield of the second ratoon cane, and the relationships between these traits. Seventeen sugarcane genotypes were planted in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The second ratoon crop was evaluated for germination percentage, cane yield, Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) chlorophyll meter reading (SCMR), chlorophyll fluorescence, relative water content (RWC), specific leaf area (SLA), and stomatal conductance. Root length density (RLD) was evaluated through the auger method. The root samples were divided into upper and lower soil layers in order to study root distribution patterns. Sugarcane genotypes were significantly different for RLD, germination percentage, and cane yield. Root distribution patterns were classified into three groups based on the RLD. High RLD between plants in the upper soil layers at 90 days after harvest (DAH) was positively correlated with high germination, whereas high RLD between rows in the lower soil layers at 90 and 270 DAH was associated with high cane yield. RWC at 90 DAH and stomatal conductance at 180 DAH were closely related to germination percentage, whereas chlorophyll fluorescence and stomatal conductance at 180 DAH were closely related to cane yield.

Drought-tolerant sugarcane genotypes have been proposed to alleviate the issue of early water deficits; however, it is important to investigate the impact of phenology on the crop growth rate and growth patterns. This study aimed to investigate the responses of different water deficit-tolerant cultivars on crop growth rate patterns of both plant crop and ratoon under rain-fed and well-irrigated conditions, and to determine the relationship between final stalk dry weight and crop growth rates during water deficit, recovery, and maturity phases. A 2 × 6 split plot in a randomized complete block design with four replications was used. Two water regimes, namely, field capacity (FC) and rain-fed conditions, were assigned as the main plot, whereas six sugarcane cultivars differing in water deficit-tolerant levels were assigned as sub-plots. Sugarcane cultivar KK3 consistently possessed high potential and low reduction in dried shoot weight. A correlation was found between stalk dry weight and stem growth rate, shoot growth rate, and height growth rate (HGR) during the recovery period in the first season, and HGR at the recovery stage was correlated with the dry weight of ratoon. The recovery phase of early water deficit stress was a key stage for determining the final stalk dry matter. The desired cultivars having a good adaptation to water deficit stress at the formative stage, such as KK3, showed a gradually increased growth rate during the early water deficit stage, but this growth accelerated, and the maximum growth rate was reached, during the recovery period. This knowledge will help to clarify the selection of sugarcane cultivars in breeding programs that can resist water deficit at the early growth stage.

Weeds represent a significant problem in Thailand’s sugarcane production. The various cycles of sugarcane cultivation result in degrees of weed severity in which each species requires a different weed control method, the most popular of which is the post-emergence herbicide method. However, sugarcane farmers often use incorrect rates, and operators’ safety is missing or applications are not selective, causing toxicity and interrupted growth of sugarcane. The effects of post-emergence herbicide types, time, and application rates are presented herein, through an experiment in Northeast Thailand, conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. The herbicides paraquat and ametryn were evaluated, with paraquat being more effective, yet resulting in higher toxicity and lower yield components. We may conclude through our experiments that ametryn and paraquat can be applied only once for sugarcane at the tillering stage and at rates of 540 and 2400 g ai ha⁻¹, respectively. These rates were lower than the recommended rates, which represented the minimum doses necessary to control Thailand’s dominant weed species like Brachiaria distachya (L.) Stapf., Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) P.B., Praxelis clematidea R.M King & H. Rob and Pennisetum polystachion (L.) Schult. Consequently, the adequate control of weeds is a rather case-specific situation and therefore each weed species should be taken into account.

Drought resistance mechanisms of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) vary with different conditions and locations. Understanding physiological and morphological responses of sugarcane cultivars grown under uniform and controllable conditions needs to be established. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of drought responses of sugarcane cultivars grown under low water potential conditions via polyethylene glycol (PEG) induction. The hydroponic experiment was conducted under open greenhouse conditions. A split-plot in a randomised complete block design with three replicates was used. The PEG rates (0% and 1%) were assigned as main factor. Six sugarcanes cultivars differing in drought-resistance levels were sub-plot factors. To understand drought mechanisms, physiological and morphological traits were measured during stress and recovery periods. Drought mechanisms clearly evidenced only low water potentials at early growth stages, but not terminal drought stress. The six cultivars used in this study could be classified into two groups based on responses of shoot mass after exposure to early drought, consisting of reduced shoot dry weight when exposed to early drought stress and insensitive to early drought stress. In recovery phase, shoot DM of reduced shoot dry weight cultivar (‘KKU99-03’) was 754.6 and 499.5 g pl^-1 under control and PEG treatments, respectively, whereas shoot DM of insensitive group did not differ from control conditions. Drought resistance mechanisms, which can maintain aboveground DM of sugarcane cultivars under this condition, varied. Good adaptations for maintenance shoot mass under hydroponics were photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, partitioning of dry weight, root dry weight and green leaf number proportions. The ability to perform well with acclimation of these traits might be useful for improving drought resistance genotypes in the future.