Combined Effects of Chemical Ripeners and Potassium Fertilization on Sugarcane Juice Quality at Different Crop Ages

Applying potassium ripener and fertilizer is one way to address climate anomalies that impact sugar quality. The study's objectives were to learn more about how applying potassium fertilizer and ripener at varying ages can enhance the quality of sugar. The ripener treatments included glyphosate, Na bispiribac and a no-ripener control that was used on the 8 and 10-month-old plants. The K₂O fertilizer treatment used 5 levels, namely 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 kg ha^-1. The study was laid out using a split-split plot design with three replications with the age of the sugarcane at ripener application in main plots, ripener in subplots, and the dose of K₂O fertilizer in sub-subplots. The parameters observed were sugar quality, including brix value, pol, purity, and commercial cane sugar (CCS) at 4, 6 and 8 weeks after application (WAA). The results showed no interaction between age, ripener, and K₂O dosage on sugar quality. The best sugar quality was obtained from the combination of a 10-month growth period and a K₂O dose of 60 kg ha^-1 and an 8-month growth period at a dose of 120 kg ha^-1 K₂O. Glyphosate was more effective at improving sugar quality at 10 months, while Na bispiribac was more effective at 8 months. The optimal application interval for the ripener is 4–6 WAA.