Chemical Properties and Juice Quality of Three Sugarcane Varieties as Affected by Gypsum, Filter Mud Cake and Inorganic Fertilization

A field experiment was conducted at Mallawi Agriculture Research Station Farm – El-Minia Governorate, Egypt in two successive seasons of 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 (plant crops) to find out the influence of gypsum, filter mud cake with inorganic fertilization on chemical composition and juice quality of three sugarcane varieties. The obtained results could be summarized as follow:
Gypsum rates had insignificant effect on leaves consists of P and K and significantly on the percentages of N, S and Ca of sugarcane leaves in the both seasons. Each increment in gypsum rate was associated with a significant increase in juice quality (brix% and sucrose%) in the two seasons. Juice purity% and reducing sugars% significantly affected by gypsum rates only in the first season, but the same traits showed insignificant response to gypsum rates in the second growing season.
As for, filter mud cake with inorganic fertilization, the data cleared that fertilization had a significant effects on the traits of N, P, K, S and Ca leaves consist, juice quality traits (brix, sucrose and reducing sugars percentages) in the first and the second growing seasons.Juice purity percentage significantly affected only in the 1^st season.
Also, varieties differed significantly in respect to the traits of N, P and K leaves consists and brix% in the first and the second growing seasons, but had insignificant effect in respect of S and Ca leaves concentrations, purity% and reducing sugars% not only in the first season but also in the second one as well as it had significant effect on sucrose% in the second growing season.

The second order interaction showed insignificant effects on N, P, S and Ca leaf concentrations, significant effect on brix and sucrose percentages in the first and the second growing seasons, while it showed significant effect in K concentration in the second season only, however it had a significant effect on purity and reducing sugars percentages only in the first growing season.