Growth and Nutrient Composition of Sugarcane Genotypes Subjected to Salinity and Drought Stresses

Drought and salinity individually or in combination adversely affects growth, development, and yield of sugarcane. Apart from physiological traits, nutrients status was studied in six commercial hybrids subjected to drought, salinity, and salinity + drought. Drought was simulated by withholding irrigation in the field, while salinity and salinity + drought were imposed in microplots. Physiological traits, viz, chlorophyll fluorescence, chlorophyll (SPAD) index, biomass production, and leaf area index, reduced drastically in combined stress as against individual stress treatments. Among major nutrients, phosphorus (P) reduced significantly in all the stress treatments. Similarly, iron (Fe) and Zinc (Zn) reduced due to stress and showed differential response for growth stages. Reduction in cane yield and sucrose percentage in stress conditions warrants supplementation of P, Fe, and Zn.