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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Canal Point, Florida » Sugarcane Field Station » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #208421
Title: Morphological responses of sugarcane to long-term flooding

Author
item GILBERT, R - UNIV. FLORIDA, EREC, BELL
item RAINBOLT, C - UNIV. FLORIDA,EREC,BELLE
item Morris, Dolen
item BENNETT, A - USDA-NRCS,FREDERICK,OK

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/18/2007
Publication Date: 11/30/2007
Citation: Gilbert, R.A., Rainbolt, C.R., Morris, D.R., Bennett, A.C. 2007. Morphological responses of sugarcane to long-term flooding. Agronomy Journal.

Interpretive Summary: Sugarcane in south Florida is often subjected to flooding due to intense summer rainfall or tropical storm events. While there has been considerable research on the response of sugarcane cultivars to high water tables, there is a lack of information on plant adaptation to long-term flooding. An experiment was established in Belle Glade, FL to examine the effect of a 3-month summer flood (July – Sept.) on the growth and yield of cultivars CP 80-1743 and CP 72-2086. Adaptation measurements of sugarcane leaf, stem, belowground root, aboveground root, and stem air spaces were performed in the plant cane (2003) and second ratoon crops (2005). Stem air spaces are important for transporting oxygen to the roots under flooding conditions. Adaptation changes in response to flooding were remarkably similar in the both years, with flooding leading to significantly reduced leaf weight, and greater aboveground root and stem air space developments. Both cultivars responded to flooding by producing aboveground roots dry matter at the expense of belowground root dry matter. Unlike CP 80-1743, CP 72-2086 produced air spaces more than halfway up the stalk under non-flooded conditions. Differing plant adaptation responses to flooding indicate that stem air space development up the stalk may be a useful screening tool to identify potentially flood-tolerant plants.

Technical Abstract: Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) in south Florida is often subjected to flooding due to intense summer rainfall or tropical storm events. While there has been considerable research on the response of sugarcane cultivars to high water tables, there is a lack of information on cultivar morphological adaptation to long-term flooding. An experiment was established in Belle Glade, FL to examine the effect of a 3-month summer flood (July – Sept.) on the growth and yield of cultivars CP 80-1743 and CP 72-2086. Morphological measurements of sugarcane leaf, stem, primary root, adventitious root and aerenchyma development were performed in the plant cane (2003) and second ratoon crops (2005). Morphological changes in response to flooding were remarkably similar in the both years, with flooding leading to significantly reduced leaf weight, and greater adventitious root development, and aerenchyma pipe length and diameter. Both cultivars responded to flooding by producing aboveground adventitious roots at the expense of belowground primary root biomass. A significant genotype x flood interaction on aerenchyma length and diameter was noted, with CP 72-2086 producing constitutive aerenchyma more than halfway up the stalk under non-flooded conditions. Differing genotypic morphological responses to flooding indicate that aerenchyma development up the stalk may be a useful screening tool to identify potentially flood-tolerant genotypes.