Effects of Partial Defoliation on Sucrose Accumulation, Enzyme Activity and Agronomic Parameters in Sugar cane (Saccharum spp.)

Mechanical defoliation of sugar cane plants (Saccharum spp.) will provide leaves that can be used as fodder. The effect of partial mechanical defoliation on sucrose content, enzyme activities and agronomic parameters of sugar cane is still unknown. We investigated how sucrose accumulation, activities of sucrose phosphate synthase, soluble acid invertase, sucrose synthase, neutral invertase, brix grades, purity grade, moisture content, fibre content, maturity index and reduced sugars of two commercial sugar cane plants (Mex 69‐290 and Mex 57‐473) were affected in a field experiment. The concentration of sucrose in stems of partial defoliated plants was not significantly different from that found in intact plants. Agronomic parameters and enzyme activities were not different in defoliated plants compared with intact plants except for the moisture content which was higher in defoliated plants than in intact ones. These results indicated that sugar cane plants could be partially defoliated without changing sucrose production and agronomic parameters while providing leaves that could be used as fodder.