Sugarcane by-products used as soil amendments on a sandy soil: Effects on sugarcane crop nutrition and yield

Agricultural by-products applied as soil amendments have the potential to improve crop production on low organic matter (OM) soils. This two-year study investigated the use of two readily available sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) milling by-products, mill mud, and mill ash, as soil amendments to improve first sugarcane crop (plant cane) and subsequent crop (first ratoon) grown on a sandy Spodosol. Sugarcane was grown in lysimeters receiving mill mud, mill ash, and a 50:50 (v:v) mill mud to mill ash mix. Amendments were applied at low, medium, and high application rates (5, 10, and 15cm depths, respectively) and then incorporated 30cm deep. Amendment effects on plant nutrition, soil characteristics, and crop yield were determined. High rate applied mill mud and mill ash had the highest soil OM content for both years and soil OM did not significantly change between crops for all treatments except for high rate mill mud, which increased the second year (ratoon crop). Leaf nutrient levels for nitrogen (N), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) for all treatments both years were insufficient; nutrient levels for magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), and silicon (Si) were within marginal to sufficient range for all treatments both years. All amendments produced significantly higher biomass and sucrose yields for plant cane and first ratoon crops compared to the control. Mill ash treatments produced the greatest increase in sucrose and biomass yields from plant cane to ratoon crops, which corresponded with an increase in potassium (K) in leaf tissue. However, mid and high rates of mix produced the highest sugarcane biomass and sucrose yields for the both the plant cane and ratoon crops.