Abstract
Experiments involving breaks to the sugarcane monoculture, soil fumigation and the application of biocides were conducted in Bundaberg, the Burdekin Valley and at Tully, three sugarcane-growing regions in Queensland, Australia. The aim was to elucidate the cause(s) of previously observed positive yield responses to breaks in the monoculture and assess persistence into a subsequent cane cycle. In all three experiments there was a positive response in the plant cane crop to fumigation of land that was under sugarcane monoculture, the response being 32, 39 and 21% for the Burdekin, Tully and Bundaberg experiments, respectively. Further, at Tully, the response was maintained into the ratoons. Fumigation after breaks also enhanced yields but the results were variable and were generally less than the response following sugarcane monoculture. At Tully, fumigating after bare fallow, grain crop and pasture breaks enhanced cane yields by 23, 26 and 29%, respectively, while in the Burdekin, responses to fumigation were much smaller at 9% (bare fallow), 4% (grain crop) and 8% (pasture). In Bundaberg, responses ranged from nil following a long-term (70 months) grass pasture up to 35% following a short-term (12 months) grass pasture, with a general trend for the response to fumigation being larger following short-term than long-term breaks. In the Tully experiment, biocides had variable effects on sugarcane growth and yield. Fungicide application produced as good a yield as fumigation whereas nematicides had little direct influence. However, when combined with fungicides, nematicides provided a synergistic effect in terms of shoot development. The results suggested that at the Tully site, fungi were the major detrimental biota associated with poor yields in long-term sugarcane monoculture, but nematodes had some influence once fungi were controlled. In two additional experiments at Bundaberg and Burdekin, it was shown that if the cane stool was removed after the plant crop (Bundaberg) and second ratoon (Burdekin) and sugarcane re-planted, there were no residual effects of breaks and fumigation. Thus it appears that the positive effects of breaks and fumigation measured in the ratoons were more associated with the development of a healthy stool in the plant crop than any residual effect on soil biota. In general the similarly positive response to fumigation and breaks indicated that a considerable part of the overall response to breaks was due to reducing the adverse effect of detrimental soil biota (largely fungi although there was an effect on nematodes). The type and duration of break was also important with long-term pasture being the most effective. However, the duration of the fumigation and break effects on soil biota only lasted for the plant crop.
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Claims 20
Claim · model-written summary
Fumigation after monoculture increased plant cane yield by 32% in Burdekin.
Verbatim
e0“the response being 32, 39 and 21% for the Burdekin, Tully and Bundaberg experiments, respectively.”
e1“positive response in the plant cane crop to fumigation of land that was under sugarcane monoculture”
t0“sugarcane monoculture”
Claim · model-written summary
Fumigation after monoculture increased plant cane yield by 39% in Tully.
Verbatim
e0“the response being 32, 39 and 21% for the Burdekin, Tully and Bundaberg experiments, respectively.”
e1“positive response in the plant cane crop to fumigation of land that was under sugarcane monoculture”
t0“sugarcane monoculture”
Claim · model-written summary
Fumigation after monoculture increased plant cane yield by 21% in Bundaberg.
Verbatim
e0“the response being 32, 39 and 21% for the Burdekin, Tully and Bundaberg experiments, respectively.”
e1“positive response in the plant cane crop to fumigation of land that was under sugarcane monoculture”
t0“sugarcane monoculture”
Claim · model-written summary
The Tully fumigation response persisted into ratoons.
Verbatim
e0“at Tully, the response was maintained into the ratoons.”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Fumigation after bare fallow increased Tully cane yield by 23%.
- Taxon
- sugarcanet0
- Treatment
- fumigating after bare fallowe0
- Outcome
- cane yieldse0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Value
- 23e0
- Setting
- Tullye0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“at Tully, fumigating after bare fallow, grain crop and pasture breaks enhanced cane yields by 23, 26 and 29%, respectively”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Fumigation after a grain crop increased Tully cane yield by 26%.
Verbatim
e0“at Tully, fumigating after bare fallow, grain crop and pasture breaks enhanced cane yields by 23, 26 and 29%, respectively”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Fumigation after pasture increased Tully cane yield by 29%.
Verbatim
e0“at Tully, fumigating after bare fallow, grain crop and pasture breaks enhanced cane yields by 23, 26 and 29%, respectively”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Fumigation after bare fallow raised Burdekin cane yield by 9%.
Verbatim
e0“in the Burdekin, responses to fumigation were much smaller at 9% (bare fallow), 4% (grain crop) and 8% (pasture)”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Fumigation after grain crop raised Burdekin cane yield by 4%.
Verbatim
e0“in the Burdekin, responses to fumigation were much smaller at 9% (bare fallow), 4% (grain crop) and 8% (pasture)”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Fumigation after pasture raised Burdekin cane yield by 8%.
Verbatim
e0“in the Burdekin, responses to fumigation were much smaller at 9% (bare fallow), 4% (grain crop) and 8% (pasture)”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
After a long grass pasture, fumigation showed nil response in Bundaberg.
Verbatim
e0“In Bundaberg, responses ranged from nil following a long-term (70 months) grass pasture up to 35% following a short-term (12 months) grass pasture”
e1“response to fumigation being larger following short-term than long-term breaks”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
After a short grass pasture, fumigation response in Bundaberg reached 35%.
Verbatim
e0“In Bundaberg, responses ranged from nil following a long-term (70 months) grass pasture up to 35% following a short-term (12 months) grass pasture”
e1“response to fumigation being larger following short-term than long-term breaks”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Fungicide application produced sugarcane yield as good as fumigation at Tully.
Verbatim
e0“Fungicide application produced as good a yield as fumigation”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Nematicides had little direct effect on sugarcane at Tully.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“nematicides had little direct influence”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Combining nematicides with fungicides synergistically improved sugarcane shoot development.
- Taxon
- sugarcanet0
- Treatment
- combined with fungicides, nematicidese0
- Outcome
- shoot developmente0
- Direction
- synergistic effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“when combined with fungicides, nematicides provided a synergistic effect in terms of shoot development”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
After replanting, prior breaks and fumigation showed no residual effect at Bundaberg and Burdekin.
Verbatim
e0“if the cane stool was removed after the plant crop (Bundaberg) and second ratoon (Burdekin) and sugarcane re-planted, there were no residual effects of breaks and fumigation.”
Claim · model-written summary
Fungi were identified as the major harmful biota in long term Tully sugarcane monoculture.
Verbatim
e0“at the Tully site, fungi were the major detrimental biota associated with poor yields in long-term sugarcane monoculture”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Nematodes affected yield after fungi were controlled in Tully sugarcane.
Verbatim
e0“nematodes had some influence once fungi were controlled”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Healthy stool development in the plant crop was proposed to explain ratoon benefits.
Verbatim
e0“positive effects of breaks and fumigation measured in the ratoons were more associated with the development of a healthy stool in the plant crop than any residual effect on soil biota”
t0“sugarcane”
Claim · model-written summary
Long term pasture was the most effective break type for sugarcane.
Verbatim
e0“The type and duration of break was also important with long-term pasture being the most effective.”
t0“sugarcane”
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