Drip-fertigation - A means for reducing fertilizer nitrogen to sugarcane

The extent by which fertilizer nitrogen (N) may be reduced by the use of drip-fertigation in sugarcane was determined using N-15-labelled fertilizer in a field experiment in Mauritius. The data showed that, under the soil and climatic conditions that prevailed at the study site, fertilizer N could be reduced by 30%. Indeed, with 80 kg N ha(-1) a(-1) by drip-fertigation, total or fertilizer N recovered, growth pattern (as reflected by tiller density and leaf area development) and sugarcane yields were not inferior to those obtained with the standard practice of burying 120 kg N ha(-1) a(-1) along the cane rows. Applying more N than needed by the sugarcane in anticipation of a higher yield with drip irrigation would be wasteful of fertilizer N resources.