Environmental effects on sugarcane growth from on-farm data in the Brazilian Midwest

Climate and soil water availability are factors that influence the growth and yield of sugarcane. These factors can also serve as valuable indicators for predicting maturity and biometric changes in sugarcane, and also enhanced productivity. The aim of this study was to determine the biometric and sucrose accumulation responses of surgarcane as a function of agrometeorological data and soil water storage. The study was conducted in Santo Antônio de Goiás, Brazil. The CTC-4 sugarcane variety was assessed across harvests 2013/2014 (cane plant), 2014/2015 (ratoon 1), and 2015/2016 (ratoon 2). Agrometeorological data were collected from a weather station, to calculate degree days (DD), potential evapotranspiration (PETP), and soil water storage (SWS). Parameters including height (H), leaf area index (LAI), dry matter (DM), number of nodes (Nn), and soluble solids content (°Brix) were measured bi-weekly. Growth rates exhibited decline when SWS was below the threshold (191.61 mm). The highest confidence indices (c>0.85) were determined in H, Nn and °Brix estimates, as a function of PET and SWS. However, these equations are recommended to estimate sugarcane growth under the climate conditions of South-Central Brazil. Predicting biometric variables and sugarcane maturity through models proves valuable, enabling crop monitoring and reducing maturity determination costs. Key words: Saccharum spp., biometric variables, growth analysis, Brazilian Cerrado climate.