Effect of ethephon and calcium chloride on growth and biochemical attributes of sugarcane bud chips

The present study was aimed at improving sprouting and establishment of bud chip seed stocks of sugarcane cultivar CoSe 92423 by pre-planting soaking in growth-promoting chemicals viz ethephon (0.1 g dm⁻³) and calcium chloride (1 g dm⁻³) along with water-soaked control for 24 h. Treated bud chips recorded higher bud sprouting, shoot height, root number, fresh weight of leaves, shoot and roots, and plant vigor index. In both the treatments, reducing sugars contents, acid invertase, and ATPase activity increased in developing sprouts; increase was about 86.5 and 40.7% in reducing sugars, 28 and 70% in acid invertase, and 15 and 23% in ATPase activities over control by ethephon and calcium chloride treatment, respectively. Reducing sugars contents and activity of acid invertase and ATPase enzymes of sprouted buds exhibited significant positive correlation with bud sprouting and plant vigor index. These findings indicate that soaking of bud chips in growth-promoting chemicals viz ethephon (0.1 g dm⁻³) and calcium chloride (1 g dm⁻³) solutions helps in enhancing bud sprouting, root growth, and plant vigor by altering some of the key biochemical attributes essential for the early growth and better establishment of bud chips under field conditions which is otherwise poor in untreated chips.

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