Productivity and Biochemical Characteristics of Sugarcane When Submitted to the Action of Chemical Ripeners

Abstract

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is native to southeastern Asia and has been cultivated in Brazil since the 16 th century. Nowadays, due to plant breeding, several varieties have been developed and adapted to different climatic conditions, soils, and so on (CAPUTO et al., 2007). Although presently there is a diverse availability of Poaceae varieties, sucrose levels from these materials are not always able to guarantee the yield expected by sugar-energy industry, and, therefore, many times chemical substances are applied to optimize results (SILVA et al., 2010). Thus, the utilization of chemical ripeners is an important tool, since they are applied to accelerate the maturation process, enhance raw material quality, optimize agro-industrial and economic results, and help crop planning, allowing essential crop management in a modern production system (VIANA et al., 2008; ROBERTO et al., 2015). Chemical ripeners are compounds applied to the plant so that the correct dose can stop sugarcane vegetative development due to their inhibiting action on metabolism, causing maturation, that is, translocating and storing sugars in the stalks (LEITE et al., 2009a).