CONDITIONS TO SUGARCANE PRODUCTION IN KHUZESTAN, IRAN AND ROLE OF RESEARCH TO OBTAIN HIGHER RESULTS

Abstract

Commercial sugarcane in Iran is subjected to an exceptional range of climatic conditions. The summer months have daily maximum temperatures over 45°C and winter months commonly have several days of frost. Due to that the 240 mm average annual rainfall occurs only in the cool months (November to April), the entire crop is irrigated up to the beginning of the annual harvest in mid October. In order to fulfill the sugar internal demand, it has been necessary to implement modern technologies, and that is where the Sugarcane Research and By-Products Development Institute, has played an important role. In this paper the technologies and conditions for the sugarcane production in Khuzestan province are detailed and also the research contributions to this objective which have made possible the implementation of an irrigation and drainage network, soil reclamation, plant nutrition, pest management and introduction of two new cultivars for hot and saline plain of Khuzestan.