Tandem Nutrient and Ripener Application Improves the Yield and Quality of Middle and Late Harvest Sugarcane

The global demand for sugar and renewable fuels is rising, positioning sugarcane as a key crop due to its high productivity and economic viability. Applying multinutrient foliar fertilizers during the vegetative and maturation stages enhances sugarcane productivity by stimulating antioxidant enzyme activity, reducing stress, delaying leaf senescence, and promoting photosynthesis. Ripeners accelerate sugarcane maturation and increase sugar content in stalks, improving raw material quality. This study evaluated the effects of the combined application of multinutrient foliar fertilizers and ripeners on the development, yields, and sucrose synthesis of sugarcane harvested in winter (middle) and spring (late). A foliar multinutrient fertilizer containing N, K, Mg, S, B, Mn, Zn, and Mo was applied 150 days before harvest (DBH) in winter or 60 DBH in spring (vegetative stage), with an additional application at 30 DBH (maturation stage). Multinutrient fertilization at both stages increased plant height, stalk diameter, and stalk yields. Sucrose content and theoretical recoverable sugar (TRS) were highest in the treatments with ripener alone or ripener combined with multinutrient fertilizer. Compared with the control, two applications of multinutrient fertilizer combined with ripener (VMR treatment) increased sugar yield by 10.0% and 14.0% in middle and late harvest sugarcane, respectively. These treatments also boosted bagasse and energy production. The accumulation of reducing sugars and sucrose in leaves was highest under multinutrient foliar fertilization at both the vegetative and maturation stages. Thus, combining multinutrient foliar fertilization with ripener application enhances photosynthetic activity, leading to greater sugar and energy production and improved raw material quality.