Abstract

The low quality of sugarcane at the early milling is caused by multiple factors, including climatic conditions, excess nitrogen (N) fertilizer and the dominance of late-maturity varieties. Cane Ripeners (CRs) are one of the alternatives to raise the maturity of sugarcane. CRs can come from two groups, i.e., growth regulators and herbicides. Typical growth regulators used as CRs are ethylene and trinexapac ethyl, while the widely used herbicide is glyphosate. Commercial cane sugar (CCS) enhancement with CRs varies between 0.5 – 2.0 units. Increasing sugarcane maturity begins with the translocation of active compounds of CRs to the apical shoot meristem so that it can suppress the formation of new tissues by inhibiting the EPSPS enzyme. CR application could be made by several equipment i.e., a long spray stick, airplane or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spraying drone. Research results show growth suppression in ratoon plants due to residual effects of CRs in previous crops. However, other results show that CR residues are still below the normal threshold. The results show that the potential for using CR is still wide open to improve the quality of sugarcane.