A Promising Early Maturing Sugarcane Variety from the East African Sugar Development Project (EASDP)

Variety FR 95-2345 imported from Visacane, Cirad germplasm collection in Montpellier, France through the East African Sugar Development Project was evaluated along with five locally bred sugarcane varieties KEN 98-530, KEN 98-533, KEN 00-3811, KEN 82-472 and KEN 83-737 from 2017-2019 at Mumias in Western Kenya. The varieties were selected for earliness in maturity. Variety KEN 83-737 was included as a local standard and the plant crop was harvested at the age of 17 months. There were significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) among the varieties in all sampled parameters. The highest yielding variety was KEN 83-737 at 135.6 t/ha followed by KEN 98-530 at 111.5 t/ha and FR 95-2345 at 95.6 t/ha. The lowest yield was recorded on variety KEN 82-472 at 37.9 t/ha. No common diseases and pests were observed on the crop throughout the experiments. From the result, one locally bred variety KEN 98-530 and FR 95-2345 imported from Cirad were promising, having achieved 82.7% and 70.5% yield compared with the local standard. There was no significant difference (p < 0.05) in cane quality from the Brix readings, however, variety FR 95-2345 recorded the highest top:bottom ratio of 0.77, a desirable indicator for earliness in maturity. Testing of the two varieties for ratooning ability is recommended. Promotion and expansion of the area under fast-maturing varieties will address the raw material shortage that has negatively affected the sugar industry in Kenya.