SUGARCANE VARIETY P.O.J. 2878 IN PUERTO RICO 
g 
In 2 of 3 comparisons on upland or rolling to undulating fields, P.O.J. 
2878 was superior to B.H. 10(12). For upland soils of a heavy type 
in eastern Puerto Rico only the following instance has been reported: 
On 1 acre of clay on the farm of A. J. Sykes, near Bayamon, P.O.J. 
2878 16-month first ra toons, cut in January 1933, produced 61.7 tons 
of cane and the sugar in cane was 11.47 percent. These very favor- 
able data combined with those from the rolling to undulating fields at 
Fajardo and Humacao indicate that P.O.J. 2878 should be given a 
thorough trial on various soils in eastern Puerto Rico, particularly in 
upland areas. 
PRIMAVERA AND FIRST-RATOON TRIALS AT CENTRALS CAMBALACHE AND 
SAN VICENTE 
B.H. 10(12) is the major cane variety at Centrals Cambalache and 
San Vicente and on most of the north-coast lowlands. In the uplands 
S.C. 12/4 and P.O.J. 2725 are grown extensively. Along the entire 
north coast, mosaic constitutes more of a problem than along the irri- 
gated south coast. The same amount of roguing is not equally effec- 
tive on both coastal plains because of climatic differences and the fact 
that many fields of 100 percent infected P.O.J. 36 are still under culti- 
vation in the north. It has not been found practicable to control the 
disease except in limited areas devoted to seed production. For these 
reasons a mosaic-resistant variety to replace the susceptible varieties 
B.H. 10(12) and S.C. 12/4 is much sought after, and P.O.J. 2878 was 
received with marked enthusiasm from the start. Results of a 2-year 
variety trial of primavera and first ratoons on } 20 -acre plats at Cam- 
balache are shown in table 5. 
Table 5. — Results of sugarcane variety tests at Central Cambalache, 1929-31 l 
Germi- 
nation 
Acre yield 
of cane 
Available 
96° sugar 
per acre 
Yield 
of sugar 
Rainfall 
Culture and variety 
in pro- 
portion 
to cane 
weight 
(aver- 
ages) 
Total 
Two 
months 
before 
harvest 
12H-month primavera plant cane cut in 
April 1930; unirrigated: 2 
P.O.J. 2878 (avergae of 8 replications)... 
B.H. 10(12) (average of 7 replications). .- 
S.C 12/4 (average of 5 replications) 
12H-montn first ratoons cut in June 1931: 3 
P.O.J. 2878 (average of 8 replications). .. 
B.H. 10(12) (average of 7 replications) ... 
S.C. 12/4 (average of 5 replications). 
Percent 
86 
90 
79 
Tons 
59.45±1.00 
41.S2±1.24 
40. 17±1.32 
78.34±1.05 
49. 92±1. 91 
56. 18±1. 42 
Tons 
6. 81 ±0. 17 
4.84± .23 
5. 17± . 13 
7. 39± . 13 
4. 19± . 18 
4. 93± . 16 
Percent 
11.46 
11.56 
12.87 
9.44 
8.40 
8.76 
Inches 
[ 48.00 
> 93.03 
Inches 
3.4 
24.0 
1 Richardson Kuntz, P. la producciox de nuevas variedades de cana y sus resultados experi- 
mentales. P.R. Dept. Agr. and Com. Insular Expt. Sta. Bui. 38:21. 1931. 
2 Soil type not identified. 
J Much of the P.O.J. 2878 lodged, but arrowing and rottenness were not observed. 
In the primavera trial P.O.J. 2878 exceeded B.H. 10(12) in yield 
by a ton or more of sugar per acre in all plats except one, which 
showed a margin of superiority of 0.88 ton. Only 3.4 inches of rain 
fell during the 2 months preceding harvest and only 0.9 inch during 
the month of harvest. Under these conditions the proportion of 
sugar in cane for P.O.J. 2878 was 11.46 percent, approximately that 
of B.H. 10(12), though considerably lower than that of S.C. 12/4. 
32912°— 34 2 
