Improving Sugarcane Productivity and Yield through Single-Bud Planting in Dryland Smallholder Systems for Sustainable Agriculture

Improving Sugarcane Productivity and Yield through Single-Bud Planting in Dryland Smallholder Systems for Sustainable Agriculture | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Improving Sugarcane Productivity and Yield through Single-Bud Planting in Dryland Smallholder Systems for Sustainable Agriculture Eni Fidiyawati, Purnama Isti Khaerani, Wawan Sulistiono, Himawan Bayu Aji, and 9 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8249234/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 21 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Discover Sustainability → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract One of the main challenges in dryland sugarcane cultivation is the limited availability of soil moisture, which reduces productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of transplanting systems on sugarcane productivity and sugar yield. The experiment was conducted in Andong District, Boyolali, Indonesia, during two growing seasons (2023–2025), using a randomized block design with three treatments: (T1) Single bud planting (SBP) with seedlings raised in polybags, (T2) SBP with direct soil-seeded bud sets pulled at transplanting, and (T3) the conventional method. Each treatment occupied 0.8 ha. Observed variables included yield components, sugar recovery, and crystal sugar yield. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Results showed that the SBP system with polybag seedlings produced the highest productivity in the plant cane (115 t ha⁻¹, p < 0.05), while the SBP with pulled seedlings achieved the highest productivity in the first ratoon (134 t ha⁻¹, p < 0.01). The superior performance of the pulled SBP system in the second year was attributed to better root development. Both SBP systems significantly increased stalk weight, internode number, internode length, and millable stalk weight compared with the conventional system, resulting in higher millable cane productivity. Although SBP systems did not significantly affect brix or sugar recovery, they increased crystal sugar yield (8.15–9.5 t ha⁻¹, p < 0.05) due to higher cane productivity. Therefore, the SBP system can be recommended as an effective technology to enhance sugarcane productivity and sugar yield under dryland conditions. dryland productivity single-bud planting sugarcane sugar yield Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 1. Introduction As food demand increases, the national agricultural sector is required to improve productivity through a more modern, efficient, and sustainable approach [ 1 ], [ 2 ]. Strategic commodities such as sugarcane play an important role for agriculture sector in Indonesia. In this context, the Indonesian sugarcane industry currently faces major challenges, including limited optimal land, a decline in planting area, and low use of superior varieties [ 3 ], [ 4 ]. During the 2024–2025 period, domestic sugar output reached only 2.46 million tons, falling short of consumption needs of 2.82 million tons, thereby forcing Indonesia to rely on cane sugar imports that supply more than 64% of national demand [ 5 ]. Bridging this production gap requires strategic intensification of existing sugarcane cultivation systems, particularly in suboptimal environments such as dry land, where traditional practices are often inadequate. One promising agronomic innovation is single-bud planting (SBP) or bud chip transplanting, which involves planting individual buds rather than conventional setts [ 6 ], [ 7 ]. This method has demonstrated multiple advantages, including seed conservation, improved planting efficiency and accelerated early growth [ 8 ], [ 9 ]. Moreover, the uniformity of planting material achieved through bud chips promotes more even plant spacing, resulting in increased numbers of millable canes per clump and overall improvements in sugarcane productivity [ 6 ], [ 10 ]. In the context of climate variability, the SBP system offers an additional advantage for sugarcane adaptation in dryland environments [ 11 ]. Seedlings are raised in nurseries and transplanted when soil moisture is available, allowing sufficient time for growth and maturation even under limited water conditions [ 12 ]. This flexibility helps mitigate the impact of erratic rainfall patterns and short planting windows commonly observed in dryland areas. Furthermore, the SBP system enables pre-transplanting treatments of seedlings with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which enhance drought resilience by improving root colonization, water absorption, and nutrient uptake efficiency [ 13 ], [ 14 ]. Drought tolerance is a critical agronomic trait. Water stress in drought-sensitive varieties can reduce beneficial rhizosphere microbial diversity, inhibit germination and tillering, and suppress root and shoot development, leading to reductions of up to 37% in millable cane number and 43.88% in sugar crystal production [ 15 ], [ 16 ], [ 17 ]. As sugarcane cultivation continues to expand toward dryland areas, drought-resilient and resource-efficient agronomic practices are urgently needed [ 18 ]. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the single bud transplanting (SBP) strategy to develop a sustainable, high-productivity model that enhances planting efficiency, adaptability under dryland conditions, and ultimately improves millable cane and sugar crystal yields. The novelty of this research lies in its integrative and synergistic approach, which has not been thoroughly explored within Indonesia’s dryland sugarcane systems. 2. Material and methods 2.1. Experimental design The study was conducted on dryland sugarcane fields from November 2023 to July 2025 in Pranggong Village, Andong District, Boyolali Regency, Central Java, Indonesia (7°35′41.85″ S, 110°46′37.73″ E). Single-bud sets of the Cenning variety were prepared using a specialized cutting tool and sown in a nursery near the planting site, which had access to irrigation, in August 2023, three months before transplanting (Fig. 1 ). The research was conducted on farmers’ fields under each planting system. The soil type in the experimental area is Grumusol [ 19 ], [ 20 ]. The research site is situated at an altitude of 300 m above sea level (asl). The soil characteristics were as follows: pH 7.58 (pH meter method 1:5; IK 5 4 c), organic C 1.32% (Walkley & Black method; IK 5 4 d), total N 0.19% (Kjeldahl method; IK 5 4 e), available K 0.15 cmol(+) kg⁻¹ (Ammonium Acetate method 1 N, pH 7.0), and P₂O₅ determined using the Alsen method (IK 5 4 h) [ 21 ]. Bud set sowing began in August 2023, when the sunshine duration remained high at around 8 hours per day, as recorded by the Campbell–Stokes sunshine recorder. Climatic conditions during the planting season, including temperature, humidity, and sunshine duration, are presented in Table 1 . The transplanting was carried out when the rainfall began to be evenly distributed in November, marking the onset of the rainy season (Fig. 2 ). This timing ensured adequate soil moisture to support the establishment and early growth of sugarcane under dryland conditions. Table 1 Mean temperature, humidity, and sunlight duration based on day length 2023 2024 Months Mean temperature ( o C) humidity (%) sunlight duration (%) Mean temperature ( o C) humidity (%) sunlight duration (%) Janaury - - - 31.2 88 5 February - - - 31.3 88 5 March - - - 31.5 87 6 April - - - 31.7 87 7 May - - - 31.9 86 8 June - - - 32.0 85 8 July - - - 32.1 85 8 August 31.7 87 8 - - - September 32.1 87 8 - - - October 32 87 7 - - - November 31.5 87 6 - - - December 31.4 87 6 - - - Source: Indonesian Agency for Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics [ 22 ]. The experiment was conducted using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with one factor and three replications. The single treatment factor was the planting system, consisting of three treatments: (1) T1 – SBP using bud sets grown in polybags and transplanted to the field along with the polybags; (2) T2 – SBP with bud sets directly sown into soil (no polybags), with seedlings uprooted for field transplanting; and (3) T3 – the conventional planting method using three to four bud. The total experimental area was 8,800 m² for each planting system. Each planting system plot consisted of three blocks (replications), with each block measuring 10 m × 8 m. Each experimental plot comprised ten sugarcane rows spaced 1 m between rows and 60 cm within rows. In the conventional system, intra-row spacing followed the natural bud set length with 1 m inter-row spacing. Standard agronomic practices were uniformly applied across all treatments throughout the experimental period. Fertilization and cultivation were carried out following the standard practices recommended by the local sugar factory (PG). To stimulate growth and maturation, silicon (Si) was applied as a foliar spray at a concentration of 2 mL L⁻¹ [ 23 ]. 2.2. Sampling and measurement of millable cane production, yield, and sugar crystals Growth and yield parameters, including the number of tillers, millable canes, stem diameter, cane length, and weight, were recorded following standard procedures for sugarcane agronomic evaluation. Measurements were conducted at key growth stages: effective tillers at five months and millable canes at seven months after planting. Stem diameter was measured at the mid-internode using a vernier caliper, while cane length and weight were determined at harvest on representative stalks from each plot. Total productivity (t ha⁻¹) was calculated based on the total harvested stalk weight per plot and converted to a hectare basis. Juice quality was assessed using a handheld refractometer to determine stem Brix (%) from the upper and lower internodes, and sugar recovery (%) was analyzed at the factory. Sugar yield (t ha⁻¹) was estimated by multiplying cane yield per hectare by sucrose content. 2.3. Statistical analyses Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with STAR software (version 2.0.1; International Rice Research Institute), while supplementary statistical analyses and data tabulation were conducted in Microsoft Excel 2022 and SAS version 9 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). When significant differences among treatments were detected, mean separation was carried out using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at the 1% probability level (p < 0.01). Visualization of the experimental data, including bar plots, pearson correlation, and regression analyses, was carried out using OriginPro 2025b (OriginLab Corporation, Northampton, MA, USA). 3. Results 3.1. Effects of single-bud planting on sugarcane growth and yield The single-bud planting methods significantly influenced all growth and yield parameters in both seasons (Table 2 ). In 2024, the SBP with seedlings raised in polybags (T1) resulted in the highest cane length (326.28 cm) and stem diameter (2.99 cm), while the conventional method (T3) recorded the lowest values. The same pattern was found in the number of internodes (24.78) and internode length (16.09 cm), indicating that the SBP approach supported more uniform shoot development and internode formation. The number of millable canes per clump (5.38) and weight per millable cane (2.46 kg) were also significantly higher (p < 0.01) in T1, resulting in the greatest productivity (105.75 ton ha⁻¹). In 2025, productivity increased further under T2 (118.24 ton ha⁻¹), showing that both SBP techniques maintained high performance across seasons. These findings indicate that single-bud planting improves shoot emergence and early growth uniformity, leading to higher cane weight and total yield. The low coefficients of variation (CV = 4.18–11.36%) suggest that the treatment effects were consistent and the experimental design was reliable. Across both seasons, SBP treatments (T1 and T2) consistently outperformed the conventional method (T3), with stronger early growth and higher cane productivity, while T2 showed improved adaptation under favorable 2025 conditions. Table 2 Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the effects of single-bud planting on sugarcane productivity and crystal sugar yield traits in 2024 and 2025 2024 Treatment CL SD NoI IL NMC WMC Prod AvBrix BrixTB SR CSY T1 326.28 ± 28.98a 2.99 ± 0.14a 24.78 ± 1.35a 16.09 ± 1.01a 5.38 ± 0.71a 2.46 ± 0.19a 105.75 ± 6.44a 21.97 ± 0.45a 0.94 ± 0.63b 6.99 ± 0.44 7.39 ± 0.60a T2 281.67 ± 13.69b 3.03 ± 0.13a 22.78 ± 0.44b 15.00 ± 1.31ab 5.39 ± 0.63a 2.14 ± 0.27b 90.75 ± 1.26b 21.39 ± 0.49a 2.28 ± 0.57a 7.37 ± 0.42 6.69 ± 0.42b T3 237.94 ± 20.25c 2.64 ± 0.13b 17.89 ± 1.69c 13.83 ± 1.53b 2.56 ± 0.53b 1.57 ± 0.20c 80.33 ± 1.26c 15.96 ± 2.40b 2.42 ± 0.91a 7.09 ± 0.56 5.70 ± 0.51c Significance ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ns ** CV (%) 7.76 4.64 5.84 8.74 14.08 10.72 4.18 7.28 38.19 6.67 7.8 2025 T1 276.69 ± 9.72b 2.81 ± 0.43 21.56 ± 1.33 12.73 ± 0.56b 6.44 ± 0.53a 1.97 ± 0.09a 107.63 ± 12.12a 19.66 ± 1.08a 1.21 ± 0.96 7.17 ± 0.34 7.71 ± 0.86a T2 299.58 ± 19.83a 2.79 ± 0.09 22.11 ± 2.15 15.03 ± 1.71a 6.44 ± 0.73a 1.99 ± 0.3a 118.2 ± 14.38a 19.25 ± 1.86a 1.21 ± 1.08 7.11 ± 0.31 8.38 ± 0.94a T3 254.87 ± 88.76b 2.59 ± 0.97 19.68 ± 6.75 14.26 ± 4.72a 2.86 ± 1.00b 1.54 ± 0.48b 73.62 ± 23.12b 14.95 ± 4.96b 0.68 ± 0.71 6.39 ± 2.29 5.25 ± 1.70b Significance ** ns ns ** ** ** ** ** ns ns ** CV (%) 5.02 10.68 7.98 7.47 10.32 11.36 7.2 30.02 4.32 11.11 Notes: Data are presented as means ± standard deviation (SD); Values followed by different letters (a, b, c) within the same row indicate significant differences according to Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at the 0.01 significance level: T1 = SBP using bud sets grown in polybags and transplanted to the field along with the polybags, T2 = SBP with bud sets directly sown into soil (no polybags), with seedlings uprooted for field transplanting, and T3 = the conventional method; CL = Cane length; SD = Stem diameter; NoI = Number of internodes; IL = Internode length; NMC = Number of millable canes per clump; WMC = Weight per millable cane; Prod = Productivity; AvBrix = Average Brix; BrixTB = Brix difference between top and bottom; SR = Sugar recovery; CSY = Crystal sugar yield. 3.2. Correlation among all sugarcane growth and yields Correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationships among sugarcane growth and yield traits under dryland conditions. The correlation among all traits are presented in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 . Productivity showed consistently strong positive associations with most yield-related variables, particularly the number of internodes, the number of millable canes per clump, stalk weight, stalk diameter, and cane length (r = 0.95–1.00) in 2024, indicating that biomass accumulation is a major determinant of productivity. Conversely, internode length had only a minor connection with productivity. Crystal sugar yield likewise demonstrated very strong correlations with productivity and these yield attributes (r = 0.96–1.00), reinforced by juice quality parameters such as Brix and sucrose recovery. Overall, the results highlight that sugar yield is shaped by both the quantity of biomass produced and the physiological quality of the stalk (Fig. 4 ). A consistent pattern was observed in 2025, confirming the stability of these relationships across seasons (Fig. 5 ). Productivity again exhibited near-perfect correlations with key biomass components, which include internode number, number of millable canes per clump, stalk weight, stalk diameter, and cane length (r = 0.95–1.00), reinforcing that biomass accumulation remains the primary driver of productivity. Internode length continued to show weak and negligible associations. Crystal sugar yield likewise showed very strong correlations with productivity and biomass traits (r = 0.96–1.00), supported by juice quality indicators such as Brix and sucrose recovery, reaffirming the stable agronomic relationships observed previously. The highest correlation was recorded between WMC and Prod (r = 0.98), indicating that individual cane weight was the most influential factor determining total productivity (Fig. 5 ). Likewise, CSY showed strong positive associations with CL (r = 0.95), SD (r = 0.96), and WMC (r = 0.99), suggesting that improved vegetative growth directly translates into higher sugar output per hectare. These Figs. 4 and 5 showed consistently high correlation coefficients highlight that growth traits especially WMC, CL, and SD, are reliable predictors of crystal sugar yield potential under Indonesian dryland conditions. These agronomic traits appeared significantly higher under the SBP planting system compared with the conventional system (Tabel 2). Sugar recovery consistently showed a strong positive correlation with BrixTB (r = 0.64–1.00). BrixTB reflects the uniformity of brix concentration from the base to the top of the cane nodes, and a more even brix distribution indicates better physiological maturity. Consequently, canes with uniform Brix values produce higher sugar recovery. For agronomic traits, stem diameter and the number of millable canes per clump also consistently exerted strong positive effects on sugar recovery (SD: r = 0.35–1.00; NMC: r = 0.27–1.00), whereas other parameters such as WMC, CL, and NoI were unstable between seasons (Fig. 5 ). Thus, the agronomic traits with the greatest potential to determine sugar recovery in dryland sugarcane cultivation are stem diameter and the number of millable canes per clump (with uniform growth). Conversely, the negative or near-zero correlations between BrixTB and growth traits were again evident, confirming that physiological maturity was more homogeneous in robust canes. 3.3. Regression among all sugarcane growth and yield traits Regression analyses were performed to identify the key traits determining millable cane productivity, average Brix, and crystal sugar yield under SBP conditions. The regression for selected traits across the 2024 and 2025 seasons are presented in Fig. 6 . Regression analysis for both years indicated that the weight per millable cane (WMC) was an important determinant of productivity. In 2024, productivity increased by 21.32 t ha⁻¹ for each one-kilogram increase in cane weight (slope = 21.32 ± 3.0), with a strong correlation (r = 0.81) and a relatively high coefficient of determination (R² = 0.66). This indicates that variation in WMC explains a substantial portion of the differences in productivity among samples. In 2025, the relationship remained positive, with productivity increasing by 48.58 t ha⁻¹ for each additional kilogram of cane weight (slope = 48.58 ± 13.79). Although the slope was steeper than in 2024, the strength of the relationship was lower (r = 0.58; R² = 0.34), indicating higher variability in productivity that is not fully explained by WMC. The regression of the number of millable canes per clump with the average stem Brix shows a linear relationship between the two growing seasons. In the left graph, in 2024, the relationship between the two variables was strongly positive (r = 0.82) with a slope of 1.70, indicating that increasing the number of millable canes per clumps (many and simultaneous tillers) has the potential to increase stem Brix, with a fairly high coefficient of determination (R² = 0.66). In 2025, the relationship remained positive but weaker (r = 0.64) with a slope of 0.71, indicating higher Brix variability despite the increased number of millable cane, with a decreasing coefficient of determination (R² = 0.41).The sugar recovery was positively correlated to the crystal sugar yield (r = 0.41) with a coefficient of determination of R = 0.17. This indicates that an increase in sugar crystals was strongly associated with a 17% increase in sugar recovery. However, this was inconsistent in the following season, where the increase in sugar crystals obtained was not caused by high yields (r = 0.07). These results show that, under the 2025 conditions, variation in crystal sugar yield was almost entirely independent of the sugar recovery percentage. This finding indicates that crystal sugar yield was primarily influenced by environmental and morphological factors that determine productivity, such as stalk growth (diameter and weight) and the number of millable canes per clump, rather than by juice quality. This condition was likely caused by suboptimal and uneven physiological maturity among internodes when stalk growth was not uniform. Consequently, sugar recovery did not increase in parallel with Brix homogeneity, consistent with the moderate-to-strong correlations between Brix uniformity and sugar recovery (r = 0.64–1.00; Fig. 4 ). 4. Discussions The SBP system is a system of propagating sugarcane seedlings from sugarcane stems in the form of single bud cuttings, with a cutting length of 5 cm and the bud located in the middle of the cutting length [ 24 ], [ 25 ]. Related to this study, SBP provides consistent and significant agronomic advantages in various growth parameters and sugarcane yield components. Table 2 where SBP treatments in T1 and T2 produced the highest values ​​for cane length, stem diameter, internode number, number of millable canes (NMC), and weight of millable canes (WMC) compared to the conventional planting system. This superior performance confirms that the use of single-seed uniform can strengthen early vigor and provide more optimal initial growth conditions. The growth of single-seed uniform in SBP is very important physiologically. It is important because it ensures that plants have equal access to nutrients, water, and sunlight, allowing them to develop at a similar rate [ 26 ]. This is important for optimal production because uniformly growing plants will reach maturity at the same time, facilitating the harvesting process and leading to higher overall yields [ 27 ]. Seedlings originating from a single bud tend to have relatively homogeneous nutrient reserves and initial size [ 28 ]. This condition reduces intra-clump competition and increases the efficiency of environmental factors such as light, growing space, water, and nutrients. The advantages of this system include better seedling selection, a shorter propagation process (2–2.5 months), and a reduction in the propagation area, thereby saving space, as well as synchronised growth of the seedlings [ 29 ]. These findings are consistent with a report by Galal et al. [ 30 ], showing that the single-bud chip bud sett method produces more uniform early growth and thicker stems than conventional planting. Similarly, a study by Abd El-Lattief et al. [ 31 ] showed that single-seed uniform in the early stages of sugarcane production was positively correlated with stem length, stem diameter, and harvested sugarcane weight. Increased productivity in the 2025 season in T2 treatment indicates that SBP performance is adaptable to dryland conditions. Tayade et al. [ 32 ] stated that the use of single-bud seedlings increases plant tolerance to moderate water stress by establishing a stronger root system and more homogeneous stem distribution. This increases the plant's chances of maintaining productivity in seasons with limited water availability [ 16 ], [ 33 ]. Zainuddin et al. [ 34 ] reported that the bud chip technique produces a 25–40% higher number of milled cane compared to conventional methods, this previous study strengthen evidence that the use of single-bud seedlings, whether through the chip-bud seedling method or SBP, can improve the quality and quantity of sugarcane production. This study shows that SBP not only increases initial plant vigor but also enhances growth uniformity and increases key production components [ 35 ]. Biomass components, including the number of internodes, the number of milled cane, the weight of milled cane, stem diameter, and stem length, are the most dominant agronomic factors in determining sugarcane productivity in dryland areas. This is indicated by the consistently high correlation values, reflecting that increasing vegetative biomass directly contributes to sucrose accumulation and total sugarcane yield per unit area [ 36 ]. Each of these components plays a role and serves as a stable indicator of the plant's capacity to produce dry matter, maintain growth vigor, and ensure the volume of harvestable sugarcane [ 37 ], [ 38 ]. These findings consistently confirm that vegetative biomass accumulation is the most stable indicator of sugarcane agronomic performance, especially in sub-optimal environments [ 39 ], [ 40 ]. The consistency of the pattern across two growing seasons reinforces that biomass variables are the most important factors determining productivity and sugar yield, being influenced by a combination of biomass quantity and sap quality [ 41 ], [ 42 ]. Among all biomass components, WMC emerged as the strongest predictor of productivity based on regression analysis. In the 2024 season, the WMC–productivity relationship was very strong while in 2025 the relationship weakened indicating the sensitivity of this parameter to climate variability. However, in 2025 results shows that when growth conditions are favourable, an increase in stem weight results in a sharper productivity response, in line with the report by Karimuna et al. [ 36 ] that the contribution of biomass to yield is largely determined by water and temperature conditions. In contrast, sugar recovery was more determined by sap quality factors, particularly maturity uniformity as reflected by brix ratio. This indicates that despite high biomass, uneven physiological ripening can limit sugar recovery efficiency. In 2025, high rainfall during the ripening phase disrupted sucrose accumulation and increased internode variability, causing a break in the relationship between sugar recovery and CSY. This pattern is consistent with reports by Dlamini et al. [ 43 ] and Sarkar et al. [ 44 ] which emphasise that late-season rainfall reduces purity and increases sucrose inversion, thereby reducing extraction efficiency even though biomass is not significantly affected. Thus, the interaction between biomass and juice quality is key to understanding the dynamics of productivity and sugar yield in dryland sugarcane production systems [ 45 ], [ 46 ]. Vegetative biomass, particularly WMC, stem diameter, and NMC, remains the most stable and decisive indicator of productivity, while sugar quality is highly influenced by climatic conditions during the ripening phase [ 47 ]. Inter-seasonal variability in the relationship between juice quality indicates that successful sugar yield improvement relies not only on increasing biomass through methods such as Single-Bud Planting (SBP), but also on managing environmental conditions that affect the physiological maturation of plants. 5. Conclusion The Single-Bud Planting (SBP) method has been proven effective in enhancing sugarcane productivity under dryland conditions. SBP using polybag seedlings produced the highest yield in plant cane, while SBP with pulled seedlings achieved the greatest productivity in the first ratoon. Both SBP approaches significantly improved growth traits and the weight of millable cane compared with the conventional system, resulting in higher cane productivity and increased crystal sugar yield, although they did not significantly influence brix or sugar recovery. By enabling more efficient use of planting material, improving establishment in resource-limited environments, and supporting stable yields on dryland, SBP offers a practical and sustainability-oriented technology that can contribute to more resilient and resource-efficient sugarcane production systems. Declarations Author Contributions Conceptualization, W.S., A.D.G., and T.T.; software and methodology, E.F., P.I.K., and W.S.; data curation, H.B.A., S.H., S.S., I.S., Sa.Sa., W.S., and W.W., validation, Sae.Sae., H.S., T.T., A.D.G., W.S.; investigation, S.H., Sae.Sae., H.S., T.T.; writing-review and editing, P.I.K., I.S., W.S., T.T., visualisation, E.F., and P.I.K; supervision, T.T., A.D.G, S.S., W.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding The research was funded by each collaborator. The initial stage of the study was conducted in collaboration between the Research Center for Estate Crops, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the local farmer group in Boyolali Regency, Central Java, and PG Mojo sugar factory. Data analysis and subsequent research activities were carried out by the Research Center for Estate Crops, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Data availability The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Conflicts of interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. Consent for publication Not applicable. Ethics declaration Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Clinical trial declarations Not applicable. Acknowledgements The authors sincerely thank the staff of Mojo Sugar Factory (PG Mojo), Sragen, Central Java, Indonesia, for their support and collaboration. Special appreciation is extended to Mr. Rohsudyanto, SP (General Manager), Mr. Rahmadhi Ary Kurniawan, SP (Plantation Manager). The authors gratefully acknowledges Mr. Mulyadi, a cooperative farmer for his valuable support and willingness to implement the cultivation techniques used in this study. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. 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Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 21 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Discover Sustainability → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 30 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 29 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 26 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 16 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 06 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 06 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 01 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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17:08:41","extension":"png","order_by":21,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":25014,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinegroupimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8249234/v1/7397218a1715a347d8314e31.png"},{"id":98531297,"identity":"5737ec2f-0758-4eb8-aade-a0883d461b17","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-18 15:45:27","extension":"xml","order_by":22,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":132032,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"9c44458423a04c4bb77598d3cb2061a21structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8249234/v1/b465e3abaf1f7d4722838f64.xml"},{"id":98531298,"identity":"9c57d880-c8e8-40aa-b784-0d06db0158dd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-18 15:45:27","extension":"html","order_by":23,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":144256,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8249234/v1/37920581adfab42e63b80127.html"},{"id":98531272,"identity":"fa834d43-fd83-4c94-b599-a727fba2db70","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-18 15:45:26","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":2049028,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eNursery area for sugarcane bud set seedlings used as SBP planting material: (a) 7 days after sowing (DAS) and (b) 74 DAS, ready for transplanting.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8249234/v1/f263c4fcd6bc47d8446b0107.png"},{"id":98531270,"identity":"ab8c0bfd-228b-4598-ab06-85b4c7564872","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-18 15:45:26","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":122695,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMonthly rainfall (mm) in 2023. The transplanting period occurred in November when rainfall was evenly distributed. Source: Indonesian Agency for Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics [22].\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8249234/v1/d85e7900c675b2bd49182e79.png"},{"id":98531273,"identity":"27ee81e5-2ef7-4611-8e84-126493990b25","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-18 15:45:26","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":653020,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eField layout of the SBP system showing inter-row spacing of 100 cm and intra-row spacing of 60 cm under dryland conditions\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8249234/v1/3822d2dfb10023451f40a360.png"},{"id":98625956,"identity":"bd9aa53c-0621-48da-8c13-8830beabe40c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-19 17:09:27","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":413115,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCorrelations among sugarcane growth and yield variables in the 2024\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8249234/v1/7e3e607c933aadc4e4e79c38.png"},{"id":98625756,"identity":"06515fab-3b92-4525-9662-8f4c66d122bb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-19 17:09:19","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":413844,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCorrelations among sugarcane growth and yield variables in the 2025\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8249234/v1/560356611ff0fbe4815f614c.png"},{"id":98531274,"identity":"09e20912-5282-4e46-981a-8754c790960a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-18 15:45:26","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":704612,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eRegression relationships among key growth and yield variables under dryland conditions across two growing seasons: (a) weight per millable cane with productivity; (b) number of millable canes per clump with average Brix; and (c) sugar recovery with crystal sugar yield.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8249234/v1/4aad689b1e80241f5910df15.png"},{"id":103251367,"identity":"ebcbac9e-e60c-4d3b-95d3-e18c30a5a18a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 16:08:23","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":6429024,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8249234/v1/e6c6d720-24e4-4af0-86c3-e102a9707dfe.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Improving Sugarcane Productivity and Yield through Single-Bud Planting in Dryland Smallholder Systems for Sustainable Agriculture","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eAs food demand increases, the national agricultural sector is required to improve productivity through a more modern, efficient, and sustainable approach [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Strategic commodities such as sugarcane play an important role for agriculture sector in Indonesia. In this context, the Indonesian sugarcane industry currently faces major challenges, including limited optimal land, a decline in planting area, and low use of superior varieties [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. During the 2024\u0026ndash;2025 period, domestic sugar output reached only 2.46\u0026nbsp;million tons, falling short of consumption needs of 2.82\u0026nbsp;million tons, thereby forcing Indonesia to rely on cane sugar imports that supply more than 64% of national demand [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBridging this production gap requires strategic intensification of existing sugarcane cultivation systems, particularly in suboptimal environments such as dry land, where traditional practices are often inadequate. One promising agronomic innovation is single-bud planting (SBP) or bud chip transplanting, which involves planting individual buds rather than conventional setts [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. This method has demonstrated multiple advantages, including seed conservation, improved planting efficiency and accelerated early growth [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Moreover, the uniformity of planting material achieved through bud chips promotes more even plant spacing, resulting in increased numbers of millable canes per clump and overall improvements in sugarcane productivity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the context of climate variability, the SBP system offers an additional advantage for sugarcane adaptation in dryland environments [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. Seedlings are raised in nurseries and transplanted when soil moisture is available, allowing sufficient time for growth and maturation even under limited water conditions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. This flexibility helps mitigate the impact of erratic rainfall patterns and short planting windows commonly observed in dryland areas. Furthermore, the SBP system enables pre-transplanting treatments of seedlings with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which enhance drought resilience by improving root colonization, water absorption, and nutrient uptake efficiency [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDrought tolerance is a critical agronomic trait. Water stress in drought-sensitive varieties can reduce beneficial rhizosphere microbial diversity, inhibit germination and tillering, and suppress root and shoot development, leading to reductions of up to 37% in millable cane number and 43.88% in sugar crystal production [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs sugarcane cultivation continues to expand toward dryland areas, drought-resilient and resource-efficient agronomic practices are urgently needed [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the single bud transplanting (SBP) strategy to develop a sustainable, high-productivity model that enhances planting efficiency, adaptability under dryland conditions, and ultimately improves millable cane and sugar crystal yields. The novelty of this research lies in its integrative and synergistic approach, which has not been thoroughly explored within Indonesia\u0026rsquo;s dryland sugarcane systems.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Material and methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1. Experimental design\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study was conducted on dryland sugarcane fields from November 2023 to July 2025 in Pranggong Village, Andong District, Boyolali Regency, Central Java, Indonesia (7\u0026deg;35\u0026prime;41.85\u0026Prime; S, 110\u0026deg;46\u0026prime;37.73\u0026Prime; E). Single-bud sets of the Cenning variety were prepared using a specialized cutting tool and sown in a nursery near the planting site, which had access to irrigation, in August 2023, three months before transplanting (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe research was conducted on farmers\u0026rsquo; fields under each planting system. The soil type in the experimental area is Grumusol [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. The research site is situated at an altitude of 300 m above sea level (asl). The soil characteristics were as follows: pH 7.58 (pH meter method 1:5; IK 5 4 c), organic C 1.32% (Walkley \u0026amp; Black method; IK 5 4 d), total N 0.19% (Kjeldahl method; IK 5 4 e), available K 0.15 cmol(+) kg⁻\u0026sup1; (Ammonium Acetate method 1 N, pH 7.0), and P₂O₅ determined using the Alsen method (IK 5 4 h) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBud set sowing began in August 2023, when the sunshine duration remained high at around 8 hours per day, as recorded by the Campbell\u0026ndash;Stokes sunshine recorder. Climatic conditions during the planting season, including temperature, humidity, and sunshine duration, are presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. The transplanting was carried out when the rainfall began to be evenly distributed in November, marking the onset of the rainy season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). This timing ensured adequate soil moisture to support the establishment and early growth of sugarcane under dryland conditions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean temperature, humidity, and sunlight duration based on day length\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMonths\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" 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colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFebruary\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" 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\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eApril\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMay\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJune\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJuly\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAugust\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeptember\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOctober\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNovember\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDecember\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSource: Indonesian Agency for Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe experiment was conducted using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with one factor and three replications. The single treatment factor was the planting system, consisting of three treatments: (1) T1 \u0026ndash; SBP using bud sets grown in polybags and transplanted to the field along with the polybags; (2) T2 \u0026ndash; SBP with bud sets directly sown into soil (no polybags), with seedlings uprooted for field transplanting; and (3) T3 \u0026ndash; the conventional planting method using three to four bud.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe total experimental area was 8,800 m\u0026sup2; for each planting system. Each planting system plot consisted of three blocks (replications), with each block measuring 10 m \u0026times; 8 m. Each experimental plot comprised ten sugarcane rows spaced 1 m between rows and 60 cm within rows. In the conventional system, intra-row spacing followed the natural bud set length with 1 m inter-row spacing. Standard agronomic practices were uniformly applied across all treatments throughout the experimental period. Fertilization and cultivation were carried out following the standard practices recommended by the local sugar factory (PG). To stimulate growth and maturation, silicon (Si) was applied as a foliar spray at a concentration of 2 mL L⁻\u0026sup1; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2. Sampling and measurement of millable cane production, yield, and sugar crystals\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrowth and yield parameters, including the number of tillers, millable canes, stem diameter, cane length, and weight, were recorded following standard procedures for sugarcane agronomic evaluation. Measurements were conducted at key growth stages: effective tillers at five months and millable canes at seven months after planting. Stem diameter was measured at the mid-internode using a vernier caliper, while cane length and weight were determined at harvest on representative stalks from each plot. Total productivity (t ha⁻\u0026sup1;) was calculated based on the total harvested stalk weight per plot and converted to a hectare basis. Juice quality was assessed using a handheld refractometer to determine stem Brix (%) from the upper and lower internodes, and sugar recovery (%) was analyzed at the factory. Sugar yield (t ha⁻\u0026sup1;) was estimated by multiplying cane yield per hectare by sucrose content.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3. Statistical analyses\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eData were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with STAR software (version 2.0.1; International Rice Research Institute), while supplementary statistical analyses and data tabulation were conducted in Microsoft Excel 2022 and SAS version 9 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). When significant differences among treatments were detected, mean separation was carried out using Duncan\u0026rsquo;s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at the 1% probability level (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). Visualization of the experimental data, including bar plots, pearson correlation, and regression analyses, was carried out using OriginPro 2025b (OriginLab Corporation, Northampton, MA, USA).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1. Effects of single-bud planting on sugarcane growth and yield\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe single-bud planting methods significantly influenced all growth and yield parameters in both seasons (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). In 2024, the SBP with seedlings raised in polybags (T1) resulted in the highest cane length (326.28 cm) and stem diameter (2.99 cm), while the conventional method (T3) recorded the lowest values. The same pattern was found in the number of internodes (24.78) and internode length (16.09 cm), indicating that the SBP approach supported more uniform shoot development and internode formation. The number of millable canes per clump (5.38) and weight per millable cane (2.46 kg) were also significantly higher (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) in T1, resulting in the greatest productivity (105.75 ton ha⁻\u0026sup1;).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn 2025, productivity increased further under T2 (118.24 ton ha⁻\u0026sup1;), showing that both SBP techniques maintained high performance across seasons. These findings indicate that single-bud planting improves shoot emergence and early growth uniformity, leading to higher cane weight and total yield. The low coefficients of variation (CV\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4.18\u0026ndash;11.36%) suggest that the treatment effects were consistent and the experimental design was reliable. Across both seasons, SBP treatments (T1 and T2) consistently outperformed the conventional method (T3), with stronger early growth and higher cane productivity, while T2 showed improved adaptation under favorable 2025 conditions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnalysis of variance (ANOVA) for the effects of single-bud planting on sugarcane productivity and crystal sugar yield traits in 2024 and 2025\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"12\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c12\" colnum=\"12\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"12\" nameend=\"c12\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreatment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNoI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNMC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWMC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProd\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvBrix\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrixTB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCSY\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e326.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;28.98a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.99\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.35a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.01a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.38\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.71a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.46\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.19a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e105.75\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.44a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.45a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.94\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.63b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.99\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.60a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e281.67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;13.69b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.13a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.44b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.31ab\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.63a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.27b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.75\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.26b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.49a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.57a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.37\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.42b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e237.94\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;20.25c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.13b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.69c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.53b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.53b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.20c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.26c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.40b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.42\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.91a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.09\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.51c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSignificance\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ens\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCV (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.72\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38.19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"12\" nameend=\"c12\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2025\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e276.69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;9.72b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.81\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.73\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.56b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.44\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.53a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.09a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e107.63\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;12.12a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.66\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.08a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.96\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.71\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.86a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e299.58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;19.83a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.71a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.44\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.73a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.99\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.3a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e118.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;14.38a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.86a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.38\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.94a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e254.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;88.76b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.59\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.68\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.26\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.72a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.00b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.54\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.48b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;23.12b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.95\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.96b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.68\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.70b\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSignificance\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ens\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ens\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ens\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ens\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCV (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"12\"\u003eNotes: Data are presented as means\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard deviation (SD); Values followed by different letters (a, b, c) within the same row indicate significant differences according to Duncan\u0026rsquo;s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at the 0.01 significance level: T1\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;SBP using bud sets grown in polybags and transplanted to the field along with the polybags, T2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;SBP with bud sets directly sown into soil (no polybags), with seedlings uprooted for field transplanting, and T3\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;the conventional method; CL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Cane length; SD\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Stem diameter; NoI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Number of internodes; IL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Internode length; NMC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Number of millable canes per clump; WMC\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Weight per millable cane; Prod\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Productivity; AvBrix\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Average Brix; BrixTB\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Brix difference between top and bottom; SR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Sugar recovery; CSY\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Crystal sugar yield.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2. Correlation among all sugarcane growth and yields\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorrelation analyses were conducted to assess the relationships among sugarcane growth and yield traits under dryland conditions. The correlation among all traits are presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e and Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eProductivity showed consistently strong positive associations with most yield-related variables, particularly the number of internodes, the number of millable canes per clump, stalk weight, stalk diameter, and cane length (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.95\u0026ndash;1.00) in 2024, indicating that biomass accumulation is a major determinant of productivity. Conversely, internode length had only a minor connection with productivity. Crystal sugar yield likewise demonstrated very strong correlations with productivity and these yield attributes (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.96\u0026ndash;1.00), reinforced by juice quality parameters such as Brix and sucrose recovery. Overall, the results highlight that sugar yield is shaped by both the quantity of biomass produced and the physiological quality of the stalk (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA consistent pattern was observed in 2025, confirming the stability of these relationships across seasons (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). Productivity again exhibited near-perfect correlations with key biomass components, which include internode number, number of millable canes per clump, stalk weight, stalk diameter, and cane length (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.95\u0026ndash;1.00), reinforcing that biomass accumulation remains the primary driver of productivity. Internode length continued to show weak and negligible associations. Crystal sugar yield likewise showed very strong correlations with productivity and biomass traits (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.96\u0026ndash;1.00), supported by juice quality indicators such as Brix and sucrose recovery, reaffirming the stable agronomic relationships observed previously.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe highest correlation was recorded between WMC and Prod (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.98), indicating that individual cane weight was the most influential factor determining total productivity (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). Likewise, CSY showed strong positive associations with CL (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.95), SD (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.96), and WMC (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.99), suggesting that improved vegetative growth directly translates into higher sugar output per hectare. These Figs.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e showed consistently high correlation coefficients highlight that growth traits especially WMC, CL, and SD, are reliable predictors of crystal sugar yield potential under Indonesian dryland conditions. These agronomic traits appeared significantly higher under the SBP planting system compared with the conventional system (Tabel 2).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSugar recovery consistently showed a strong positive correlation with BrixTB (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.64\u0026ndash;1.00). BrixTB reflects the uniformity of brix concentration from the base to the top of the cane nodes, and a more even brix distribution indicates better physiological maturity. Consequently, canes with uniform Brix values produce higher sugar recovery. For agronomic traits, stem diameter and the number of millable canes per clump also consistently exerted strong positive effects on sugar recovery (SD: r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.35\u0026ndash;1.00; NMC: r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.27\u0026ndash;1.00), whereas other parameters such as WMC, CL, and NoI were unstable between seasons (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, the agronomic traits with the greatest potential to determine sugar recovery in dryland sugarcane cultivation are stem diameter and the number of millable canes per clump (with uniform growth). Conversely, the negative or near-zero correlations between BrixTB and growth traits were again evident, confirming that physiological maturity was more homogeneous in robust canes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3. Regression among all sugarcane growth and yield traits\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegression analyses were performed to identify the key traits determining millable cane productivity, average Brix, and crystal sugar yield under SBP conditions. The regression for selected traits across the 2024 and 2025 seasons are presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e. Regression analysis for both years indicated that the weight per millable cane (WMC) was an important determinant of productivity. In 2024, productivity increased by 21.32 t ha⁻\u0026sup1; for each one-kilogram increase in cane weight (slope\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;21.32\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.0), with a strong correlation (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.81) and a relatively high coefficient of determination (R\u0026sup2; = 0.66). This indicates that variation in WMC explains a substantial portion of the differences in productivity among samples. In 2025, the relationship remained positive, with productivity increasing by 48.58 t ha⁻\u0026sup1; for each additional kilogram of cane weight (slope\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;48.58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;13.79). Although the slope was steeper than in 2024, the strength of the relationship was lower (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.58; R\u0026sup2; = 0.34), indicating higher variability in productivity that is not fully explained by WMC.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe regression of the number of millable canes per clump with the average stem Brix shows a linear relationship between the two growing seasons. In the left graph, in 2024, the relationship between the two variables was strongly positive (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.82) with a slope of 1.70, indicating that increasing the number of millable canes per clumps (many and simultaneous tillers) has the potential to increase stem Brix, with a fairly high coefficient of determination (R\u0026sup2; = 0.66).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn 2025, the relationship remained positive but weaker (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.64) with a slope of 0.71, indicating higher Brix variability despite the increased number of millable cane, with a decreasing coefficient of determination (R\u0026sup2; = 0.41).The sugar recovery was positively correlated to the crystal sugar yield (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.41) with a coefficient of determination of R\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.17. This indicates that an increase in sugar crystals was strongly associated with a 17% increase in sugar recovery. However, this was inconsistent in the following season, where the increase in sugar crystals obtained was not caused by high yields (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.07).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese results show that, under the 2025 conditions, variation in crystal sugar yield was almost entirely independent of the sugar recovery percentage. This finding indicates that crystal sugar yield was primarily influenced by environmental and morphological factors that determine productivity, such as stalk growth (diameter and weight) and the number of millable canes per clump, rather than by juice quality. This condition was likely caused by suboptimal and uneven physiological maturity among internodes when stalk growth was not uniform. Consequently, sugar recovery did not increase in parallel with Brix homogeneity, consistent with the moderate-to-strong correlations between Brix uniformity and sugar recovery (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.64\u0026ndash;1.00; Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussions","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe SBP system is a system of propagating sugarcane seedlings from sugarcane stems in the form of single bud cuttings, with a cutting length of 5 cm and the bud located in the middle of the cutting length [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]. Related to this study, SBP provides consistent and significant agronomic advantages in various growth parameters and sugarcane yield components. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e where SBP treatments in T1 and T2 produced the highest values ​​for cane length, stem diameter, internode number, number of millable canes (NMC), and weight of millable canes (WMC) compared to the conventional planting system. This superior performance confirms that the use of single-seed uniform can strengthen early vigor and provide more optimal initial growth conditions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe growth of single-seed uniform in SBP is very important physiologically. It is important because it ensures that plants have equal access to nutrients, water, and sunlight, allowing them to develop at a similar rate [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. This is important for optimal production because uniformly growing plants will reach maturity at the same time, facilitating the harvesting process and leading to higher overall yields [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e]. Seedlings originating from a single bud tend to have relatively homogeneous nutrient reserves and initial size [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. This condition reduces intra-clump competition and increases the efficiency of environmental factors such as light, growing space, water, and nutrients. The advantages of this system include better seedling selection, a shorter propagation process (2\u0026ndash;2.5 months), and a reduction in the propagation area, thereby saving space, as well as synchronised growth of the seedlings [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese findings are consistent with a report by Galal et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e], showing that the single-bud chip bud sett method produces more uniform early growth and thicker stems than conventional planting. Similarly, a study by Abd El-Lattief et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e] showed that single-seed uniform in the early stages of sugarcane production was positively correlated with stem length, stem diameter, and harvested sugarcane weight.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIncreased productivity in the 2025 season in T2 treatment indicates that SBP performance is adaptable to dryland conditions. Tayade et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e] stated that the use of single-bud seedlings increases plant tolerance to moderate water stress by establishing a stronger root system and more homogeneous stem distribution. This increases the plant's chances of maintaining productivity in seasons with limited water availability [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. Zainuddin et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e] reported that the bud chip technique produces a 25\u0026ndash;40% higher number of milled cane compared to conventional methods, this previous study strengthen evidence that the use of single-bud seedlings, whether through the chip-bud seedling method or SBP, can improve the quality and quantity of sugarcane production. This study shows that SBP not only increases initial plant vigor but also enhances growth uniformity and increases key production components [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBiomass components, including the number of internodes, the number of milled cane, the weight of milled cane, stem diameter, and stem length, are the most dominant agronomic factors in determining sugarcane productivity in dryland areas. This is indicated by the consistently high correlation values, reflecting that increasing vegetative biomass directly contributes to sucrose accumulation and total sugarcane yield per unit area [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. Each of these components plays a role and serves as a stable indicator of the plant's capacity to produce dry matter, maintain growth vigor, and ensure the volume of harvestable sugarcane [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. These findings consistently confirm that vegetative biomass accumulation is the most stable indicator of sugarcane agronomic performance, especially in sub-optimal environments [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe consistency of the pattern across two growing seasons reinforces that biomass variables are the most important factors determining productivity and sugar yield, being influenced by a combination of biomass quantity and sap quality [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e]. Among all biomass components, WMC emerged as the strongest predictor of productivity based on regression analysis. In the 2024 season, the WMC\u0026ndash;productivity relationship was very strong while in 2025 the relationship weakened indicating the sensitivity of this parameter to climate variability. However, in 2025 results shows that when growth conditions are favourable, an increase in stem weight results in a sharper productivity response, in line with the report by Karimuna et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e] that the contribution of biomass to yield is largely determined by water and temperature conditions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn contrast, sugar recovery was more determined by sap quality factors, particularly maturity uniformity as reflected by brix ratio. This indicates that despite high biomass, uneven physiological ripening can limit sugar recovery efficiency. In 2025, high rainfall during the ripening phase disrupted sucrose accumulation and increased internode variability, causing a break in the relationship between sugar recovery and CSY. This pattern is consistent with reports by Dlamini et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e] and Sarkar et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e] which emphasise that late-season rainfall reduces purity and increases sucrose inversion, thereby reducing extraction efficiency even though biomass is not significantly affected. Thus, the interaction between biomass and juice quality is key to understanding the dynamics of productivity and sugar yield in dryland sugarcane production systems [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVegetative biomass, particularly WMC, stem diameter, and NMC, remains the most stable and decisive indicator of productivity, while sugar quality is highly influenced by climatic conditions during the ripening phase [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e]. Inter-seasonal variability in the relationship between juice quality indicates that successful sugar yield improvement relies not only on increasing biomass through methods such as Single-Bud Planting (SBP), but also on managing environmental conditions that affect the physiological maturation of plants.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe Single-Bud Planting (SBP) method has been proven effective in enhancing sugarcane productivity under dryland conditions. SBP using polybag seedlings produced the highest yield in plant cane, while SBP with pulled seedlings achieved the greatest productivity in the first ratoon. Both SBP approaches significantly improved growth traits and the weight of millable cane compared with the conventional system, resulting in higher cane productivity and increased crystal sugar yield, although they did not significantly influence brix or sugar recovery. By enabling more efficient use of planting material, improving establishment in resource-limited environments, and supporting stable yields on dryland, SBP offers a practical and sustainability-oriented technology that can contribute to more resilient and resource-efficient sugarcane production systems.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor Contributions\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eConceptualization, W.S., A.D.G., and T.T.; software and methodology, E.F., P.I.K., and W.S.; data curation, H.B.A., S.H., S.S., I.S., Sa.Sa., W.S., and W.W., validation, Sae.Sae., H.S., T.T., A.D.G., W.S.; investigation, S.H., Sae.Sae., H.S., T.T.; writing-review and editing, P.I.K., I.S., W.S., T.T., visualisation, E.F., and P.I.K; supervision, T.T., A.D.G, S.S., W.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe research was funded by each collaborator. The initial stage of the study was conducted in collaboration between the Research Center for Estate Crops, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the local farmer group in Boyolali Regency, Central Java, and PG Mojo sugar factory. Data analysis and subsequent research activities were carried out by the Research Center for Estate Crops, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflicts of interest\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics declaration\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical trial declarations\u003c/strong\u003e Not applicable.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors sincerely thank the staff of Mojo Sugar Factory (PG Mojo), Sragen, Central Java, Indonesia, for their support and collaboration. Special appreciation is extended to Mr. Rohsudyanto, SP (General Manager), Mr. Rahmadhi Ary Kurniawan, SP (Plantation Manager). The authors gratefully acknowledges Mr. Mulyadi, a cooperative farmer for his valuable support and willingness to implement the cultivation techniques used in this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003eOpen Access\u003c/strong\u003e This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article\u0026rsquo;s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article\u0026rsquo;s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnshori MF, Purwoko BS, Carsono N, Dewi IS, Suwarno WB, Ardie SW, Haris Bahrun A, Baharuddin AK, Khaerani PI, Ali Z. Optimizing Hydroponic Salinity Screening: A Novel Approach Using Image-Based Phenotyping for Double Haploid Rice Selection. 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Productivity and brix content of several sugarcane varieties under liquid nano-silica fertilizer concentrations. Sarhad J Agric. 2025;41(4):1507\u0026ndash;22. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.sja/2025/41.4.1507.1522\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.17582/journal.sja/2025/41.4.1507.1522\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-sustainability","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"disu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Sustainability](https://www.springer.com/43621)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Sustainability","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"dryland, productivity, single-bud planting, sugarcane, sugar yield","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8249234/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8249234/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the main challenges in dryland sugarcane cultivation is the limited availability of soil moisture, which reduces productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of transplanting systems on sugarcane productivity and sugar yield. The experiment was conducted in Andong District, Boyolali, Indonesia, during two growing seasons (2023\u0026ndash;2025), using a randomized block design with three treatments: (T1) Single bud planting (SBP) with seedlings raised in polybags, (T2) SBP with direct soil-seeded bud sets pulled at transplanting, and (T3) the conventional method. Each treatment occupied 0.8 ha. Observed variables included yield components, sugar recovery, and crystal sugar yield. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Results showed that the SBP system with polybag seedlings produced the highest productivity in the plant cane (115 t ha⁻\u0026sup1;, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), while the SBP with pulled seedlings achieved the highest productivity in the first ratoon (134 t ha⁻\u0026sup1;, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). The superior performance of the pulled SBP system in the second year was attributed to better root development. Both SBP systems significantly increased stalk weight, internode number, internode length, and millable stalk weight compared with the conventional system, resulting in higher millable cane productivity. Although SBP systems did not significantly affect brix or sugar recovery, they increased crystal sugar yield (8.15\u0026ndash;9.5 t ha⁻\u0026sup1;, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) due to higher cane productivity. Therefore, the SBP system can be recommended as an effective technology to enhance sugarcane productivity and sugar yield under dryland conditions.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Improving Sugarcane Productivity and Yield through Single-Bud Planting in Dryland Smallholder Systems for Sustainable Agriculture","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-12-18 15:45:17","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8249234/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-12-30T10:28:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-12-29T05:42:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-12-27T04:46:59+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"114473861114503165411652601394531985777","date":"2025-12-18T01:33:42+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"196027183325429059641961322726106215862","date":"2025-12-17T06:31:40+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"11437149265682355418170831679065158515","date":"2025-12-16T13:31:30+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-12-16T13:22:22+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-12-06T12:18:11+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-12-06T12:17:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Sustainability","date":"2025-12-01T10:21:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-sustainability","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"disu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Sustainability](https://www.springer.com/43621)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Sustainability","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"0f64142a-d2b9-430c-a310-bb82e8c111cf","owner":[],"postedDate":"December 18th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-23T16:05:26+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-8249234","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-02774-0","journal":{"identity":"discover-sustainability","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Discover Sustainability"},"publishedOn":"2026-02-21 15:59:49","publishedOnDateReadable":"February 21st, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-12-18 15:45:17","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s43621-026-02774-0","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-02774-0","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8249234","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8249234","identity":"rs-8249234","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}