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Sugarcane is one of the important crops that needs plentiful water in tropical and semitropical regions. This crop is widely grown in Khuzestan province of Iran. In this study, triple-row planting of sugarcane was evaluated and compared to double-row planting as currently being practiced in the region. Results showed that in spite of the higher density planting in triple-row planting, there was no significant difference between triple-row planting and double-row planting in terms of leaf sheath moisture, leaf nitrogen, ridge EC, qualitative situations of cultivar, plant height and stem diameter. However, the number of shoots and stems per m2 in the triple-row planting were found to be higher than in the double-row planting and the difference between them was significant at 5% level. In addition, water application efficiency, water use efficiency (WUE), mean yield of sugarcane and sugar content in triple-row planting were higher than double-row planting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current climate change is projected to have significant effects on temperature and precipitation profiles, increasing the incidence and severity of drought. Drought is the single largest abiotic stress factor leading to reduced crop yields. Given the large share of water use in the agriculture sector and very low efficiency in this sector, selection and development of the new strategies to improve and optimise irrigation water use with significant savings is essential. The usage of Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) is one of the strategies in this regard. This paper briefly mentions to the previous studies about the effects of SAPs on soils and plants, suitable usage rate of SAPs for improvement of soils, raising of WUE and amount of irrigation water saving in this field. The results showed that SAPs could store water and nutrients and release them in drought stress conditions in light soils. Therefore, an acceptable biologic and grain yield with less irrigation water depth could be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]