To compare sugarcane rattoons root growth, after mechanical harvest (green) and after manual harvest (burned) in two cicles of different climatic conditions, the sugar cane cultivar SP 70-1143 was used. As root growth indicators, dry matter and rooting profiles were analysed. The influence of air and soil temperatures, and relative humidities were also evaluated. Growth curves, in the first and in the second cycles, did not present a similar pattern, for both green and burned cane. Climatological factors did not cause changes in growth cycles. Roots appear in a greater proportion in the green cane plots in all soil layers, in the first year, as compared to the burned plots.
sugar cane; ecophysiology; development; environmental impact