Fig. 2.

Illustration of sugarcane biomass accumulation and soil water availability (or use) between transplanting and harvest dates in three hypothetical genotypes.

Within each scenario, reduced g_s (due to low-g_s genotype or dry soil or air) potentially increases TE_P without contributing to increased biomass accumulation at harvest relative to the reference genotype, G1. Most inefficiently for both rain-fed or irrigated crops, low-g_s genotypes or conditions imply that crops reach maturity without exhausting all available soil water at harvest, which translates into lower farm-level TE and productivity.

Greater photosynthetic capacity in G3 relative to G1 and G2 genotypes potentially leads to increased TE_P and crop productivity at any stage during crop growth, including at harvest.

G3 is the desirable genotype because it theoretically leads to greater productivity and TE_P in wet (high g_s) or dry (low g_s) conditions. In addition, the G3 genotype consumes all available soil water by harvest.