A field experiment was conducted at Mount Edgecombe,South Africa (29842018.400S, 31802048.500E, 105 m) on a Haplic Phaeozems (World Reference Base for Soil Resources, ISBN 92-5-304 141-9) with 35% clay and a 0.5–0.7 m depth. A first ratoon crop of cultivar NCo376 was started on 29 August 2003, when the plant crop that had been planted on 28 November 2002, was cut back. The crop received adequate water and nutrients. Weeds,pests and diseases were not a factor. The experiment was a follow up from a similar experiment with a plant crop reported by
Singels and Smit (2002). Apart from a few additional measurements,the experimental procedure was similar to that followed by Singels and Smit (2002).