Dr.

Ashirbachan Mahapatra
Assistant Professor
Agronomy, MSSSoA, CUTM
 IMPORTANCE

 Sugarcare is the main source of sugar in India and holds a prominent position as a cane
crop. India has the largest area under sugarcane in the world and also ranks first in sugar
production. Sugar juice is used for making white sugar, brown sugar (khandsari) and jaggery
(gur). Sugarcane is one of the main crops of earning foreign exchange.
 The main by-products of the sugarcane industries are bagasse and molasses.
 Bagasse is mainly used as fuel. It is also used for the production or compressed fibre board,
paper, plastics and furfural.
 Molasses is used in distilleries for the manufacture of ethyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, citric
acid, etc.
 Rum is the best potable spirit made from molasses. Molasses is also used as an additive to
feeds for livestock.
 Green tops of cane are a good source of fodder for cattle.
 Sugar mills also produce large quantity of biodegradable pressmud which is used as a
manure in alkaline and saline soils.
 Sugar industry in India is next in importance only to the textile industry and provides gainful
employment to a large number of people.
 ORIGIN and HISTORY

 The cultivated Saccharum officinarum (also called noble cane) was evolved by repeated
back crossing of S. officinarum of New Guinea with wild S. spontaneum to improve the
commercially important characters like high sucrose, low fibres, long inter nodes, late
maturity, long leaves, etc. The attainment of such characters by natural crossing is known as
Nobilisation.
 Cultivation of sugarcane in India dates back to the Vedic period.
 The earliest mention of sugarcane cultivation is found in Indian writings of the period 1400
to 1000 BC.
 The word 'sugar’ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Sakkara’ or ‘Sarkara’.
 Barber (1931) was of the opinion that the thin Indian canes probably originated in the
moist parts of North Eastern India, from some plant closely related to Saccharum
spontaneum (Kans).
 Tropical cane might have originated on some of the larger islands of Oceania, most
probably in New Guinea.
 Brandes (1956) also concluded that it originated in New Guinea, where various forms of
thick, tall, tropical cane have been grown from ancient times.
 AREA and DISTRIBUTION

 Sugarcane is grown over the land surface of the earth between latitudes 35oN and 35oS.
 The important sugarcane producing countries in the world are, India, Brazil, Cuba, Exico,
Pakistan, China, Philippines and Thailand.
 It is one of the important crops of the world cultivated over an area of 19.4 million hectares
with a total production of 1274.7 million tonnes of cane.
 In India, area and production of sugarcane has been fluctuating from year to year
depending upon pricing policy and climatic conditions.
 It occupies about 4.43 million hectares.
 The total production of cane is 306 million tonnes.
 Uttar Pradesh has the largest acreage under sugarcane, and accounts for about 48% of the
area under this crop in whole of India and also accounts for 38.6% of the total annual
production.
 But the production/ha is highest in Tamil Nadu followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka
(2016-17). (FAI Statistics 2017-18)
 CLASSIFICATION

Sugarcane belongs to the genus Saccharum in the family Poaceae. Cultivated

sugarcane is classified into three species.

1. Saccharum officinarum: These are thick and juicy canes good for chewing purpose. This
species includes the tropical canes indigenous to the New Guinea. These canes contain
high sugar content, low fibre and produce high tonnage. These are generally resistant to
smut but are susceptible to red rot and mosaic diseases. The cultivation of this species is
limited to tropical areas. But in recent years these canes have been succeeded by
hybridization among Officinarum spontaneum and other species in subtropical regions.
2. Saccharum sinense: This species of cultivated sugarcane is indigenous to north-eastern
India. This species is characterized by long and thin stalks, broad leaves, low to medium
sucrose content and early maturity. This species includes "Pansahi'. ‘Nargori’ and 'Mungo’
groups of sugarcane. Internodes of these canes are long and more or less zigzag and
nodes are prominent.

3. Saccharum barberi: This species is also indigenous to north-eastern India. It is

characterized by short and thin stalks, narrow leaves, low to medium sucrose content,
and early maturity. This species includes ‘Saretha’ and ‘Sunnabile’ groups of sugarcane.

Both the above-mentioned species, indigenous to north-eastern India were in

cultivation for many centuries but nowadays canes of these species have been replaced
by complex hybrid clones. In addition to the above three cultivated species there are two
wild species S. spontaneum and S. robustum.
Cultivated Species

Saccharum officinarum Saccharum sinense Saccharum barberi

Wild Species

Saccharum spontaneum Saccharum robustum

 BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
Sugarcane is tall perennial plant growing erect even up to 5 or 6 m. The plant is composed of four
principal parts i.e. the root system, the stalk, the leaves and the inflorescence.
Root system
The root system is fibrous and consists of two types of roots, namely “sett roots” and “shoot roots”. When
sugarcane sett is planted in the soil and covered with moist soil, the root primordia (transluscent dots)
situated at the base of every cane joint is activated and produces roots. These roots are known as “sett
roots” and are mostly temporary. These are thin and much branched and function for a limited period.
These roots provide moisture and nutrients for the growing primary shoot until it forms roots of its own.
Later on these “sett roots” cease to function and die. After the
emergence of the primary shoot from the bud, other roots are
produced from lower rings of the flower nodes of the shoot. Later,
this process occurs progressively in upper rings of the nodes near the
soil surface. Those formed first go downwards, where as those
formed near the soil surface grow in upper layer of soil for providing
anchorage for the plant. These roots produced from shoot are known
as “shoot roots” These are permanent roots are thick, fleshy and
white in colour. New roots are continually produced from tillers.
Stalk
Sugarcane stalk is roughly cyllindrical and is composed of many distinct nodes and internodes. It is
above ground portion of the plant which bears leaves and flowers. A small portion of the stalk is below
ground which is called rootstalk. At each node there is bud, sometimes known as “Eye” appearing on
opposite sides of the cane. These buds are protected by the leaf sheath, which is folded tightly around
the internode. Just below the bud is a raised portion is known as the leaf scar.
• Sugarcane is propagated vegetatively with stem cuttings.
• The stem of sugarcane is roughly cylindrical and consists of nodes
and internodes, the former being the area around the bud from
the leaf scar to the growth ring and the latter being the part
between the two nodes.
• The node consists of a lateral bud, root primordia and growth
ring.
• Bud is situated in the axil of the leaf on alternate sides of the stalk.
• Root primordia at lower side of the leaf scar are arranged in rows.
• Growth ring is present immediately above the each node, coated
with waxy layer.
• Sucrose content is higher at the bottom portion and decreases
towards the top of the cane.
Leaf
• The leaf consists of two parts, the blade and the sheath,
separated by a leaf joint.
• The leaves are attached to the nodes of the stem on alternate
sides.
• The leaf sheath is tubular in shape and is inserted at the node.
• The leaf blade is linear or lanceolate reaching upto 3 feet and the
midrib is prominent with groove on upper surface.
• The ligule is a membranous ring found as an appendage of the
sheath, separating the latter from the leaf blade, and bears long
hairs.
• The scarious extension of the leaf sheath is known as auricle.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence: The inflorescence or tassel of sugarcane, generally called as ‘Arrow’ is a loose terminal
panicle. 25-50 cm long arrow with silky appearance owing to rings of long hairs below each spikelet. The
arrangement of the spikelet is racemose. Each tassel consists of several thousand tiny flowers, each
capable of producing one seed. Sugarcane usually flowers at the age of 10-12 months but some varieties
do not flower at all.
 SOIL REQUIREMENTS

Sugarcane is well adopted to wide range of soil from sandy to heavy clay soils – if water,
drainage, fertility and depth are not constraints. But, the sugarcane yield are always better in
medium black soil of Northern Karnataka, AP and South/Mid Maharashtra as well as alluvial
soils of Punjab, Haryana and UP. Sugarcane roots prefer to be well aerated and grow deeper.
Hence, the depth of weathered zone is crucial (min: 60-80 cm). Hard pan, subsoil lime band
or salt zone, poor drainage reduce the growth and yields. But surface salinity is tolerable (up
to 1.7 dSm-1). The tolerable pH range is 4-9 (with yield reduction), but ideal pH range is 6-8.
Sugarcane needs high fertility in soil, as it mines large quantity of nutrients during its year
long duration. Shallow alfisols are not suitable.

 Cultivated in wide range of soils

 Moderately heavy medium deep (1-2m) loams are better than Heavier and shallow soils
 The soil must be of good depth and drainage
 No salt and compaction
 CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS

Sugarcane is a C4 plant and is more adapted to tropical climate with year round sunshine
than subtropical regions, where it was originated. If moisture is not limiting, it prefers the hot
weather with bright sunshine throughout the year. It is thermo sensitive, photo sensitive
short day plant (photo synthesis sensitive to temperatures and day length and flowering
sensitive to photoperiod).
For Growth For Ripening
Mean Maximum Temp 30-36oC Mean Maximum Temp 20-25oC
Mean Minimum Temp >20oC Mean Minimum Temp not less than 15oC
Altitude 300-600 m Altitude 300-1500 m
Rainfall 1500-1800 mm in 10 months Rainfall Nil
Sunshine hours 10-12 hours Sunshine hours 8-10 hours
Relative humidity 60-70% Relative humidity 40-50%
Season of Growing
 Annual cane (Eksali): 11-12 months
 Spring – Feb-Mar in North India
Jan – Feb in Peninsular India
 Autumn – Sep-Oct in North India (Except Bihar)
Oct – Nov in Bihar and Peninsular India
 Such planting is called Pre-seasonal planting (13-15 months), supplies sugar for early crushing
 Late planting – beyond March or Mar-April in North Western India, MP and UP after harvest of
wheat. The cane matures in 9-10 months and reduction in duration and yield.
 Monsoon planting (Adsali) – July - Aug in Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka
 16-18 months
 Increase in yield & sugar recovery
 Though advantageous area is declining due to water problem

Why Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI) is located in Coimbatore?

Many varieties of sugarcane fail to flower and set the seeds. Some of them need artificial inducement to
flower. But, in Coimbatore, located at 77oE longitude and 11oN latitude, the temperatures and altitudes
are ideal for natural flowering of most of the varieties. This facilitates crossing programmes and varietal
improvement. Hence SBI is located in Coimbatore.
Sugarcane Growing Zones

SBI, Coimbatore has divided the country into five sugarcane growing zones, based on climate,
soils and sugarcane growing areas. The are:
 North western zone: Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, UP and Gujarat. Sub-
 North eastern zone: Assam, Bihar, Nagaland, WB and Odisha. tropical
 North central zone: Madhya Pradesh climate

 Coastal zone: Coastal region of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Tropical

Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra and Gujarat. climate
 Penninsular zone: Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, TN and Kerala.
Why Productivity is higher in South India than North India?
 Latitude are lesser in South India than North Indian states.
 Day length for most part of the growing period is more than 10 hours in South India.
 Minimum temperatures hardly reduce below 20oC during growing period in South India.
 Most of the Sugarcane area is irrigated in South India, which favours use of more inputs.
 Temp during maturity is in the range of 20-25oC in South India, while it is 8-15oC in North.
 Land Preparation

Ploughing
 The common method of tillage preparation is ploughing the
land and bringing the soil to fine tilth.
 Plough the field for 2 to 4 times at the depth of 50-60 cm
with tractor drawn disc plough or victory plough.

Harrowing
 It is the secondary tillage operation in sugarcane cultivation
which pulverizes, smoothens and compact the soil to
conserve the moisture.
 Harrowing is done at shallow depth of 12-15 cm to crush
the clods by disc harrow or rotavator
Levelling
 To ensure a uniform crop stand levelling is important also
for easy movement of irrigation water.
 Levelling can be carried out using a tractor operated
leveller.

Lay out of field

 Irrigation – cum – drainage channels along and across the
slope of the field at 10-15m intervals.
 METHODS OF PLANTING

1. Flat bed planting

2. Trench planting
3. Ridges and furrow planting
4. Paired row planting
5. Partha planting
6. Skip row planting
7. I.I.S.R. method
8. STP method
9. Ring system
10. Machine planting
11. Poly bag seedling transplanting
12. 'Chip-bud' or 'bud-chip' technique
13. Tissue culture method
1. Flat bed planting
 In this method, shallow (8-10 cm deep) furrows are opened with a local
plough or cultivator at a distance of 75 to 90 cm
 There should be adequate moisture in the field at the time of planting
 The setts are planted in them end to end
 Furrows are covered with 5-7 cm soil
 In most parts of northern India and some tracts of Maharastra, cane is
planted by this method
2. Trench planting
 In some coastal areas as well as in other areas where the crop grows very tall and the strong winds
during rainy season cause lodging of cane, trench method is adopted to save the crop from lodging
 Trenches at a distance of 75-90 cm are dug with the help of ridger or by manual labour
 Trenches should be about 20-25 cm deep and 30-40 cm wide.
 Fertilizers (NPK) are spread uniformly in the trenches and mixed thoroughly in the soil
 The setts are planted end to end in trenches and covered with
shallow layer (5 cm) of soil.
 The tractor-drawn sugarcane planter is a very suitable device for
planting cane in trenches
3. Ridges and furrow planting
 It is followed in Mharshtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
 Furrows of 30-40 cm deep are opened at 90 cm distance.
 Setts are placed end-to-end on the top of the ridge and slightly pressed
on them.
 Furrows are irrigated.
4. Paired row planting
 This is a recent system to facilitate mechanized harvesting followed in
peninsular India, also called wide row planting.
 Keeping the distance between ridges up to 5 feet, two rows of sugarcane
are established (which are 1 feet apart) on wide topped ridge.
 The two rows of canes are placed end-to-end on ridge and irrigated by
separate furrow for each crop row.
 This system more suits drip irrigation, wherein the lateral can be laid in
between rows.
 In a comparative study of two different methods of wide row
planting, the dual row system gave a cane yield of 136.3 t/ha
compared to 126.7 t/ha recorded by the single row system.
5. Partha planting
 A technique developed by Mr. S.V. Parthasaradhy an eminent sugarcane scientist.
 It is principally followed in coastal heavy rainfall regions of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
 Suggested for water logged or excess soil moisture conditions (coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu during N-E monsoon period)
 In this method
o Three eye budded setts are planted in a slanting position, 60° to the vertical, in the wet furrow
or half-way on the ridges
o Usually one eye bud is thrust into the soil and the remaining two will be above, which will sprout
o Once the monsoon recedes, they are irrigated and the in situ sprouted setts are pressed down
into the soil and made to lie horizontally
o Soil is put to the base
o At this stage, the crop is manured
6. Skip row planting
 It is followed in Odisha.
 It is modified trench method, wherein continuous trenches of 45 cm
width and 15-20 cm deep are made in paired order in such a way
that each pair of trench rows are placed 90 cm apart.
 Setts are placed end-to-end in each trench and soil is covered on
them.
 After emergence, the planting results into paired rows of 45 cm,
each pair located 90 cm apart.
7. I.I.S.R. method
 Trenches of 90 cm wide are opened at a distance of 20 cm between
two trenches.
 They are filled with FYM and litter and 3-4 budded canes (called long
rayunguns) are planted vertically with intra row spacing of 30 cm.
8. STP Method
 It is a technique developed by Indian Institute of Sugar Research
(Popularly called as STP method – Spaced Transplanting Technique).
 A nursery bed (50 m2) area is sufficient for 1 ha is prepared and sinfle
budded setts are planted closely and vertically in such a way that bud
is outside.
 The seedlings are ready after 5 weeks.
 These are transplanted in the main field at a distance of 45 cm in
each row which are 90 cm apart.
 This method helps to improve the germination percentage (85-95%)
as well as reduce seed requirement to 2 t/ha as compared to 6-7
t/ha, required by regular method.
Advantages of STP Method
• Saving of 4 tons of seed cane/ha.
• Uniform crop stand with higher yield.
• Reduction in late shoot production.
• Reduced cane lodging.
• Increase in seed multiplication ratio (1:40 as compared to 1:10)
• Higher stalk population/ha.
9. Ring System / Pit method / Ring pit method
 In the pit method, the crops are raised in pits (90 cm diameter) at the
spacing of 180 cm between rows and 150 cm between individual pits
in a row.
 The pits are dug using specially designed tractor drawn power tillers.
 The pits are then filled with top soil, 5 kg of farmyard manure (FYM),
100 gms gypsum and 125 gms super phosphate and watered well
before planting.
 About 16 double budded or 32 single budded setts were used for
planting.
 The setts were collected from the eight-month-old plants and were
treated with 0.1 per cent carbendazim for 10 minutes before planting.
 About 60,000 double budded setts were required for planting in one
hectare. Germination is as high as 80-90%.
 The pits were irrigated daily for an hour through drip fertigation.
 Detrashing was done on fifth month after planting and the plants were
tied without lodging by dried leaves.
 The most important factor was that the sugarcane setts were placed at
a depth, which were always moist, hence, in case of drought, or non-
availability of water the yield was not affected.
10. Machine Planting
 In recent days, the cane is planted by using specialized machines
developed to drop the setts at required spacing, as the machine moves
in row.
 It saves the labour and can cover large area in short time.
 They are gaining popularity in many sugarcane growing areas.
11. Poly bag seedling transplanting
 This technique is also more or less same as STP technique.
 Here the seedlings are raised in perforater plastic bags of size 10x15 cm
filled with FYM or pressmud, soil and sand 1:1:1 proportion.
 In this technique field establishment of seedlings is better, around 95-
99%, as there is no damage to the root system.
 In this method, a small pit is dug out at specified spacing (45cm).
 A small quantity of phosphatic fertilizer is placed and covered with some
soil. Then the settling is planted after clipping the green leaves.

12. 'Chip-bud' or 'bud-chip' technique

 In this technique the bud along with a portion of the nodal region is
chipped off using a bud chipping machine.
 The bud chips are treated with fungicide and planted in the raised bed
nursery or in polythene bags filled with FYM/press mud, soil and sand in
1:1:1 proportion.
 Seedlings are transplanted as in case of STP technique.
 The advantages are that the quantity of seed material (chip buds)
required is only around 1 to 1.5 tonnes and the cane after taking chips
can be sent for milling.
13. Tissue culture method
 Micropropagation of seed cane through Tissue Culture technology is
useful in developing large scale production of true to type and disease
free sugarcane plantlets using apical meristem culture technique.faster
multiplication of a sugarcane variety can be done.
 Apical meristem (growing part of sugarcane) is dissected and inoculated
on a growth medium having definite nutrient composition.
 The apical meristem starts producing tillers in the laboratory after about
45 days of incubation in temperature and light controlled conditions.
 one apical meristem one can develop millions of plantlets in a period of
seven to eight months.
 The plantlets well established and hardened in plastic bags are transplanted to field condition.
 Apply 16.5 Kgs. of granular lindane per hectare in the soil after fifteen days of transplantation and
irrigate the field. This helps in preventing early shoot borer infestation.
 A seed multiplication ratio of 1:25 (planting material for 25 hectares is obtained from one hectare
seednursery) is obtained from the seed nursery planted with tissue culture plantlets.
 The well hardened plantlets developed when used give 98 to 100 % survival under field condition.
 PLANTING MATERIALS
1. Setts
 Most commonly used seed material for planting is 1/2/3 budded immature
piece of cane called sett. They are obtained by raising a separate seed cane (6-7
months-entire cane could be used as sett) or by cuttings from top one-third of
mature harvested cane.
 Preparation for setts: It is desirable to grow separate sugarcane crop for seed
materials, rather than using 1/3rd top of harvested cane for better germination
and cane yield. Such crop is harvested at 6-7 months, when entire plant can be
used for sett preparation and entire cane is filled with glucose.
 In later stages, this glucose is converted into sucrose, which is not desirable for
germination and growth.
 Due to apical dominance, it is not desirable to use entire cane or more than
three budded cane as planting material. If such material is used, the
germination of lower bud will take an extended time and stand of crop will not
be uniform. Seblang or tiller separation can also be adopted to produce setts.
 It is desirable to treat setts with moist hot air treatment at 54oC and 99% humidity for 2-2.5 hours to
minimize the diseases like red rot, smut, ratoon stunting disease, grassy shoot disease and leaf scald.
In addition, it is useful to treat the setts with 0.5% Agallol slution for half an hour.
2. Rayungans
 The top of the mature cane is cut off to facilitate auxillary bud to sprout (due to apical dominance).
Then the cane pieces with 3-4 buds are planted in portion of field selected for rayungan production.
After sprouting, they are cut into single budded rayungans. They are transplanted after 3-4 weeks.
(Rayungan is Indonesian term: this technology is adopted in South Eastern Asia).
3. Seblang
 Setts are planted in fertile soil at wider spacing. Immediately after they germinate and tiller (After 2-3
months), the tillers are separated along with roots and used for transplantation (Practiced in Cuba
and Java).
3. Pre-germinated setts
 In spaced Transplantation Technique of planting, setts germinated in nursery are used. They are also
called rangoons in Kolhapur.

What is Apical Dominance…?

 Apical dominance is a phenomenon indicating dominance of apical buds than other lower buds due
to the presence of auxins. When apical bud is cut, next bud is activated.
4. Tissue culture
 Meristem tips are excited and grown in an independent artificial medium under control condition.
This is not used for commercial cultivation, bud adopted to revive degenerated varieties.
5. Tjeblocks
 The whole cane is cut in middle at about 6-7 months and upper part is planted vertically with the
lowest node in soil for rooting. Such planted pieces of cane are called tjeblocks. After 20-25 days,
single budded setts are prepared from both tjeblocks and mother cane and used as Rayungans. This is
improved rayungan method.
6. Buds and chips
 Buds on each stalk are scooped along with little flesh and planted in small polythene sleeves with
manure and soil and allowed to sprout for 10-15 days. The sleeves will have holes below for rooting.
They are used for transplantation in main field.
https://youtu.be/kNt11njEsgc
Preparation of Planting Material https://youtu.be/faZqhBCR8Q4
and Planting Methods https://youtu.be/j0wxo_xKDx4
https://youtu.be/NnhAvxmwsJA
 Intercultural Operations

1. Trash mulching
2. Raising inter crops
3. Crop rotation
4. Gap filling
5. Earthing up
6. Control / Regulation of flowering in sugarcane
7. Detrashing
8. Propping
9. Removal of water shoots
10. Covering the field with green leaf manure plants
Trash mulching
 Mulch the ridges uniformly with cane trash to a thickness of 10 cm
within a week after planting.
 It helps to tide over drought, conserves moisture, reduce weed
population and minimize shoot borer incidence.
 Mulch the field with trash after 21 days of planting in heavy soil and
wetland conditions. Avoid trash mulching in areas where incidence
of termites is noticed.
Advantages of Trash Mulching
1. Reduces the weed population
2. Helps in better bud germination
3. Conserves the moisture
4. Postpones irrigation
5. Improves the biological activity
6. Helps in better decomposition
Raising inter crops
Tamilnadu
• Areas of adequate irrigation, sow one row of soybean or blackgram or greengram along the centre of
the ridge on the 3rd day of planting.
• Intercropping of daincha or sunhemp along ridges and incorporation of the same on the 45th day
during partial earthing up helps to increase the soil fertility, and also the cane yield.
• Especially Intercropping of Co.1 Soybean gives a yield of 800 kg/ha without any adverse effect on
cane yield.
Kerala: Intercropping with short duration pulse crop.
Karnataka: They sow groundnut and pulse as inter crop with sugarcane.
Crop rotation
• Sugarcane is generally grown after the harvest of
cotton, rice, maize, toria, potato, wheat, etc. In
sequence under 2 to 3 years rotation.

Gap filling

• Fill the gaps, if any, within 30 days after planting with

sprouted setts.
• Maintain adequate moisture for 3 weeks for proper
establishment of the sprouted setts.
Earthing up
 Earthing-up operation is also known as "hilling-up".
 This operation is carried out in two or three stages. The first
earthing-up operation is known “partial earthing-up” and the
second/third operation is known as "full earthing-up".
 The partial earthing-up is done at 45 days after planting. In partial
earthing-up, little amount of soil from either side of the furrow is
taken and placed around the base of the shoots.
 Full earthing-up is done after 120 days after planting coinciding with the peak tiller
population stage. During full earthing-up the soil from the ridge in between is fully
removed and placed near the cane on either side.
 This operation converts the furrows into ridges and ridges into furrows. This operation
could be done either manually or by using a bullock-drawn/tractor drawn furrower
depending upon the spacing adopted.
 After application of 3rd dose fertilizer (90 days), work victory plough along the ridges for
efficient and economical earthing up.
 At 150 days after planting, earthing up may be done with spade.
Control / Regulation of flowering in sugarcane
 Ethephon (ethrel) applied at the rate of 500 ppm effectively controlled flowering in
a number of profuse flowering varieties.
 By altering the planting date, flowering can be avoided in heavy flowering areas.
 Adsali planting or special season planting (July to September) helps in avoiding
flowering and its adverse effects.
 Non-flowering varieties are Co 8021, Co 86032, Co 87025, Co 91010, Co 94005 and
Co 94008.
Detrashing
 Detrashing refers to removal of unwanted bottom
dry and green leaves at regular intervals.
 Sugarcane stalk bears large number of leaves (30-
35) equal to the number of inter-nodes under good
management systems.
 Detrashing should be taken up after the cane
formation around 150 days after planting. There
after it could be done at bi-monthly interval
depending up on the labour availability.
Propping
 The operation of tying the leaves together using the bottom dry and
green leaves is known as propping.
 It is primarily done to avoid lodging of cane.
 Propping can be either done for each row or two rows can be brought
together and tied.
 It is done at the age of 210 days of the crop
Removal of water shoots
 Water shoots are late formed tillers or side
shoots, which are robust and fast growing.
 They originate mainly due to excess water supply,
heavy and late manuring, inadequate earthing
up.
 Water shoots contain lot of water, low sucrose
and more of reducing sugars. Water shoots
affects the growth of adjacent statics.
 Therefore removal of water shoots whenever
they appear is highly essential. Water shoots can
be used as cattle feed.
Covering the field with green leaf manure plants
 There is a practice of spreading lightly one to two
tonnes of green wild indigo plants per acre over the
entire planted fields immediately after the planting.
 When this is done, the evaporation of moisture from
the recently planted fields is controlled to some extent
and it will be possible to prolong the interval between
irrigation.
 Subsequently the green matter can be incorporated in
the soil.
 Nutrient Management
 Bulky organic manures like farmyard manure, compost and pressmud must be
incorporated into the soil at the rate of 15 to 25 t/ha before planting.
 Soil-test based fertiliser schedules are advisable. When this is not possible, a blanket
schedule of 275-65-115 kg of N, P and K can be adopted.
 For Coastal and flow irrigated areas - 270 : 112.5: 60 N: P2O5: K2O kg /ha
 For Lift irrigated areas - 225 : 112.5: 60 N: P2O5: K2O kg /ha
 For Jaggery producing areas - 175 : 112.5: 60 N: P2O5: K2O kg /ha
 Phosphatic fertilisers, preferably super phosphates can be applied basally or at the time of
first hoeing and weeding during 30 to 45 days after planting.
 Nitrogenous and potassic fertilisers must be applied in four splits, first split during 30 – 45
days, second split during 60-75 days, third split during 90 – 105 days and fourth split
during 120 – 135 days after planting.
 The efficiency of urea can be enhanced by blending it with neem cake powder in 4:1 ratio,
a day before application. It is advisable to apply the mixture of urea and potash fertiliser
in holes of 10 cm depth at intervals of 15 cm spacing on the sides of the plant rows.
 Fifty kg of micronutrient mixture/ha made up of 20 kg of ferrous sulphate, 10 kg of
manganous sulphate, 10 kg of zinc sulphate, 5 kg of copper sulphate and 5 kg of borax
may be applied basally in the planting furrows.
 When the chlorotic symptoms due to deficiency of iron or zinc are observed on the
leaves of the crop, 5 kg of ferrous sulphate, 2.5 kg of zinc sulphate and 5 kg of urea per
hectare may be dissolved in 500 litres of water and sprayed over the foliage. If necessary,
one or two more sprayings can be given at intervals of 15 days.
 Azospirillum and phosphobacteria biofertilisers at 10 kg each/ha may be mixed with 10
kg of compost and applied basally in the planting furrows or at the time of first hoeing
and weeding during 30 – 45 days after planting. The soil pH must be maintained in the
neutral range of 6.5 to 7.5 for the crop.
 Foliar Nutrition of urea @1- 2.5% & potassium @2.5% under moisture stress is useful to
improve yield and quality.
Nitrogen
Influences sugar yields and quality. Required for vegetative growth [tillering foliage
formation, stalk formation and root growth]. Deficiency of Nitrogen: shows paleness of
foliage, early leaf senescence thinner and shorter stalks longer but thinner roots. Excess
Nitrogen, prolongs vegetative growth, delays maturity and ripening, and lowers juice quality,
susceptible to lodging and pests and diseases incidence.

Phosphorus
“P” requirement is less than N and K. Required for adequate tillering. Interacts with N and
thus enhance ripening.P deficiency leads to reduced tillering, delays in canopy development,
Affects stalk elongation, Less production of secondary and tillering stalks and leaf color
appear violet green.

Potassium
Essential for carbon assimilation, photosynthesis translocation of carbohydrates. Involved in
various enzymatic activities. Important for sugar synthesis, maintains cell turgidity, moist
stress. Develop resistance to pests and diseases and lodging. Balances the effect of N & P.
 Water Management

 Water requirement of cane is high and varies with region. In Tropics, water requirement is
2000-3000 mm, in sub-tropics 1500-2000 mm. Under severe stress the yield loss may go
up to 60-70 per cent.
• Germination phase = up to 60 DAP
• Formative phase = 60- 130 DAP
• Maturity = 250-365 DAP.
 Water requirement during formative and grand growth phases is more. Light & frequent
irrigations gave higher yield, than heavy irrigations at longer intervals. In summer,
irrigation interval depends up on soil type and season. Generally shorter interval in winter
and in heavy soils whereas longer intervals in summer. In light soils trash mulching has to
be done @3t/ha.
 To support and sustain a vigorous nursery crop, irrigating at optimum levels in important
 Any shortage in the irrigation would lead to reduced sett yield
 Moisture stress would pre-dispose the crop to the attack of some pests and diseases
 Tillering, cane elongation and early ripening are critical stages for soil moisture.
 Last 4 weeks should not be irrigated to facilitate maturity.
 Irrigation can be provided: 0.75, and 0.50 IW/CPE ratio at tillering, grand growth,
maturity.
 According to moisture depletion irrigating at 25% depletion of available soil moisture
(ASM) may be ideal
 This in practical terms means:
o Once in 6-7days in a loamy soil and
o At around 10-12 days in heavy clay soil
 Weed Management

 Critical period can be defined, as “the shortest span of time in the ontogeny of crop
growth when weeding will result in higher economic returns”.
 Sugarcane being initially slow-growing crop faces an acute competition from weeds.
 In sugarcane, weed infestation during 60-120 days after planting has been found
detrimental for the final crop yield.
 In some cases it requires weed free for the first 90-100 days before and, most sensitive to
weeds during tillering stage. It can be even up to 120-150 days in some situations.
 In ratoon crop, critical period of crop-weed competition has been identified as 30-50 days
after ratoon initiation.
 Besides, weeds remove large amount of nutrients from soil. Direct yield losses ranged
from 11-74% depending upon the nature and intensity of weed flora and period of
occurrence of weeds.
 The loss is mainly due to restriction of tiller production.
 Removing weed at any time during growing season may not be beneficial. It is necessary
to identify critical period of crop-weed competition to render weed control practices
more effective.
 Major weed:
 Sedges
o Cyperus rotundus.
 Grasses
o Cynodon dactylon, Sorghum halepense, Panicum spp., Dactylocterium aegyptium.
 Broad leaved weeds
o Chenapodium album, Convolvulus arvensis L., Amaranthus viridis L., Portulaca
oleraceae L., Commelina bengalensis L., Trianthema portulacastrum L., Striga spp.
 1st option: Frequent intercultivation i.e. Manual weeding at 30, 60 & 90 days after planting
(DAP) is effective to control weeds.
 2nd option: Grow companion crops for first 60-90 days, so that crop experiences less weed
competition.
 3rd option: Trash mulch at 45 DAP @ 7-10 t/ha, 10 cm thick is effective against many weeds.
 4th option: Chemical weed management
 Pre-emergence application of Metribuzin (1-2 kg/ha) or Alachlor (1-1.5 kg/ha) or Atrazin
(1-2 kg/ha) can be applied to reduce the weed population.
 Post-emergence spray of Prosulfuron (20-30 g/ha) or Metsulfuron-methyl are useful to
reduce the weed population up to 120-140 days.
Management of parasitic weed Striga (commonly known as witch weed) in sugarcane
 Striga is a becoming a major problem in sugarcane in many sugarcane
growing areas of the country.
 Striga removes nutrients and extracts water from the sugarcane plant
and causes heavy loss in cane productivity and quality.
 Intercropping with legumes such as soybean, cowpea or groundnut
within the sugarcane rows row can significantly reduce the number
of Striga coming to maturity. Plants which are pulled, within 2-3 weeks
of the start of flowering, should be taken out of the field and burned so
that seeds are not produced and shed from the drying plants.
 Where it is available and feasible or the farmer, the herbicide 2,4-D can be used
before Striga flowering, as an alternative to hand-pulling but it may need to be repeated.
 trash mulching at 5.0 tonnes/ha at 90 days after planting has been found effective in reducing the
density and dry weight of Striga.
 Pre-emergence application of atrazine at 1.0 kg/ha + 1 hand weeding at 45 days after planting with
an earthing up at 60 days after planting combine with post-emergence application of 2,4-D Na salt at
5 g/l (0.50%) + urea 20 g/l (2%) at 90 days after planting has been recommended for effective control
of Striga in sugarcane.
 Crop Protection

Diseases

Red rot Smut Wilt Ratoon stunt Red stripe

Disease Management strategies
Cultural method
 Select healthy setts for planting.
 Field should maintain at proper sanitation.
 Ungerminated setts should be removed and fill the gap with new setts which should be
treated before planting.
Mechanical method
 Treat the setts with hot water at 50°C for about 2 hours this gives 100 per cent control. A
temperature higher than this would kill the cane and lower temperature than the
specified enables the pathogen to survive.
 Aerated steam therapy eliminates the pathogen from the infected canes. Use of
disinfectants to clean seed cutting tools which would reduce the chance of spread of
pathogen from the infected to healthy setts.
Chemical method
 Chemical disinfectants that may be used on cane cutting knives includes, Lysol, Dettol,
ethanol, Mirrol and Roccal. Atleast 5 minutes of contact with the cutting surface is needed
to assure disinfection.
Insect pests

Early shoot borer Root borer

Top borer

Black bug
White fly
Insect Pest Management strategies
ETL: 15% dead heart
Cultural method
 Use resistant varieties like CO 312, CO 421, CO 661, CO 917 and CO 853
 Early planting during December – January escapes the early shoot borer incidence.
 Sugarcane intercropped with Daincha recorded the lowest early shoot borer incidence.
 Trash mulching along the ridges to a thickness of 10-15 cm 3 days after planting.
 Ensure adequate moisture to bring down the soil temperature and increase humidity
(unfavourable condition for the multiplication of early shoot borer).
 Partial earthing up on 45 days after planting reduces the incidence.
Physical method
 Remove and destroy dead hearts.
 Install pheromone traps @ 10Nos. /ha for surveillance and monitoring, change the
septa/lure once in 30 days.
Biological method
 Apply granulosis virus 1.5 x 13 5 IBS / ha (750 diseased larvae / ha)along with teepol
twice on 35 and 50 DAP.
 Release 125 gravid females of Sturmiopsis inferens a tachinid parasite per ac.
Chemical method
 Apply any one of the following insecticides if the pest crosses ETL.
 Carboryl +Sevidol 4% G 12.5 kg, Carbofuron 3G 33 kg (Soil application). The granular
application should be immediately followed by irrigation.
 Chlorpyriphos 1000 ml a sticker like Teepol (250 ml / 500 l of water) can also be added to
make the solution stick on to the surface of the crop and it is preferable to use high
volume sprayer to be most effective.
 Ratoon Management
 Select variety suitable during plant crop. Plant crop should be harvested at right maturity Plant crop
should be harvested in February to ensure favorable re-growth of ratoon sprout, because sprouting
will be poor under low temperatures. Delayed harvesting should be avoided.
 Harvesting close to the ground with sharp cutting is most important for good ratooning
o Stubble shaving to 4-6 cm is recommended if no uniform cut at harvest
 Remove the trash but do not burn it
 Irrigated the field properly
 Shoulder breaking or off-barring to remove decayed stubbles
 Gap filling with sprouted setts or seedlings
 Ratoon is less efficient in N utilization, hence 25% additional N of the recommended dose of N for the
plant crop, from 5-7 days after ratooning is desirable
 Nitrogen should be applied in 2 splits at ratoon initiation and 60 days after root initiation.Entire dose
of P & K should be applied at ratoon initiation.
 Spraying of FeSO4 @ 2.5kg/ha in 150 litres on 15th day if chlorotic symptom is noticed
o If persists repeat twice at 15 days interval
o In the last spray add 12.5kg urea
 After cultivation practices to be done more effectively
 Ratoon requires more plant protection
o Grassy shoot disease, ratoon stunting
 Maturity and Harvest

 Sugarcane matures after the ripening phase, which is the process of sucrose accumulation
preceded by the conversion of glucose into sucrose. Ripening is influenced by climatic
features, age of the cane as well as many management factors like intercropping, lodging
and fertilizers.
 Harvesting mature cane gives maximum recovery percentage as well as maximum sugar or
jaggery yield.
 Identification of maturity is crucial for the success in sugar production, as under mature
canes and over mature canes pose similar problems of low recovery.
 Onset of cold season, or reduction in temperature of 20-25oC is invariably favourable to
maturity, if associated with dry weather.
 A sugarcane crop of more than 6-8 months will mature when it is exposed to such climate-
irrespective of planting time. But cane of less than 6 months may not mature, even when it
is exposed to such climate.
 The ripening process is also assisted by no irrigation in the last 30-45 days of the crop.
 Ripening is influenced by number of factors : 1. Climate; 2. Nutrition; 3. Variety
 When, the sucrose is converted back into glucose due to over maturity, it is called inversion.
 The sugar or jaggery yields are the function of sucrose in the cane and hence over mature
cane should not be harvested. Even when harvested, sugarcane is left uncrushed for more
than two to three days, inversion may set in and reduce the sugar yield.
 Normally, a mature cane should be able to give a sugar recovery of 10-11% under ideal
climatic and crushing condition and around jaggery recovery of 9.5-11.5%.
 Sugarcane farmers believe that cane matures after flowering. The process of flowering
(arrowing) is also governed by the age and climatic features like maturity, hence they may be
correct partially. Sometimes the process of arrowing itself may get extended leading to
harvesting over mature canes. Generally if the arrowing take 5-8 days, it is correct to harvest
the canes within 10-15 days of arrowing. Delay in harvesting after 15 days of arrowing may
lead to reduced sugars.
 Sometimes flowering is misleading, as some varieties flowers well before the onset of cold
season, when maturity has not yet set in. In fact, arrowing itself is considered as deterrent to
increasing sugar in the Cane, as un-flowered cane has highest sugar yield. Attempts are made
to suppress the flowering by chemicals (called artificial ripening).
 Polaris, Sodium metasilicate and Ethrel are used for artificial ripening of cane (Polaris @ 5kg
in 600 l of water/ha)
 Ripening of sugarcane refers to rapid synthesis and storage of sucrose in the stalk
 Accumulation of sugar in the stalk starts soon after completion of elongation phase
 Glucose produced during photosynthesis is not utilized for conversion but stored as
sucrose
 When the concentration exceeds 16% in the juice and 85% purity the cane is said to be
matured
 As the crop advances in maturity:
 Water content decreases
 Sucrose content increases
 Reducing sugars decreases
o Both organic and inorganic non-sugars also decreases
 At peak maturity sucrose content is at maximum and non-sugars at minimum
 The maturity of sugarcane is generally recognized by the lower leaves gradually withering
up and leaving fewer green leaves at the top.
  If the grower can keep and use a hand sugar refractometer, the testing of maturity becomes
easier. If the sample of juice taken from middle portion of stalk shows a reading between 17-
18, the cane crop may be considered ready for harvest. In case hand refractometer is not
available, decide the harvesting time by sweetness of the cane. Stalks are cut at the ground
level, preferably after digging the down the earthed up ridges.
 When the refractometer reading between top and bottom of cane is 1:1 – is right time to
harvest. If harvesting delayed
o Sucrose content decreases
o Non-sugars increases
o Fibre content increases
 The dried leaves are stripped off from the cane and green top is cut from the topmost part
of the cane and clean canes are tied up in bundles.
Yield
 The average yield of 11-12 month old plant crop in Northern India ranges from 400-500
quintals/ha.
 A good crop under good management may yield about 800-1000 quintals/ha.
 The 18 month crop in Southern India especially in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu usually give
a 1000-1200 quintals of canes/ha.
 Ratoon crop ordinarily give a somewhat lower yield than the plant crop.
Cropping systems

 Intercropping
 Since a slow grower during initial 2-3 months may be an intercrop raised
 The crop should not affect cane yield
 Marketability, ability and feasibility decides the short crops
 Pulses, potato, onion etc are some
 Sequential cropping - Rotations
 After sugarcane 1 or 2 or 3 crops
o Rice based cropping system for one year
o Wheat based
 Sugarcane-banana- rice based crop rotations
Constraints: (less sugar recovery and quality)

 Harvested canes should be supplied with in 5-10 days.

 Limited crushing capacity of mills.
 Stocking of canes at mill yard.
 Inordinate delay in transport of harvested cane from field to mills.
 Week end shut down of the factory and unforeseen circumstances.
 Weather parameters like high temp & humidity leads to greater deterioration.
Products from sugarcane juice

 Jaggery
 Juice concentrate
 Powder jaggery
 Vinegar
 Sugar
 Quality Considerations
 The maturity is best indicated by testing the cane by Brix refractometer (Hand Refractometer). It is
hand held portable instrument to measure total dissolved solids. The total dissolved solids
increase with age and is maximum at maturity. The ideal Brix reading to indicate harvesting time is
17-18. A drop of juice from freshly cut cane is placed on refractometer plate and read against
sunlight to get instant readings. But correction factor needs to be applied, as the readings are
calibrated for 20oC.
 As the crop matures, the moisture content reduces, sucrose content increases, reducing sugars
and non-sugar solids rduce.
 Brix values: A good mature cane have Brix values between 17-18 and such cane should give high
sugar recovery and high juice recovery.
 Pol in juice: Polarimeter readings of sample juice (pol in juice) give more precise reading of
sucrose content and is a better measure of quality. These values vary between 11-16%. However,
polarimeter readings in cane (pol in cane) can be lesser than pol in juice as total cane is
considered.
 Purity percentage: It indicates the share of sucrose in total dissolved solids. Ir is obtained by
dividing pol in juice with corrected Brix% of juice, expressed as percentage
Purity % = (pol in juice/corrected Brix values) x 100
 Recovery percentage: It indicates quantity of jagerry or sugar obtained per unit of cane weight. It
is calculated by
Recovery % = (Weigt of sugar or jagerry obtained/Weight of cane crushed) x 100
It may also be obtained by:
Sugar recovery % = [S - 0.5 (B-S)] x 0.73
Where, S = Sucrose % (pol in juice) and B = Corrected Brix values
 Commercial cane sugar (CCS): It is a measure of sugar obtained per unit area from the millable
cane harvested. It is obtained by:
CCS (t/ha) = Recovery % x Weight of millable cane (t/ha)
 Crystal sugar: Bright white to dull white colour; crystalline freely falling; crystal size 0.5-3 mm; 2-3
years keeping quality; sucrose content 98-99%; 100% solubility.
 Jagerry: Dark brown to light crimson (natural) or light yellow to light brown or whitish yellow to
dark golden coloured; various shaped-bucket shape, cubical shape, powdered, flakes, hand shaped
and even liquid jagerry is available; sucrose 70-80%, balance made of moisture, minerals and
vitamins; keeping quality 2 months to 1 year; hardness depends on the setting point or mineral
content of juice.
 Terms Used in Sugarcane
 Sett: Piece of sugarcane stalk having 2-3 buds on it, used for planting the fresh crop.
 Arrowing: The process of initiation and growth of inflorescence in sugarcane.
 Fluff: Fertilized mass of seed of sugarcane, often in mass of fibrous awns.
 Sett roots: First set of roots evolved from the root eyes at the base of each sett, when ideal
conditions are provided at the time of planting. They are temporary in nature.
 Bagasse: Fibrous part of cane left over after the juice is extracted.
 Detrashing: Process of removal of dried leaves at the time of harvesting.
 Water shoots: Late grown shoots, which do not accumulate sucrose at the time of harvest
and pose problems of recovery percentage. They are expected to be removed or not
harvested.
 Millable cane: That part of cane which is obtained by cutting top 1/3rd part of the harvested
cane (to remove glucose rich part) and detrash it to make it ready to be crushed.
 Planted cane: Sugarcane obtained by planting the setts freshly.
 Seed cane: The cane raised specifically for the purpose of obtaining setts for propagation.
 Stale cane: The cane not used for crushing, as the cane would have deteriorated in terms of
its sucrose content.
 Inversion: Process of conversion of sucrose back into glucose, when the over-mature, cane
is harvested or harvested cane is kept uncrushed for more than 1-2 days.
 Eksali: Sugarcane crop planted during normal season maturing in 10-12 months.
 Adsali: A sugarcane crop, planted 3-6 months in advance and harvested after 15-18 months.
 Jaggery: Solidified sweet blocks obtained by boiling the sugarcane juice.
 Ratoon: A crop raised from subterranean buds from the stubbles after the harvest of the
main crop.
 LTD/TVD leaf: Last transverse mark/transverse visible dewlap leaf of sugarcane, used as an
indicator leaf for foliar analysis of nutrients to know the needs of the crop.
 Seedling/Settling: Seedling is young plant developed from the germination of true seed,
normally used by breeders; settling refers to young plant coming out of sett, commonly
known to produce commercial canes.
 Brix: The values of Brix Refractometer, indicating the total dissolved solids, including
sucrose. The values of Brix should be around 17-18 at the time of harvest.
 Pol. in juice: It refers to Polarimeter readings, indicating the sucrose percentage in juice. The
pol in juice values vary between 11-16% in the juice from the cane ready for harvest.
 Commercial cane sugar (CCS): It is sugar manufactured from 1 ha of land, expressed as t/ha.
It is calculated by multiplying recovery % with cane yield (millable cane).
JAGGERY MAKING

Step 1. Cutting sugar cane from fields

Step 2. Feeding the grinder to extract juice
Step 3. Boiling the juice
Step 4. Adding Ingredients (Na2CO3 - reducing agent helps in making jaggery balls)
Step 5. Tray Feeding
Step 6. Jaggery output
Jaggery and Health
Crystal sugar manufactured from sugar mill has 98% sucrose and negligible quantity of
other nutrients. But, jaggery has arround 75-78% sucrose, 5-6% moisture and minerals like
Fe, P, Ca, Mn as well as vitamins. For this reason, use of jaggery is always advantageous to
human health than crystal sugar.

Use of Brix Refractometer: https://youtu.be/AWpNv59VLHg

 Bioethanol
White Crystal Sugar

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