SPECIFICATIONS OF SUGARCANE:

BOTANICAL NAME: Saccharum officinarum L.

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FAMILY : Poaceae

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ORIGIN : New Guinea

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INTRODUCTION:-

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• Sugarcane is main source of sugar in India and holds a prominent position as a cash crop.
• India ranks first in sugar production in the world(1979).
• Sugar juice is used for making white sugar, brown sugar (khandsari) and jiggery (gur).
• The main byproducts of the sugarcane industry are bagasse and molasses.
• Bagasse is mainly used as a fuel and also used for the production of compressed fibre board, paper, plastics and furfural.
• Molasses is used in distilleries for the manufacture of ethyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, citric acid etc.
• Green tops of cane are a good source of fodder for cattle.
• Pressmud is used as a manure in alkaline and saline soils.

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AREA AND DISTRIBUTION:-

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• Sugarcane is grown over the land surface of the earth between latitudes 35°n and 35°s.
• The important sugarcane producing countries in the world are India, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Pakistan, china, Philippines and Thailand .
• In India, Uttar Pradesh has the largest acrease under sugarcane, but production per hectare is the highest in Tamil Nadu.

CLASSIFICATION:-

• Sugarcane belongs to the genus Saccharum in the family Poaceae.
• Cultivated sugarcane is classified into three species.

1.Saccharum officinarum

2. Saccharum sinense

3. Seccharum barberi

• Saccharum officinarum:-
• These are thick and juicy canes good for chewing purpuse also.
• These are generally resistant to smut but are susceptible to red rot and mosaic diseases.
• This species canes are indigenous to the New Guinea.
• Saccharum sinense:-
• The species is characterised by long and thin stalks, broad leaves, low to medium sucrose content and early maturity.
• Internodes of these canes are long and more or less zigzag and nodes are prominent.
• Origin-North-Eastern India.
• Saccharum barberi:-
• It is characterised by short and thin stalks, narrow leaves, low to medium sucrose content, early maturity.
• Origin-North-Eastern India

CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS:-

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• Sugarcane is a tropical plant. It grows most in those regions where the climate is more or less tropical but it can grow in subtropical too as in north India.
• Average mean temp. of 26 to 32°c is best suited for the growth of sugarcane.
• Temperature above 50°c arrest its growth; those below 20°c slow itdown.
• Low temp. Reduces tilling.
• A rainfall of 75 to 120 cm required per annum.
• Plant grown under long day conditions produce more dry matter.

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SOIL:

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• Sugarcane can be grown on all types of soils ranging from sandy loam to clay loam.
• It, however, thrives best on well drained loamy soils.
• It can also be raised successfully on lighter soils provided there is a adequate irrigation facilities.
• Saline, alkaline, and acidic soils are not at all suitable for this crop.

VARIETIES:

Co-0238(Karan-4) :- is a high yielding and high sugar content variety. This variety was evolved at the sugarcane breeding institute, regioncentral karnal.

Co-05011(Karan-9):- It was released in 2012.

Yield -82.47 tonne/hac.

Sucrose %-18.00

Suitable for North-East zone.

CoJ-64:- Moderately resistance to red-rot, smut and grassy-shoot disease.

Good ratooning ability.

CoJ-8436:-Early maturing and resistance to wilt.

It has a good tillering.

UP-5929:-Suitable for growing under water-logging condition of U.P Moderately resistance to red-rot, smut and wilt disease.

FIELD PREPARATION:

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• Sugarcane requires a very thorough and clean preparation of land.
• Sugarcane needs deep tillage.
• Deep ploughing specially in heavy soils help in the root system penetrating deep in to the soil.
• At least one or two deep ploughings and one cross ploughing with a mould board plough is essential. Planking should be done to make the field smooth and clod-free.

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SEED AND SOWING:

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Seed Selection:

• Healthy seed material, free from pests and diseases like red rot, wilt, smut, ratoon stunting etc., should be selected for seed purpose.
• The top one-third to half portion of a cane being comparatively immature has buds of high viability and is best for sowing.
• Bottom portion of cane is rich in sugar and takes a longtime in germination.
• Seed cane should be taken from well mannered, erect and healthy crop of not more than 10-12 months age.

SEED PREPARATION & TREATMENT :

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• Before planting, the dry leaves of the cane stalks are removed by hand In order to avoid any possible damage to buds.
• Thereafter cane is cut into three budded setts usually 30 to 45 cm long. About 35000 to 40000 setts are needed to plant one hectare which can be obtained from about 75-80 q of cane.
• To prevent the seed setts being attacked by fungal diseases and also to improve germination, the seed setts are dipped into 0.5 per cent solution of Agallol (3%) or 0.25 per cent solution of Aretan (6%) or Tafasan (6%) before planting.

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TIME OF PLANTING :

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• In India, Sugarcane is planted thrice a year in October (autumn), February-March (spring) and July (adsali).

METHODS OF PLANTING:

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Flat Planting:

• In this method, shallow (8-10 cm deep) furrows are opened with a local plough or cultivator at a distanceof 75 to 90 cm.
• The setts are planted in them end to end taking carethat one three budded sett falls in each running 30 cm length furrow.
• After this furrows are covered with 5-7 cm of soiland field is levelled by heavy planking.

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Furrow Planting:

• In this method furrows are made with a Sugarcane ridger about 10-15 cm deep in northern India and about 20 cm in south India.
• Setts are planted end to end in the furrows and covered with5-6 cm soil, leaving upper portion of furrows unfilled.
• Immediate after covering the setts water is let into furrows.

Trench Method:

• 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.
• The setts are planted end to end in trenches.
• Immediately after this, trenches are filed up with loose soil.

MANURES AND FERTILISERS

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• Sugarcane is a heavy feeder crop . FYM is added one month before planting @ 10-12ton/ha.
• For general 300:80:80 kg/ha NPK and 80 kg Calcium /ha are applied.
• Nitrogen is applied in split doses.
• The application of fertilizers at the early stage of plantgrowth is advantageous, and increase sucrose contents in juice.

WEED CONTROL:

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• Weed control in sugarcane is accomplished by adopting mechanical or chemical methods.
• 2,4-D is very effective against broadleaf weeds.
• It should be applied 25-30 days after planting or before the weed attain 3-4 leaf stage @ 1kg a.1./500-600L of water.
• To control weeds in spring cane, spray 2 kg a.i. of atrazine 500-600 L of water /ha just after planting controls almost all the weeds.

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WATER MANAGEMENT:

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• Judicious use of water is one of the main factors which governs the cane yields and sugar recovery.
• The life cycle of sugarcane plant is divided into four distinct phases namely

1.Germination phase (from planting to 60th day).

2. Formative phase (from 60th day of planting to 130th day).

3. Grand phase (from 130th to 250th day).

4. Maturity phase (250th to 365th day).

• The water requirement during formative phase and grand growth phase is maximum. Total water requirement for sugarcane varies from 200-300cm.

EARTHING AND TYING:

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• Earthing is needed where crop is planted by flat system.
• Earthing should be done in the month of June-July after giving final top dressing of nitrogenous fertiliser. About 15 centimetre high loose soil dug from the centre of rows should be put along the lines of sugarcane.
• Earthing up of the crop prevents lodging or the cane.
• Varieties of sugarcane that possess soft rinds and are raised under good cropmanagement frequently lodge and therefore need tying up.
• This is done by tying together the canes of several clumps.Tying should bedone in August when cane reaches about 2 metres height.

Earthing in sugarcane

Tying in sugarcane

RATOONING:

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• Ratooning is a practice of growing a crop from the stubbles of previous crop.
• It is economical to take only one ratoon.
• The second and subsequent ratoons are not advised because of the risk of pests and diseases accumulating and being carried to the next crop.
• Harvest the canes as close to the ground as possible to promote better sprouting.

DISEASES:

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• Red rot

caused by - Collectotrichum falcatum

In the initial stages, loss of colour and withering of leaves, third and fourth from the top, is seen. In the later stages, the stalk becomes dry, wrinkled and hollow.

Control:- Do not ratoon the diseased crop.

Dip the setts in 0.25 per cent solution of mercurial compounds tike Agallol or Aretan for five minutes.

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• Smut

Caused by:- Ustilago scitaminea

The disease appears in the form of a 'long, black whip-like structure at the apex of the stalk.

Control:- Use only smut free canes for planting. No ratoon should be kept where the incidence of disease is high.

Red rot

Smut

• Red Stripe

Caused by:- Xanthomonas rubrilineans.

The affected leaves show bright red streaks which are long and narrow and run along the length of the leaves.

Control:- Rogue out the affected tops of the canes and burn them. Select well drained fields for cane planting.

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INSECT PEST:

• Early Shoot Borer and Root Borer

Control:- Spray 1.5 litres of Endosulfan 35 EC or Monocrotophos 36 EC (Nuvacron) in 600 litres of water when eggs or moths are visible in the field.

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• Sugarcane White fly

Control:- Spray the crop with 1.5 litres of Endosulfan 35 EC or Monocrotophos (Nuvacron) 36 EC in 1000 litres of water per hectare.

Red stripe

HARVESTING:

• The sugar content of juice continues to rise till about the end of March. The maturity of sugarcane is generally recognised by the lower leaves gradually withering up and leaving fewer green leaves at the top.
• Stalks are cut at the ground level, preferably after digging down the earthed up ridges.
• 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 to 12 months old plant crop in northern India ranges from 400 to 500 quintals of cane.
• A good crop under good management may yield about 800 to 1000 quintals per hectare.
• The 18 month (adsali) crop in southern India especially inMaharashtra and Tamil Nadu usually give a 1000 to 1200quintals of cane per hectare.
• Ratoon crop ordinarily give a somewhat lower yield than the plant crop.