Sugarcane is a tall perennial plant growing erect even up to 5-6 m. It is the main source of sugar manufacturing raw material in world. Approximately, 80% sugar in world produced from sugarcane and remaining 20% produced from sugar beet. It is raw material for sugar factory, khandsary (brown sugar) mills and jaggery (Gur) industries. Molasses is used for production of ethanol, alcoholic beverage, biofuel. Molasses also used for fermentation products like latic, oxalic, citric acids as well as the production of bakers, yeast, food and feed. By products like bagasses, filter press mud are used for fuel and organic manure respectively. Green tops of sugarcane used as cattle fodder. Sugar used for sweating agent.

Planting methods: Sugarcane can be planted by using different methods, which can be adopted according to the condition of moisture level, soil and climate, level of mechanization, labor availability etc.

1.Ridge and furrow system:

This system is most common method adopted by Nepalese farmers. This system is mostly followed in area having irrigation facility is available. The finely prepared field, ridges and furrows are formed using either tractor drawn or bullock drawn ridges or furrows open manually. The most common spacing is 90 cm; however, it may ranges from 60-135 cm between rows. Closer spacing (60-75 cm) is desirable for early varieties, short duration varieties and shy tillering varieties and under poor soil fertility status and adverse growing conditions.

Wider row spacing (100-120cm) is adopted under high fertility conditions with good irrigation facility and for long duration and high tillering varieties. Convenient furrow length depending upon the slope condition however 10-15 meter is ideal when guided irrigation is followed. Depth of the furrow should be about 25 cm. The furrow bottom should be loosened to about 10 cm. Irrigation and drainage channels should be provided appropriately. Setts are planted end to end or eye to eye in the furrows and covered with 8-10 cm soils, leaving upper portion of furrows unfilled.

2.Flat Bed method:

Land is brought to good tilth before planting by required number of ploughing, harrowing, planking and levelling. Repeated ploughing and compaction breaks the capillary pores and create a kind of soil mulch and thus help in conserving soil moisture. Required dose of fertilizers and manures are also applied and well mixed up with the soil. The cane setts are planted on the leveled flat land at row to row distance of 75-90 cm. Eye to eye arrangements of sett placement is to be followed and setts are covered with 5 cm depth of soils by using spade or reversible MB plough or furrows are opened by using country plough 7-10 cm deep at deep and at 75-90 cm row to row spacing. Cane setts are planted in furrows by following end to end methods of planting. Furrows are later on covered by soil using bullock driven planker and field looks flat and leveled after planking or the land is laid out into different blocks of 2.5-3 m in breath and any convenient length after proper tilth and fertilization application. Beds are completely saturated with irrigation water. In case of excess; water is drained out by the interspace kept in between the two beds. The cane setts are then distributed over the raised saturated beds in zigzag manner and trampled down by feet. Seed required by this method is comparatively higher than the other methods (50,000-75,000 three buds setts/ha).

3.Trench system:

This system is practiced mostly in heavy clay soil, mainly in costal areas as well as other areas where the crop grows very tall and the strong wind during rainy season causes lodging of cane and U shaped furrows or trenches of 25-30 cm depth are made mostly using spade about 75-120 cm apart from each other and heaping clods manually. The width of trench is 20-30 cm and the depth of trench is first 30 cm and later on further 10-15 cm lower most portion of the trenches are loosened. Setts are planted end to end system or eye to eye in the furrows and covered with 8-10 cm soils. After 85-100 days of planting, when newly germinating shoots are well developed the trenches are filled with soils at the time of earthing up operation.

4.Deep trench method:

In this system, deep trenches of depth 30-45 cm and width 60 cm are dug out manually at a spacing of 120 cm between the centers of two adjacent trenches (i.e. gap between the trenches is 60 cm). Sugarcane setts are planted on either side of the trench bottom and covered with soil slightly. As the cane grows, the trench is filled with soil with each manuring. Finally a small trench is formed in between two set of paired rows which serves as a drainage channel to remove the excess water during monsoon. This system is found ideal for early drought and late water logged conditions. This system is highly labor intensive.

5.Ring or pit system: In this system growth of mother shoots is encouraged and tillers suppressed.

  1.  Methods of preparing ring: Circular pits of 90 cm diameter are dug out to a depth of 45 cm with a gap of 30 cm between the adjacent pits. However, 30 cm gap would not be feasible as it was difficult to place the dugout soil into gaps and in irrigation. Therefore modified layout was developed. In this system a gap of 60 cm on one side and 90 cm on another side is found suitable. At this spacing irrigation channels are opened in the 90 cm gap. All together 4000 pits can be formed per hectare.
  2. Fertilizer application: In every pit 5-8 kg FYM or compost mixed with soil. FYM can fill 10 cm bottom of the pit. To prevent the crop against attack, 5 g Aldrin 5% is mixed with FYM or compost. In addition 10 g urea, DAP and Potash each are added in each pit. Thirty days after germination 20 g urea must be dressed in every pit. Again at earthing time 20 g urea is to be top dressed in every pit.
  3.  Seed materials and planting: Three budded good quality, pre-treated setts should be placed horizontally, 20 in each pit. These are covered by 2.5-5 cm thick soil cover. After germination plants grow, pits are filled up gradually with dug soil.
  4. Yield: Millable cane yield of 150-180 t/ha is easily obtained.

Advantages:

  • This system has given very high yields in subtropics and tropics (25% higher yield).
  • Gives better rations.
  • It is better in saline soils and saline water irrigated condition.
  • It is better in drip irrigation system.

Disadvantages: it is Labor intensive method.

6.IISR 8626 or Rayungan method:

This method was developed by Dr. R. R. Panje and associates at IISR, Lucknow. The techniques referred as “CAEGUS” system and word stands for “Consociation of Auxin Action”, “Extension of Growth” and “Unhindered Utilization of Soil”. About two month before planting, the seed crop is topped to remove the green leaves and the tip of the top most internode. This leads to sprouting of buds and side shoots formation. In cooler months from topping planting about 2-2.5 months may be required while for April planting, a month only may be required.

The field is prepared by making trenches of depth 30 cm and width 20 cm and are spaced at 90 cm (from center to center). 1/3rd of fertilizer dose is applied followed by digging and loosening of trench bottom further to approximately 15 cm depth. The dugout soil is then put back into the trench along with remaining fertilizers. Thus about 45 cm deep trench is now filled with loose soil and fertilizer. For planting, setts are collected from topped cane which has produced sprouts. “Long rayungans” or “tailed rayungans” of about 40 cm with top shoot intact are used after trimming the leaves in the trench. Close spacing is followed when planting are late and wider spacing for early planting. The base of the side shoot should be 5-10 cm below the original soil surface. The number of rayungans required per hectare is about 20,000.

7.Spaced transplanting techniques (STP): Developed by IISR, Lucknow. In conventional method of planting cane crop is unable to harvest solar radiation, higher percent of shoot mortality and stalk density per unit area reduced. Due to such reason STP was developed. In this method settling are raised in nursery bed using single bud setts.

8.Paired row system: In paired row system, two canes are brought together followed by a wide gap before the next set of two rows. The paired row may be at 60 cm with 120 cm gap. The advantage of this method is wide spacing is available between the any two sets of paired rows which can be utilized for growing inter crops. Good earthing up is possible so that lodging could be checked. It also permits better light interception by the crop and thus can give higher yield.