How to grow Sugarcanes in India

Sugarcane is a widely grown crop in India, providing employment to over a million people directly or indirectly and contributing significantly to the national exchequer. Let’s explore how to grow sugarcane successfully:

  1. Agro-Climatic Conditions for Sugarcane:
    • Sugarcane thrives in tropical hot and sunny areas.
    • The ideal climate for maximum sugar production includes:
      • A long, warm growing season with high solar radiation and adequate moisture.
      • A fairly dry, sunny, cool, frost-free season for ripening and harvesting.
    • Sugarcane is essentially a tropical plant that encounters rainy, winter, and summer seasons during its life cycle.
  2. Suitable Soil for Sugarcane:
    • Conduct soil testing before planting to determine macro and micronutrient requirements.
    • Ideal soil characteristics:
      • Well-drained, deep, loamy soil with a bulk density of 1.1 to 1.2 g/cm³ (1.3-1.4 g/cm³ in sandy soils).
      • Total porosity with an adequate balance between pores of various sizes, exceeding 50%.
      • Groundwater table below 1.5 to 2.0 meters from the soil surface.
      • Available water holding capacity of 15% or more (15 cm per meter depth of soil).
  3. Planting Seasons:
    • Sugarcane is planted thrice a year in India:
      • Autumn Planting (October): Good germination due to temperatures between 25°C and 32°C.
      • Spring Planting (February-March): Another favorable temperature period.
      • Summer Planting (July): Requires long periods of sunlight, high humidity, and rainfall between 1800 and 2500 mm.
  4. Land Preparation:
    • Objectives:
      • Create suitable conditions for planting.
      • Improve soil structure and drainage.
    • Methods:
      • Ridge and Furrow Method: Raised beds with furrows for planting.
      • Flat Bed Method: Level planting beds.
      • Rayungan Method: Planting on ridges.
      • Trench or Jawa Method: Planting in trenches.
  5. Manures and Fertilizers:
    • Apply fertilizers based on the type of plantation:
      • Adsali Plantation:
        • Nitrogen (N): 100 kg/ha
        • Phosphorus (P₂O₅): 50 kg/ha
        • Potassium (K₂O): 50 kg/ha
      • Pre-seasonal Plantation:
        • N: 150 kg/ha
        • P₂O₅: 75 kg/ha
        • K₂O: 75 kg/ha
      • Seasonal Plantation:
        • N: 200 kg/ha
        • P₂O₅: 100 kg/ha
        • K₂O: 100 kg/ha
  6. Harvesting and Yield:
    • Harvest when the sugarcane is mature (moisture percentage drops from 83% to 71%).
    • Transport and market the harvested sugarcane.

Remember that sugarcane cultivation requires attention to detail, proper care, and adherence to best practices to achieve optimal yields and quality.

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