3rd Edition

Botanical name: Saccharum spp.

Family: Gramineae/poeace
Chromosome number: 80,120

Classification of sugarcane:

Mainly three types of sugarcane cultivated

1. Saccharum officinarum: Nobal cane, this is tropical cane, thick and

juicy, low in fiber content, 2n=80, Origin: New Guinea.
2. Saccharum barberi: Origin is India, known as Indian cane, low sucrose
and high fiber content, with short and thick stalks, 2n=82-124, Origin:
North Eastern India.
3. Saccharum sinensis (Chinese cane): medium sucrose, high fiber content,
long and thin stalk, 2n=118, Origin: North Eastern India.

Wild species

1. S. spontaneum: very low in sugar and very high in fiber.

2. S. robusta: very low in sugar

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Important institute:

Indian institute of sugarcane research, luckhnow, 1952.

Sugarcane breeding institute, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 1912.
Sugarcane breeding institute, Regional Centre Karnal, 1932
AICRP on sugarcane: 1970, Luckhnow.
Temperature:

Ripening temp: 12-14ºC

Optimum temp: 28-32ºC
Formative stage: 26.5ºC

Seed rate:

Upper 1/3 part of cane and 10 month old plant is used for planting
because it contains higher nitrogenous and glucose which helps for better
germination.
Material used for sowing is known as setts.
Setts: 3 budded 35000-40000 setts/ha.
2 budded 80000 setts/ha.
1 budded 120000 setts/ha.
Setts treated with agallol/areton before sowing.

Spacing: generally 75-90 x 45 cm.

Soil:

Well drained loamy soil.

Saline soil is not suitable for sugarcane.
Soil ph: 6.5-7.5

Planting season:

Autum: October- November (north india,12 months)

Eksali/spring: January-February (north india,12 months)
Adsali: July- august (south india,18 months)
Pre-seasonal: October- November(IBPS AFO 2020-21)

Planting method:

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1. Flatbed method: in north India, sowing depth 8-10 cm.

 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. Ridge and Furrow method: in south India, depth 10-15 cm.

 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
 The furrows are covered with 5-6 cm soil, leaving upper portion of
furrows unfilled
 Immediately after covering the setts water is let into furrows
 This method is practiced in parts of eastern UP and in Peninsular
India, particularly in heavy soils

3. Trench/Java method:

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 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
 Fertilizers (NPK) are spread uniformly in the trenches and mixed
thoroughly in the soil
 The setts are planted end to end in trenches
 The tractor-drawn sugarcane planter is a very suitable device for
planting cane in trenches
 Prevent to lodging.

4. Partha method:
 A technique developed by Mr. S.V. Parthasarthy an eminent
sugarcane scientist.
 Suggested for water logged or excess soil moisture conditions (coastal
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu during N-E monsoon period)

In this method
 three eye budded setts are planted in a slanting position, 60° to the
vertical, in the wet furrow or half-way on the ridges
 Usually one eye bud is thrust into the soil and the remaining two will
be above, which will sprout
5. Spaced method: used single budded setts. Developed by IISR Lucknow.
6. Winter nursery method: used 3 budded setts. Developed by IISR
Lucknow.
7. Rayangan method: used for gap filling.
8. Tejblock method: improved over rayungan method.
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9. Align method: developed by Allahabad Agriculture University.
10. Skip furrow method: combine method of flat bed and trench method.
11. Pit method: used in sloppy field with pit size 20-30 cm.

Way of planting:

End to end method: in this method sett rate is low.

Eye to eye method
Double row method: used for thicker and off season planting.
Single bud planting

Irrigation stages:

Germination stage: 0-60 DAP

Formative stage: 60-130 DAP (most critical stage)
Grand phase: 130-250 DAP
Maturity phase: 250-365 DAP

Manure and fertilizer

Sugarcane is a heavy feeder crop but higher dose of nitrogen during

ripening stage decrease sucrose content in maturing canes.
N:P:K = 120-150:80:60
The best source of nitrogen in common soil is ammonium sulphate, in
saline soil is urea, and in acidic soil is used calcium ammonium nitrate
(CAN).

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Important operation in sugarcane:

Tying: bind stems together. It should be done in august month.

Earthing up: plant root covered by soil to prevent logging. Done in 45

DAP.

Logging: nutrient status of plant.

Treshing: removing dry leaves from crop.
Blind hoeing: weeding after sowing and before germination. It should be
done 1-2 week after sowing.

Inflorescence of sugarcane is ‘open panicle’ and generally called as arrow.

Arrowing: inflorescence of cane is arrow and process of emerging is called

arrowing.
Water lodging: crop fall down due to excessive water.

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Crop lodging: crop fall down due to high wind velocity.
Logging term given by H.F. clament.
Furrow irrigation method is a most common irrigation method in
sugarcane.
Fehling test: for maturation of cane Fehling test solution reading should
be less than 0.5% glucose.
Brix ratio: sugarcane consider mature if brix value/Refractrometer
reading is 16-18.
Ratooning: After the harvesting of first sugarcane crop, underground
portion of stem stables are left in the field. The buds of stables sprout and
give rise to a succeeding crop which is referred as ratoon crop.
Economically we can take only one ratoon crop and 20% more nitrogen
required as compared to you first crop.

By products in sugarcane industry:

Bagases: used for fuel and paper making.

Molasses: for Alcohol production. The yield of molasses is approximately

3.0 percent per ton of cane. Reclamation of alkaline soil.

Press mud: Sugarcane press mud is the residue of the filtration of

sugarcane juice. Used for reclamation of acidic soil. (due to lime contain)

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Gasohol: petrol (80%) + alcohol (20%), which is used in automobile.

Symptoms for judging the sugarcane maturity

Leaves become yellow.

Arrowing and plant’s growth has stopped.
Cans become brittle and break easily at nodes.
Cans produce metallic sounds.
Buds swell out at nodes.
Eye starts spotting.
When bricks percentage reading of middle portion stock reaches 16 to
18%.
When glucose content is less than 0.5% tested by fehling solution.

Recovery from sugarcane

Juice percentage by ordinary crusher: 50 to 65%

juice percentage by power crusher: 60 to 70%
juice percent by vacuum crusher: 72 - 75%
jaggery/Gur from juice; 9 to 10% (maximum 15 to 18%)
jaggery/Gur recovery from juice: 10%
crystallized sugar from Gur: 62.5%
sucrose content in cane: 13 to 24%
sugar from juice: 6 to 10%
Moasses: 3.5%
Rab: 18 to 20% of juice

Other important points

Noble cane developed by T.S. venketruman. And known as sugarcane

wizard.
Artificial ripening by glyphosine, CCC and Polaris.

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Cycocel (CCC) is known as sugarcane ripener, growth retardant,
lodging reducer, germination inhibitor, flower bud stimulator, pigment
former, senescence delayer, and anti-transpirant (Nickell, 1982).
Brix reading in sugarcane 18-20%.
Under high temperature sucrose get converted into glucose and quality of
the produce become poor.
C-4 plant, perennial plant, long day plant, tropical crop.
Glucose present in upper part of plant and sucrose present in lower part
of plant.
Sugar industry is the largest agro-based industry next only to textiles in
India.
Sugarcane bowl of world: Cuba
Sugarcane bowl of India: Uttar Pradesh
The word “saccharam” derived from Sanskrit word ‘sarkara’ which means
sugar.
Water requirement: 2200 mm.
Heavy feeder crop.
Zero tillage is practiced in sugarcane.
Higher dose of nitrogen decrease sucrose level.

NOTE: All disease, imp varieties, insects, will cover separately.

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