Sugarcane Cultivation

and Primary Processing

Subject: CS601-Advance field Crop and Management
Prepared by: Cherrylyn C. Manzano
DEFINITION
Sugarcane
• sugarcane, (Saccharum officinarum), perennial grass of the family 
Poaceae, primarily cultivated for its juice from which sugar is processed.
• It could be called as giant grass which tillers at the base to produce
unbranched stems of 2-8 m tall, and of around 5cm in diameter
• Most of the world’s sugarcane is grown in subtropical and tropical areas.
• The plant is also grown for biofuel production as the canes can be used
directly to produce ethyl alcohol (ethanol).
Botanical Characteristics

Inflorescence- known as arrow

which is an open panicle, 0.3m in
length and tapered.

Leaves- consist of a leaf blade and a leaf

sheath, hairy on the outerside, it is dark
green in color, Leaf blade is 1-2 meters in
length and 0.05-0.07 meters in width.

Stalk- “millable cane”, contains

nodes, internodes, flowers and
leaves

Roots- root system is fibrous and are of

two types namely ‘sett roots’ and ‘shoot
roots’, thin in nature, main function of
these roots is to provide water and
nutrients to the primary shoot.
Botanical Characteristics

Inflorescence- known as arrow

which is an open panicle, 0.3m in
length and tapered.

Leaves- consist of a leaf blade and a leaf

sheath, hairy on the outerside, it is dark
green in color, Leaf blade is 1-2 meters in
length and 0.05-0.07 meters in width.

Stalk- “millable cane”, contains

nodes, internodes, flowers and
leaves

Roots- root system is fibrous and are of

two types namely ‘sett roots’ and ‘shoot
roots’, thin in nature, main function of
these roots is to provide water and
nutrients to the primary shoot.
Center of Origin

Sugarcane
• Sugarcane is an ancient crop and its use as a garden crop dates back to around
2500 BC
• The centers of origin for the ancestral species giving rise to sugarcane are
thought to be Papua New Guinea, the People’s Republic of China (hereafter
“China”) and India.
• At present, sugarcane is grown as a commercial crop primarily in South
America (e.g. Argentina, Brazil and Colombia), North/Central America
(e.g. Guatemala, Mexico and the United States), Asia (e.g. China, India and
Thailand), Africa (e.g. Egypt, Kenya and South Africa), Australia and the
Pacific Islands.
Classification and nomenclature
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Sub-family: Panicoideae
Tribe: Andropogoneae
Sub Tribe: Saccharinae
Genus: Saccharum
Species: Saccharum officinarum; Saccharum spontaneum; Saccharum sinense;
Saccharum barberi; Saccharum robustum; Saccharum edule (Old
World). Saccharum villosum; Saccharum asperum (New World) and
others.

Source:Sugarcane (Saccharum X officinarum): A Reference Study for the Regulation of Genetically Modified
Cultivars in Brazil
Role of Sugarcane in National
Economy
• The Philippines Sugarcane Industry contributes no less than P70 Billion to our
economy annually.
• Out of the total land area of about 30 million hectares, sugarcane is planted to
about 422,500 hectares in the Philippines, with about 62,000 farmers.
• There are 29 operating raw mills with combined crushing capacity of 185,000
metric ton cane per day.
• Luzon- 7 sugar mills and 1 distillery
• Mindanao- 4 sugar mills
• Visayas- 16 sugar mills (produces about 65% of the country’s sugar
output)
Role of Sugarcane in National
Economy
• Production of sugarcane from April to June 2022 dropped to 3.19
million metric tons or by -53.8 %, from 6.91 million metric tons output in
the same quarter of 2021.
• Sugarcane for Centrifugal sugar registered 96.1 % of the total sugarcane
production. The remaining 3.9 % was from the combined shares of sugarcane
for Ethanol, Panocha/Muscovado, Chewing, and Basi/Vinegar.
• Western Visayas was still the major producer of sugarcane with 1.25 million
metric tons output or 39.2 % share to the country’s total sugarcane production.
This was followed by Northern Mindanao and Central Visayas with 27.0 % and
14.2 % shares, respectively.
Sugarcane Situation

2,396,071
2,026,833
60,818
112,001
25,246,398
_________
Sugarcane Situation

Source: SRA
Soil and climatic requirements
• A well-drained loamy soil with neutral soil reaction (pH 6.5 to 7.5) and
adequate nutrients and without soil compaction is considered an ideal soil for
sugarcane production.
• The soil should be loose and friable with a minimum depth of 45 cm without
any harmful salts and nutrient deficiency.
• Planting season - May to March (result in a yield increase of 13%)
• Sugarcane is considered as a relatively salt sensitive plant. Salinity induces

water stress, which is evident in cane by premature wilting, scorching of

the leaves, and restricted growth and, in severe cases, death of the

plant.
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 Land Preparation- (Ploughing, Harrowing, Levelling, Lay out of field)
 Ploughing- makes 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- 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- ensure a uniform crop stand levelling is important also for easy
movement of irrigation water and 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.
Plant Propagation, Planting and
Care Management
LAND PREPARATION
• A higher amount of organic manures is advantageous for nursery crops
for obtaining a vigorous crop.
• Apply Farm Yard Manure (FYM) or cured press mud may be applied
about 15 days before planting. Farm Yard Manure
Application
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
PREPARATION OF SETTS FOR PLANTING
 Use short crop (6-8 months) seed materials
 The best cuttings are taken from the upper portions of the cane and should be
approximately 40 cm (16 in) in length with 2–3 buds.
 planted horizontally or at a 45° angle in furrows 15–30 cm (6–12 in) deep and covered
with a thin layer of soil.
 planting density is 15,000–24,000 cuttings per hectare of land.
 Discard pest, disease affected and damaged buds and canes.
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES Wider or dual
row planting
 Method of Planting-
 Planting in flat beds
 Ridge and furrow method
 Pit method of sugarcane under drip fertigation system
 Wider or dual row planting
 Spaced transplanting (STP) method with single eye set Ridge and
furrow method
 Poly bag seedling transplanting
 Chip-bud' or 'bud-chip' technique Poly bag seedling
transplanting
 Tissue culture Chip-bud' or
'bud-chip
Tissue
culture

Pit method
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 Irrigation Management-
 Depending upon the agro climatic
conditions, type of soil, methods of planting
and use of manures and fertilizers and
sugarcane yield the water requirement
varies. The hot weather associated with dry
winds and drought increases the water
requirement of the crop.
 On an average 1 ton cane needs about 60-70
tons of water or thin varieties of cane need
150 cm thick canes and in to 75 cm rainfall.
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 Irrigation Management-
 Heavy irrigation leads to:
 Poor irrigation leads to:
 Death of buds,
 Decrease length of
 damage to roots,
internodes
 sugar content decreases,
 Decrease amount of juice
 cane yield decreases
and increase percent of fiber
 plant can not adsorb
 Decrease rate of
elements from soil and
germination
becomes yellowish.
 Decrease of sugar yield
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES Furrow
irrigation
 Irrigation Methods
 Flood irrigation
 Furrow irrigation
 Alternate skip furrow method
Flood irrigation

 Sprinkler irrigation
Sprinkler
 Drip irrigation Alternate skip
irrigation
furrow method

Drip irrigation
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 Nutrient Management
 Among various stated of sugarcane production, although nutrients contribute maximum to the
increase in yield.
 During vegetation the sugarcane consumes many nutrients.
 There is no doubt that sugarcane crop needs nutrients. The most active uptake of nutrients
is observed during the early stage of the sugarcane plant, during tillering (from the third
to the sixth months after planting).
 The nutrient needs of sugarcane can be assessed by soil analysis, plant tissue analysis and / or
deficiency symptoms. A combination of these three methods gives the most complete inventory
of the nutrient status of a crop.
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 Nutrient Management
 Plants require 16 essential nutrient elements.
Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are derived
from the atmosphere and soil water. The
remaining 13 essential elements (nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium,
sulfur, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, boron,
molybdenum, and chlorine) are supplied either
from soil minerals and soil organic matter or
by organic or inorganic fertilizers. These
nutrients are essential for proper crop
development. Each is equally important to the
plant.
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
Green manure: Press Mud:
 Nutrient Management
 Green manure adds about  Apply 37.5 t/ha of press mud
 Organic manure
7.5 to 25 tonnes of green before planting. It contains
Farm yard manure:
matter per ha contributing 1.2%N, 2.1-2.4% P2O5 and
 For sugarcane, apply 12.5 t/ha of
about 10 – 30 kg N per ha. 2.0% K2O.
FYM before the last ploughing.
Farm yard
 It contains trace quantity of
 An average well decomposed manure
micronutrients and prevents
farmyard manure contains 0.5
soil erosion, crusting and
per cent N, 0.2 per cent
Green cracking, adjust soil pH,
manure
P2O5and 0.5 per cent K2O.
improves drainage and
 When cow dung and urine are
promotes normal bacterial and
mixed, a balanced nutrition is
microbial growth in the soil.
made available for cane growth. Press
Mud
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS
 Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
 NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
Pest and Diseases Management
 Root Borer (Emmalocera depressella)
 Symptoms: Larvae bore into the sugarcane stalks.
In mature plants the tops tend to weaken or die,
sometimes breaking off. It damages the crop and
on the other way its infestations pave way for
Fig. 1. Life stages of sugarcane root borer Polyocha depressella: (a
certain diseases Le. red rot, stem rot and Ratoon singly laid eggs on leaf lamina (b) single egg (c) grown-up larva (d)
pupa (e) moth 
Stunting Disease (RSD).
 Management: Application of Insecticides, planting
root borer resistant variety, Trichogramma
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
Pest and Diseases Management
 Eye spot (Helminthosporium sacchari)
 Symptoms: Small water-soaked spots on leaves;
elongated water-soaked spots in shape of an
eye; straw colored lesions with reddish brown
center develop from water-soaked lesions.
 Cause: Fungus
 Disease emergence favored by cloudy weather,
high humidity and low night temperatures or
wet leaves from precipitation or irrigation.
 Management: Disease can be controlled
through the application of appropriate foliar
fungicides.
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
Pest and Diseases Management
 Pineapple disease (Ceratocystis paradoxa)
 Symptoms: Setts not rooting; central soft portion of set has red
discoloration which turns brown-black; cavities in infected
internodes; In older canes leaves may be yellowing and plant
appears withered; cut stem has a strong smell of pineapple
 Cause: Fungus
 Comments: Primarily a disease of setts; fungus enters cut ends
of stem or through other wounds
 Management: The most effective method of managing the
disease is through the use of resistant sugarcane varieties; if
planting varieties that are susceptible to the disease then plant
them in dry, well-draining soils
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
Pest and Diseases Management
 Red rot (Colletotrichum falcatum)
 Symptoms: Yellowing, drying leaves; elongated red lesions on leaf midribs
which may develop a straw yellow center; splitting open the stalk
lengthwise reveals reddish patches of tissue interrupted by white areas;
vascular tissue may also be red
 Cause: Fungus
 Comments: Disease has eliminated several varieties of sugarcane
 Management: Planting resistant varieties of sugar cane is the most
effective method of controlling the disease; remove crop debris from the
plantation to reduce inoculum levels; rogue diseased plants; harvest crop
promptly if growing a susceptible variety; treating seed pieces with hot
water prior to planting can reduce the incidence of the disease but foliar
fungicide application has proved to be an ineffective method of control
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
Pest and Diseases Management
 Sugarcane smut disease (Ustilago scitaminea)
 Symptoms: Stunted growth of sugarcane stools; profuse
production of tillers; shortened internodes; stems thin with
narrow, erect leaves; black whip-like structure emerging from
terminal bud
 Cause: Fungus
 Comments: Disease transmitted through infected setts and by
wind
 Management: The disease can be successfully controlled by
planting varieties of sugarcane which are resistant to the disease;
disease can usually be eliminated from seed pieces by hot water
treatment prior to planting; infected plants should be removed
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
Pest and Diseases Management
 Leaf scald (Xanthomonas albileneans)
 Symptoms: White "pencil line" extending the entire
length of leaf lamina; etiolated leaves; leaf tips drying
out resulting in a scalded appearance
 Cause: Bacterium
 Comments: Disease emergence favored by water
stressed plants
 Management: The most effective method of
preventing the disease is to plant resistant sugarcane
varieties; treatment of seed cane with hot water to
clean the material prior to planting can help to
prevent the disease
Plant Propagation, Planting and Care
Management
Pest and Diseases Management
 Mosaic Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV)
 Sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV)
 Maize dwarf mosaic (MDMV)
 Johnsongrass mosaic virus (JGMV)
 Symptoms: Distinct patterns on contrasting greens on
leaves i.e. dark green patches surrounded by paler
green; reddening of leaves; leaf necrosis
 Cause: Viruses
 Symptoms may be caused by 4 different viruses
 Management: Plant varieties of sugarcane which are
tolerant of viruses
Harvesting and Ratooning

 Sucrose content in the plants will reach the desirable level on

the 10th month of the one year crop duration, and they will be
ready for harvest within the next two months.

 Ratooning is a method where the lower parts of the plants

along with the roots are left uncut at the time of harvesting. It
is the most commonly followed and important practice in
sugarcane cultivation. In ratoon crops, there is a saving in cost
of cultivation in terms of land preparation, seed canes, etc.
IMPLEMENTS USED IN SUGARCANE
CULTIVATION
1. Sugarcane planter

2. Tractor Operated Pit Digger

for Sugar Cane Planting

3. Sugarcane Sett Cutter 1 2 3

4. Sugarcane Detrasher

5. Sugarcane Crusher

6. Sugarcane Intercultivator

4 5 6
IMPLEMENTS USED IN SUGARCANE
CULTIVATION
7. Earthing up Ridger
8. Sugarcane Stubble shaver
9. Ratoon Manager
10. Weeder
11. Rotavator
7 8 9
12. Sugarcane harvester
13. Sugarcane bud chipper

10 11 12

13
SUGARCANE VARIETY

 The major commercial varieties currently grown in the Philippines include:

• VMC 84-524
• VMC 84-947
• VMC 86-550
• VMC 88-354
• PHIL 99-1793

 Currently, there are three (3) institutions conducting activities in sugarcane genetic
improvement.
• PHILSURIN (Philippine Sugar Research Institute Foundation, Inc.)
• SRA (Sugar Regulatory Administration)
• PB-UPLB (Institute of Plant Breeding, University of the Philippines, Los Baños).
SUGARCANE VARIETY
SUGARCANE VARIETY
SUGARCANE VARIETY
SUGARCANE VARIETY
SUGARCANE VARIETY
SUGARCANE VALUE CHAIN
SUGARCANE BYPRODUCTS
SUGARCANE RESIDUAL BYPRODUCTS
PRECISION AGRICULTURE (PA) OF
SUGARCANE PRODUCTION

• A farming management technique that addresses the variability of the

land and resulting variability in yield to improve farm productivity and
profitability

• To apply PA technologies appropriately and timely with good process

management to the crop such as sugarcane would help optimize
production efficiency, optimize crop quality, minimize environmental
impacts, and minimize risk to the farmer.
PRECISION AGRICULTURE (PA) OF
SUGARCANE PRODUCTION
• By using satellite images, we propose image analytics
solutions to identify the gap areathat signifies crop
damages.
• By using drone images, we propose image analytics
solutions to detect weeds infestation in the field.
• Utilize data analytics to predict sugarcane yield and
growth monitoring withproduction forecasting.
THANK YOU….