CoLk 94184, an early maturing sugarcane variety

Spaced transplanting technique (STP)

Three-tier seed programme

Technology package for intercropping in sugarcane

• Seed rate: Sugarcane- 60 q/ha, Potato-25 q/ha
• 1:2 row ratio, sugarcane planted at 90 cm and two rows of potato are accommodated at 30 cm spacing
• Weed control through Simazine @ 1 kg a.i./ha as pre-emergence followed by hoeing and earthing up at 30 and 50 DAP respectively
• Apply N:P:K fertilizers for Sugarcane @ 150:60:60, for Potato @ 120px:80:100.
• System yields: Potato-272 q/ha and Sugarcane-90.6 t/ha with a profit margin of Rs.1, 06,736 /ha

• Seed rate: Sugarcane- 60 q/ha, Rajmash- 80 kg/ha
• 1:2 row ratio, sugarcane planted at 90 cm accommodating two rows of rajmash at 30 cm spacing
• Apply N:P:K fertilizers for Sugarcane @ 150:60:60, for Rajmash @ 80:40:30.
• Control weeds through Pendimethalin as pre-emergence @ 2 kg a.i./ha followed by 2 to 3 hoeing after harvest of rajmash
• System yields : Sugarcane-86.8 t/ha, Rajmash grain-17.5 q/ha with profit margin of Rs.89, 884/ha

• Seed rate :Sugarcane: 60 q/ha, Mustard: 5 kg /ha
• 1:2 row ratio, sugarcane planted at 90 cm and two rows of mustard accommodated at 30 cm spacing
• Apply N:P:K fertilizers for Sugarcane @ 150:60:60, for Mustard @ 30:20:0.
• Control weeds through Pendimethalin @ 2 kg a.i./ha as preemergence followed by two hoeing at 30 and 60 days after harvest of mustard
• System yield : Sugarcane-86.8 t/ha, Mustard-17.5 q/ha with a profit margin of Rs.89, 884/ha

• Seed rate: Sugarcane: 60 q/ha, Wheat: 75 kg /ha
• 1:3 row ratio, sugarcane planted at 90 cm and three rows of wheat accommodated at 20 cm spacing through IISR Planter cum Seeder under FIRB system
• Apply N:P:K fertilizers for Sugarcane @ 150:60:60, for Wheat @ 90:45:45.
• Control weeds through Pendimethalin @ 2 kg a.i./ha as pre-emergence followed by two hoeing at 30 and 60 days after harvest of wheat
• System yield : Sugarcane-74.5 t/ha, Wheat-39.4 q/ha with a profit margin of Rs.56329 /ha.

Technology package for modified planting methods in sugarcane

• Mother shoot technology or no tiller technology
• Specifications:
  - Pit diameter : 75 cm
  - Depth : 30 cm
  - Centre to centre : 105 cm
  - No. of pits/ha : 9000
• Suitable for drought prone areas, undulating topography, light textured soils, saline - sodic soils, multiple ratooning and high yielding, tall and thick cane varieties

• Trench specifications : 30 cm wide and deep
                                          : Centre to centre 120px cm (30: 90 cm)
• Mechanized operation
• Less labour requirement
• Enhanced water use efficiency

• Appropriate FIRB configuration (50-30-50 cm)
• Sowing of wheat on ridges (2-3 lines) in November
• Manual planting of sugarcane in irrigation ditches in Feb. - March
• Raising sugarcane through spaced transplanting technique and poly bag system.
• Enhances 30% yield of sugarcane as compared to sequential with full yield of wheat

Sugarcane Ratoon Management

• At initiation dismantling of ridges, stubble shaving and off-barring is recommended for good ratoon yield.
• Gap filling with slip setts/pregerminated setts/polybag raised settlings is a must if gaps exceed 15% of normal crop stand. More than 45 cm distance between subsequent clumps is taken as gap.
• Paired row system of planting (120px:30) reduces gaps and optimizes plant population in subsequent ratoon. Thus it produces higher yields compared to sole planting at 90 cm.
• Trash mulching (10 cm thick) in alternate rows for conserving soil moisture, minimizing weed infestation and maintaining soil organic carbon.
• Application of potassium (80 kg K2O/ha) with irrigation water in standing plant cane one month prior to harvesting improves bud sprouting, number of millable canes and yield of succeeding ratoon crop.

Skip furrow method of irrigation-a Water saving sugarcane production technology

Weed management

Management of Diseases

• Treatment of seed cane in Moist Hot Air Unit (MHAT) at 540C and 95-99% RH for 2½ hours eradicates sett-borne infections of ratoon stunting disease (RSD), grassy shoot disease (GSD) and smut (99-100%). It also reduces the sett-borne infections of leaf scald and red rot up to 80%.
• Removal and destruction of infected plants on the first appearance of the disease in case of red rot, smut, GSD and leaf scald.
• Treatment of setts with fungicides like Bavistin, Vitavax, Dithane M-45 etc. at the time of planting
  protects the setts from surface-borne propagules and superficial infections and rotting.
• Management of seedling diseases (fluff raised) in the nursery bed was achieved through pre sowing application of formaldehyde and seed treatment with Thiram and post sowing application of Ridomil, Bavistin, and the pre-sowing application of Trichoderma.

• Developed an integrated red rot management schedule using healthy seed cane and application of Trichoderma through enrichment of pressmud.
• Established that frequent breakdown of varietal resistance against red rot is due to the appearance of new pathotypes matching the resistance of cane genotypes.
• Disease appearance in May-June (pre-monsoon) , as spindle infection acts as the major source of secondary inoculum and in favourable wheather helps in rapid spread of the disease.

• Developed a staining technique to detect latent infection of smut in nodal and apical buds.
• An integrated management module using MHAT trash burning, stubble shaving and roughing of affected clump was developed.

• Acremonium implicatum and A. furcatum were identified as causal agents of wilt disease of sugarcane.

• Ratoon stunting disease was identified as the key disease in variatal deterioration/decline.
• Management schedule using heat therapy was developed and perfected.

• Three strains viz., AB and F of SCMV (Sugarcane mosiac virus) are present in subtropical India and strain B is the most prevalent.

• Deltocephalus vulgaris was identified as the leaf hopper vector of GSD (Grassy shoot disease) phytoplasma.

Management of insect-pests

• Developed an integrated IPM schedule for borer complexes in sugarcane.
• Promoted bio-control of Pyrilla, woolly aphid, scale insect and borer complexes in large scale in different States through introductions, inundative releases and conservations of parasitoids and predators.

• The field technology for bio-control of Pyrilla through conservation and redistribution of Epiricania melanoleca @ 4000-5000 cocoons/ha was
  developed.

• Release of Dipha aphidivora @ 1000 larvae / ha or Micromus igorotus @ 2000 larvae / ha at 15 days Interval from August to October.

• Release of Trichogramma chilonis @ 50,000 adults /ha (two trichocards) at 10 days interval from July to October and Cotesia flavipes, @ 500 gravid females /ha/week from July to November.

• Soil application of Furdan 3G @33 kg /ha carbofuran 1 kg a.i./ha) or Thimet 10 G @ 30 kg /ha ( thimet 1 kg a.i./ha) around the clump base during 2nd -3rd week of June along with trapping of top borer moths using pheromone trap. Availability of sufficient has to be ensur ed be for e the insecticide application for uptake of insectide from soil.
• Developed a light + pheromone trap to catch adult white grub beetles.

• Application of chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 5 litres/ha in 1600-1800 litres water (3 ml/litre) over cane setts in
  furrows at planting for checking the infestation of termite, white grub, shoot borer and root borer.
• Collection and destruction of infested shoots at periodic intervals from March to May on campaign basis.

• Integrated rodent management programme for sugarcane based cropping system was evolved.
• Seasonal activity of rodent was worked out and rodent control with zinc phosphide (2%) baiting followed by bromadiolone baiting was validated on large area.

Sugarbeet

• Developed popular sugarbeet varieties like IISR Comp.- 1, LS- 6.
• Developed 40 diploid multigerm inbred lines of sugarbeet.
• Developed one diploid multigerm cytoplasmic male sterile line and its maintainer ('O' type).
• Development of sugarbeet seed production technique under field condition (in 10-11 months).
• Pelleting of seeds of sugarbeet with fungicide + bentonite clay was standardized for management of seedling diseases.
• T. harzianum in combination with fungicides controlled Sclerotium root rot of sugarbeet.

Mechanization of cane agriculture