Sugarcane or “sugarcane” is an important commercial cash crop. Here, we list out the essentials for starting a profitable sugarcane farm business.
Sugar cane is a tall grassy plant native to India and Southeast Asia. Its leaves grow upright and are covered with spines. The roots can be eaten raw or cooked. They contain starch and sucrose, both of which are used to make alcohol.
Sugar cane plants are coarse grasses that grow up to 20 feet tall. They bear many stems in tufts. Additionally, they come with a thick solid, and airy stem.
Sugarcane is grown in tropical regions around the globe. They are cultivated mostly in South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Sugar cane is used to produce ethanol fuel, molasses, and sucrose.
Economic Importance of Sugarcane Cultivation
Sugarcane is one of the world’s primary sources of sugars. It is grown throughout tropical regions of Africa, India, China, Southeast Asia, South America, Central America, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of North America. In addition to being used as an important food crop, it is also used for biofuel, paper products, and animal feed. Sugarcane is also used to make ethanol fuel.
Sugarcanes are important for economic growth worldwide. They give farmers an income by providing them with a high return on their investment.
Read: Most Profitable Cash Crops to Grow
Things To Consider in Sugarcane Cultivation
The ideal conditions for growing sugarcane include long hours of sunlight, cool temperatures during the night, and clear skies. Also, the flat, plain, and level plateau is advantageous because it makes it easier to irrigate and transport the crop to the sugar mill.
Sugar cane cultivation requires heavy manuring and fertilization because it exhausts the soil’s fertility quickly and extensively. Additionally, it is a long-duration plant and requires 10 to 15, and even 18, months to mature.
Sugarcane is a labor-intensive plant and requires cheap labor. Additionally, large-scale plantations demand agricultural equipment and machinery. Thus, you have to plan ahead.
Best Varieties For Sugarcane Farming
There are a number of different types of sugarcane available in India. We’ve listed some of them here.
- Uttar Pradesh: Co-8721, Co-87216, Plant-84211, 767
- Bihar: Bo-902, Bo-993, C0S-87328, Bo
- Assam: Co 1008, Co BLN 9102, Co BLN 9130, Co 6907
- Haryana: 58, 83, 7717, 64, 8436, 767, 8001,
- Gujarat: Co-71, Co-85000, CoC-8400, Co
- Maharashtra: Maharashtra State Board Of Secondary Education (BSSE)
- Karnataka: COC-671, CO-91002, CO
- Andhra Pradesh: AP-847, AP-766, AP-917, AP
- Tamil Nadu: CoC 95071, CoC 671, CoJ 86141, Co
Location & Agro Climatic Condition For Sugarcane Farming
Sugar cane is an important agricultural product. It needs a warm and humid environment for growing and a cooler one for maturing. The minimum temperatures for sugarcane cultivation are between 15°C and 25°C. Sugarcane can grow anywhere in the world except Antarctica.
Both extremes of temperatures are harmful. In addition to being harmful, severe cold can also cause your plants to stop growing. An attack of stem borers causes your plants to grow taller. Rainy conditions reduce the amount of sugar in your plant’s cane. Too much rain may cause the cane to be shorter and thinner.
Suitable Soil For Sugarcane Farming
You can grow sugar cane on a wide variety of different types of soil. Deep rich loamy soil is best suited for its cultivation.
However, it thrives when planted in well-drained fertile soil rich in organic material. If you plant it in light soil, it may grow but won’t thrive.
Related: Is soil testing important for agriculture?
Steps to Follow for Commercial Sugarcane Farming
1. Land Preparation
Sugar cane stands in the field for one to two years. Therefore, you must pre-prepare the ground with two deep furrows. Let the soil dry out for about three weeks before planting.
Crush the clumps with clod crushers or a Norwegian harrow. Add 30-40 tonnes FYM/ha. into the soil. Apply second plowing. Level the ground with the aid of the back of the plow and prepare the seed bed.
2. Planting
There are four different ways to plant sugar cane. They are ridge and furrows, flat beds, Kayunga, and trench or Jawa.
The Ridge and Furrow (R&F) technique is used for sugarcane cultivation. It involves opening up the ground using a ridge made from bamboo sticks placed at an interval of 120 cm in heavy soils and 105 cm in lighter soils.
Wet Method: This is done in order to prepare the ground for sowing seeds. In this case, you should press the plants firmly into the soil. Then, make holes about two inches deep and place them in rows. Next, water the area thoroughly. Finally, wait until the seedlings sprout.
If you want to plant crops in rows, use the dry method. It involves placing seeds in a row, covering them with soil, then watering them so that they don’t get waterlogged. Then when the plants grow up, you can harvest the crop.
With the flatbed method, plow, harrow, and level the land first. Then lay down the cane in straight lines.
Rayungan method: When there is no risk of flood, you can plant seedlings in the main fields after 6 weeks.
Trench or JAWA method: Here, you should dig out a trench (about 90cm x 20cm) and fill it with manure. Plant your seedlings in the middle of the trench and then cover it with the earth.
3. Nutrient Management
Sugar cane is an extremely vigorous plant requiring lots of nutrients. Soil testing should be done prior to planting. Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Potassium (P2O5) and Calcium (Ca) should be applied as a single dose at planting. A split application can be made if needed.
4. Irrigation
The optimum supply of nutrients according to the stages of plant development, seasons, and soil types are important in sugarcane. However, excessive fertilization leads to nutrient deficiencies, such as potassium deficiency, resulting in poor quality of sugarcane.
In addition, excess fertilizer can cause the leaching of nitrogen into groundwater sources, leading to the eutrophication of surface waters.
On the other hand, insufficient fertilization may lead to reduced yields due to a lack of sufficient photosynthates (carbohydrates) produced by plants. Therefore, proper management of fertilizers is very important for the successful production of sugarcane.
5. Weed Control
Firstly, give two to five herbicide treatments at 20-day intervals depending on the severity of the weed infestation in the case of the short furrows’ and serpentines. You may apply one pre-emersion spray of herbicides like Atrazine (2,4-D) or 2,4-D + glyphosate @ 5kg/ha. in 1,025 liters of drinking/irrigating/sprinkling/drip irrigation/mist application to control broad-leaved weed species.
6. Plant Protection
To avoid pest infestations, you need to know which plants are susceptible to them and use the appropriate methods for their control.
You need to take care of your plants by protecting them from various diseases. Some of the most common ones include whip smut, red root rot, rusty roots, twisted tops, grassy shoots, and mosaics.
7. Harvesting & Yield
Harvesting sugarcane should take place at the correct stage of maturity. Early harvesting leads to poor quality and low yields. Delayed harvesting causes losses due to lower sugar levels.
To harvest sugarcane, cut the stalks at the base with a sharp blade. For larger-scale operations, you can also utilize machinery. Sugarcannaes produce about 100 tonnes per hectare.
You may like to read: 500+ Keto Captions To Feel Proud of Dropping Carbs
