Sugarcane : A Complete guide

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Saccharum officinarum

INTROUDCITON:

Sugar cane is C₄ plant it is a parineal crop. The plant takes 10 to 12 month under Pakistani condition. 18 month under Australian condition and 24 month in Cuba and Brazil condition to complete its life cycle. The plant grows from seed set called as plant crop. It is vegetative plant. Rising of succeeding crop after harvesting first year crop is known as ratoon crop. Sugar cane is very sensitive to cold injury. During frost conversion of sucrose to glucose takes place. The sugar mill are interested in sucrose while the farmer are interested in sugar cane weight. Therefore we need high sugar and high weight variety. It is a true seeded plant. They have five sub species

· Saccharum spontanium

· Saccharum sinensis

· Saccharum Bari beri

· Saccharum robustum

· Saccharum officinarum

 

SOIL REQUIREMENT:

Sugar cane can be grown in low fertile, medium fertile and high fertile soil. It is very essential the sugar cane should be grown in high fertile soil because of parineal crop and produce high biomass.

CLIMATE:

The sugar cane is tropical crop it can tolerate high temperature but the optimum temperature at the time of sowing should not be less than 12 ºC to 18 ºC. The optimum temperature for growth is 30 ºC.

PLANTING SEASON:

There are two seasons:

· Winter season (September sowing)

· Spring season (February to March sowing)

In winter season intercropping takes place for example onion in Sindh and wheat, mustard in Punjab. In February to March only onion can be sown.

LAND PREPARATION:

Sugar cane requires deep tillage. Deep tillage includes Mould board plough and those farmers who do not have tractor they use Sarkar plough made up of wood. There are two types of sowing in sugar cane. Sugar cane is sow in furrow area as it is water-loving plant. Row to row distance is 3-5 ft.

CONTENTS:

Thin variety seed is sown for 60-70 munds per acre. It contains 13-14% fiber & 70% water, 10-11% sugar and 2-3% impurities, 1-2% glucose. We have to evaporate the water than we will get the sugar. Plant to plant distance is 9-12 inches over lapping of sets take place. Buds and leaf grown alternately. Leaf covers the bud to protect it in order to safe the bud from the outer environments. If the bud damages than the growth does not occurs/ takes place.

SEED SELECTION:

Ratoon type crop are not selected. It is better to cut the top portion of crop as top portion contain good amount of glucose and lower portion contain sucrose. Immature seed is better than mature plant seeds. 40,000 to 60,000 sets are grown in 1 acre.

VARIETIES:

· BL-4 Barbados + Lyallpur

· POJ Java variety in Indonesia

· COL In India 113-116 Comibitor + Lyallpur

· BF Barbados + Faisalabad 129

· BF-162

· Thatta-10

· SPSG-26

· CP Canal point

 

GERMINATION RATE:

· Top portion of sugar cane give 70% germination

· Middle portion of sugar cane give 40% germination

· Basal portion contain more salts therefore its germination is 30%

· Covering of sugar cane is called “rind” which contain parenchyma cells it contain sugar content.

· Roots are known as fibrous roots.

· When the stem bends and than the root which arises are known as butterious roots.

· Basal root contain glucose only which help in growth.

· Earthing up (prevents from water logging) should be done in the month of June.

· One bud can arises 40 to 50 sugar cane.

SEED TREATEMENT:

Sugar cane seed in the form of sets can be treated with fungicides or in hot water.

SOIL FERTILITY:

Before land preparation we need good manuring crop. Before seeding or flowering we have to plough the green manuring. After this we have to irrigate the land in order to decompose the green manuring. Before sowing the crop a month ago we have to do manuring 10 to 15 tones per acre should be use a month ago before sowing the crop. Farmyard manuring should be decomposing properly.

FERTILIZER REQUIREMENT:

First we have to satisfy the phosphorous requirement.

· At sowing:

2 bags of DAP or 2 bags of TSP or 5 bags of SSP and 1 bag of SOP or MOP.

· Seedling stage:

It comes after 1 month of sowing. 1 bag of urea when the temperature is high above 20 ºC than 2 bag of A.N is used.

· Tillering stage:

This stage comes after 2 month of sowing 1 bag of urea. After 3 months of tillering 1 bag of urea is used.

IRRIGATION:

In September sowing (autumn) we need 40% to 45% time of irrigation of crops. For February to March sowing we need 30% to 34% times irrigation of crop (spring season). For September irrigation we need 4.5-acre foot water. For February to March irrigation we need 3-acre foot of water.

 

DISEASES:

· Red rot

· Whips smut

· Mossaic virus

· Ratoon stunting disease (RSD)

CONTROL:

· Healthy seed

· Resistance variety

· Crop rotation

INSECT PEST:

· Termite

· Pyrilla

· Milli bug

· Red mites

BORERS OF SUGAR CANE:

· Stem borer

· Top borer

· Pink borer

· Gurdas pur

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Cotton

Cotton means, “thread”. Cotton is an in determinant plant. There are four cultivated species of cotton.

· Gossipium arborium

· Gossipium herbacium

· Gossipium hirsutum

· Gossipium barbaden

The first two species are called Old-world cotton. It is grown in India, Pakistan. Lint is used in textile and stuffing. The last two species Gossipium hirsutum (American Cotton) and Gossipium barbaden (Egyptian Cotton) are grown in Pakistan and known as “Narma”. Main stem of cotton is called Cotton stick. 40 kg of cotton gives 26-27 Kg of Banola seed and 13-14 Kg of lint. Cotton is important cash crop of Pakistan. 60% of export earning is through cotton 85% domestic oil (vegetative oil) is coming from cotton. It provides raw material to 503 mills in Pakistan and 1135 ginning factories. Yield per hectare is more in Punjab than Sindh.

PLANTING REQUIREMENT OF COTTON:

It is warm season crop. The optimum temperature for germination is between 30-35 °C. At the time of flowering temperature is 34-36 °C.

VEGETATIVE GROWTH PATTERN:

Emergence of leaves from nodes takes place. Healthy root system is present for acquiring soil nutrient. Acropetal (Roots) and Basipetal (Leaves) transport system is present. Main stem is called “monopodial” and branches are called “synpodial”. Root growth is 0.5-2.0 inches each day. Cotyledon unfolds at that time root can grow up to 10 cm. At early vegetative stage root is twice than plant height. At the time of boll setting due to demand of carbohydrate root growth become slow. Root activity become slow gradually when plant mature.

IRRIGATION:

Cotton requires moderately to high irrigation. Cotton can not survive in stagnant water.

SOIL REQUIREMENT AND SOIL PH:

Clay loamy soil is best for cotton. Optimum soil pH for cotton is 5.8-6.5 (slightly acidic). Cotton can also be grown in alkaline soil (pH ranges from 8 and above). The soil should be high in organic matter.

VARIETIES:

The main varieties grown in Sindh are

· Kalandri

· M-100

· Cris-9

· Cris-34

· Cris-38

· Sarmast

· Reshmi

· Rehmani

Some Punjab varieties grown in Sindh are

· NIAB-78

· NIAB-98

· Krishma

SEED VARIETY AND GERMINATION RATE:

Seed variety should be 100% pure and germination rate is 75%. 1 lock of boll contains 6-8 seeds.

DELITING:

1 Kg of sulphuric acid = 10 Kg of cottonseeds.

SOIL TEMPERATURE:

At the time of germination soil temperature should be less than 30 ° C. Above 60° C temperatures destroy seedling emergence.

SOWING DATE:

Sowing starts at 15^th April. Row to row spacing 2.5-3.0 ft. Plant to plant spacing 9 inches approximately.

SEED RATE:

8-10 Kg seeds per Acre.

SOWING METHOD:

Cottonseed is sown by

· Furrow method

· Ridges method

In flat method 25,000-30,000 plants per acre.

DISEASES:

· Boll rots.

· Nematodes.

· Seedling disease.

· Verticillium wilt.

· Ascochyta blight.

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