EFFECT OF PLANTING TECHNIQUE AND PLANTING DENSITY ON YIELD OF LATE PLANTED SUGARCANE IN NORTH CENTRAL INDIA

In the wheat-sugarcane rotation, which covers more than half of the growing area in sub-tropical India, planting of sugarcane is delayed until after the wheat harvest in April-May. This allows little time for the sugarcane to produce tillers and so results in smaller millable cane populations and yields than those from more timely (February-March) plantings. This study considers techniques such as ring and trench planting which might allow a high seed rate to compensate for reduced tillering. Yields obtained using these systems were about 20 t ha-1 greater than from the conventional flat planting method, because of a better distribution of primary shoots from the parent sett and reduced plant competition during the early stage of growth. The cost of cane production was greatest with the ring system and least with the conventional planting method but deep trenches gave the best net return.