New cane varieties to turn the tide

Sugarcane growers can improve productivity substantially by supplementing the chemical fertilisers with bio-fertilisers and farm yard manure and switching over to newly developed cane varieties.

Recently, several new varieties, which have a high-yield potential and resistance to diseases, have been identified for commercial cultivation. Among them, two of the varieties can withstand drought and are capable of producing high yields even in water-logged or saline conditions.

At the annual workshop at Pantnagar Agriculture University, scientists have recommended them for general cultivation in the country's different cane-growing regions.

These varieties were developed by the national agricultural research system under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The yield potential of the identified varieties ranges from 75 quintal to over 116 quintal a hectare in different zones against the country's average yield of 71 quintal a hectare. Their sucrose content is also high, ranging from 17.5 per cent to 20.48 per cent.

Among them, Neeraj and Damodar are high-yielding types recommended for Tamil Nadu, interior Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

They are also tolerant to drought and soil salinity. The Neeraj variety has the additional advantage to withstand water-logging as well. The yield potential of Neeraj is pegged at 111.5 quintal a hectare and that of Damodar at 116.7 quintal a hectare.

The varieties recommended for growing in the north-western sugar belt comprising Punjab, Haryana, western and central Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal include CoJ 20193, CoH 119, Mithas, Karan-1 and Sweety.

Most of the new varieties are resistant to the most common sugarcane disease called red rot. These would provide cane cultivators in the country an alternative to the popular, but aging, varieties like CoS 767 and CoJ 64. Some of these types take less time to mature to be able to fit in the prevalent wheat-paddy cropping sequence.

To ensuring optimum crop productivity, scientists have suggested the use of full recommended dose of chemical fertilisers along with a quantity of farm-yard manure that contains an equivalent of 25 per cent of the nitrogenous dose. Besides, they have advised them to use biofertilisers like Azotobacter and phosphate solubilising bacterium.

For the ratoon crop which comes up from the existing roots after cane harvesting, too, the experts have suggested application of full dose of chemical fertilisers and bio-fertilisers along with incorporation of the crop residues (trash) into the land to improve soil health.

India, which at one stage had become the world's largest sugar producer, has since slipped to the second place, conceding the top slot to Brazil.

However, the cane productivity varies widely in different parts of India. The yields are far higher in the tropical zone (south India) than in the sub-tropical (north-western) region.

As a result, the sub-tropical northern states, despite accounting for nearly 65 per cent of the country's total cane acreage, contribute only a little over 60 per cent to the total production.

Uttar Pradesh occupies the top place in the country in terms of area but not in productivity. The average cane yield is highest in Tamil Nadu followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra.

There are about 450 sugar mills which depend on the cane growers for their raw material. The availability of cane strains with higher sucrose content will facilitate better sugar recovery in these mills.