How to Grow Sugarcane in India - Tips and Benefits

Sugarcane is one of the major crops that is grown by farmers. It is also named an entire crop. This crop is used in our daily lives in many forms. Day by day, farmers are trying to increase their production of sugarcane.

So, here is the guide to know what steps to be taken to increase your sugarcane production.

How to prepare your land for sugarcane

Sugarcane is a Kharif crop. One of the major crops in India. This crop stays for a long period. There is a proper need for land preparation before planning to grow sugarcane production.

They can be grown in a diverse type of soil ranging from sandy soil to clay loams and heavy clays, but the deal soil type is considered well-drained, deep, loamy soil. Certain steps could help farmers to increase their production.

Land Preparation

Land preparation plays a great role in farming any crop. With land preparation, we can grow crops, so if you want to create an ideal soil land to grow sugarcane.

Then you have to ensure the soil nutrients and ph of the soil to make an ideal sugarcane crop.

Tilling

For sugarcane, you need about 45 cm depth of soil that will be good for sugarcane growth as 75% of the roots stay in this soil layer. Tilling can be done by a tractor with a power capacity of 45-50 hp that could work with your implements to provide good tillage to prepare the land. For example, Mahindra Tractor 575 DI XP PLUS can be a great option for this operation.

Levelling

Levelling is a crucial part of land formation. It is done to provide constant crop growth and a nice stand. It is also done to give the land a gentle slope for proper irrigation.

The levelling process prevents the top layer from getting washed off or carried out in rainfall or wind. Levelling also helps control the loss of moisture.

Ph management of the soil

Ph management of the soil can be done by taking a soil sample to the labs. It will show you the exact ph value of your soil by which you can plan accordingly to increase or decrease the acidity level in your soil. For example, you can increase it by adding lime or reduce it by adding aluminum sulphate to your land.

Climate conditions

Climate conditions also play an important role in the growth of a crop. For example, sugarcane needs a warm temperature for most of its life to grow. In addition, sugarcane is a time-consuming crop, so it goes through almost all seasons.

After some time, when it grows a little, it doesn't require the same as before. It requires a slightly lower temperature. But if planted in the shade, it will suffer even after the appropriate climate.

Choosing the right time

Sugarcane is a tropical crop that requires 32°C temperature to grow nicely. But to make that happen, you will have to prepare your land and sow your seeds to grow your crop by the time.

The ideal time when sugarcane grows is when there is a long warm season with just the right amount of rainfall that could maintain the moisture.

In India, the most common timing is October (autumn), February-march (spring) and July (adsali). This is because, in the growing phase, it can withstand the minimum temperature of 20°C.

How to enhance your production

Mulching

Starting phase mulching will help you increase the quality of growth of sugarcane production. As in mulching, the by-product of the sugar cane, mud cake, is spread over the soil. This could help you decrease the evaporation rate and maintain the soil's moisture level.

Weeding

Weeding should be done to maintain the growth of sugarcane. It will help your crop grow uniformly and have all types of nutrition properly. By hand, weeding can be done with a tool called 'khurpi'.

Crop rotation

This is also important as it will allow you to have a good yield of crops. Crop rotation for sugarcane plants can include planting short or long growing periods. This is typically done when rice, maize, wheat and other crops are grown before in two to three years.

Pruning

Pruning gets very important in sugarcane farming as it is always a growing crop that could spread in various directions. So, by trimming the unnecessary branches and shoots, we can get consistent growth on the farm.

Overwintering

If you are planting in an area where there is a climate zone with a cold winter, you should prepare your crops by this. When harvesting, you should cut stalks near the soil as much as possible. The remains should be well covered with soil to protect the root from frost.

Conclusion

In conclusion, sugarcane is a golden crop as this crop is used mostly. Therefore, following these steps can improve sugarcane production and contribute to the industry. Sugarcane can also be grown in small farms by following steps with any compact tractor with a power of 20 hp, like the Mahindra Jivo 245 DI. For more information of tractors or implements like Mahindra 575 Price or any information please do check out tractor junction.