GUIDELINES TO SUCCESSFUL Sugarcane PRODUCTION
Sugarcane – Saccharum officinarum
This is a subtropical and tropical crop used to make sugar. Your typical Selati and Hullets sugar are made from this crop. So here are some guidelines for sugarcane production, it is not all that will get you going with production you will have to do more research.
When choosing a variety of sugarcane
Sugarcane is propagated commercially by asexual method, which involves the planting of immature portions of the cane stalks called seedpieces or canepoints. These canes should be taken from vigorous cane plants free from pests and diseases. It may be taken from a nursery; from micro-propagated plantlets developed through tissue culture or whole stalks from cane plants about 5-6 months and preferably erect.
Sugarcane is widely adapted to a wide range of tropical and semi-tropical climate, soils and cultural conditions. It is a long duration crop and thus it encounters all the seasons' i.e. rainy, winter and summer during its life cycle.
Temperature, light and moisture availability control cane growth, yield and quality. The "ideal" climate for production of maximum sugar from sugarcane is characterized as: “A long, warm growing season with a high incidence of solar radiation and adequate moisture” and “A fairly dry, sunny and cool, but frost free season for ripening and harvesting moisture percentage drops steadily throughout the life of the sugarcane plant.
Rainfall should be between 1100 and 1500 mm. Temperature should be between 25° and 38°C throughout the production process however, for ripening temperatures should range from 12° to 14°. Relative humidity should be high i.e. between 80-85%. Sugarcane is a sun loving plant so it is to be grown in areas receiving ample of sunlight.
Soil is a medium for plant growth. It provides nutrients, water and anchorage to the growing plants. Maintenance of proper physical, chemical and biological conditions of the soil is necessary for realizing higher growth, yield and quality of sugarcane. The optimum soil pH is about 6.5 but sugarcane can tolerate considerable degree of soil acidity and alkalinity. Liming is required if pH is less than 5.0, or gypsum application if pH is more than 9.5.
Sugarcane is a fairly deep-rooted plant and the germination of the seedpieces is favoured by a well prepared land therefore, when preparing the land, the aim should be to attain a soil environment that will favour rapid germination of the cane points as well as deep root penetration.
When planting, seedpieces should be should be carefully selected. They should be well-developed with viable buds, healthy, disease and pest. Planting should be done immediately after making the furrows for higher percentage germination. Under favourable condition, germination will take place 5 to 10 days after planting.
As sugarcane is a long-term crop that has to be grown continuously in the same area for a minimum of 2-3 cropping years, the fertility level of the soil is usually depleted and somehow the pH balance is destroyed. For the sugarcane to be productive, supplementation of any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin is necessary to improve the soil fertility level required by the crop. Right kind, amount and time of application is important for higher efficiency and effectiveness of fertilizer materials applied. The general principles on the amount and kind of fertilizer to use have to be guided by economic principles in the context of soil fertility, climate, plant uptake and adaptable technology available.
One should know the nutrients requirements of sugarcane, know the amount of fertilizers to apply, choose the right kind of fertilizers to apply and proper placement and timing of application. Some of these types of applications are broadcasting, furrow or basal application, side-band application, side or top dress application and foliar spraying/ fertigation.
Pests
Early Shoot Borer, Internode Borer, Early Shoot Borer, Internode Borer, Top Borer, Scale Insect, Pyrilla and Termites.
Diseases
Whitefly, Red Rot, Smut, Pineapple Disease, Wilt, Ratoon Stunting Disease, Grassy Shoot Disease, Leaf Scald, Yellow Leaf Spoot and Eye spot.
Weeds also tend to be a problem so they should be controlled using cultural, mechanical and manual, chemical weed and a combination of manual and chemical weed control
Harvesting is one of the critical operations in sugarcane farming. Untimely harvesting and improper practices result in the loss of tonnage and sucrose content not to mention the time, capital and efforts in cultural management. Harvesting includes cutting, loading and transport of the canes.
