Management practices

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Management practices

1 ) Varieties

Variety with good ratooning potential and good plant crop is prerequisite for good ratoons
Early varieties are poor ratooners than mid late or late varieties
CO6304, CO1148, CO7314, CO8208, CO8021 are excellent ratooning varieties

2) Plant crop

Poorly grown plant crops due to reason like moisture stress, lake of sufficient nutrient or due to certain pest cannot satisfactorily ratoons

3) Time of harvest

December to February harvested crops would give best ratoons in the tropical areas
Autumn planted sugarcane in tropical area when harvested early in the crushing season would give better ratoons and also help in overcoming certain insect and pest like early shoot borer both in plant and ratoon crops

4) Duration of harvest

For ensuring uniformity of the sprouts and further to promote uniform growth of ratoons crop
It is essential that the duration of harvesting of a field is not extended beyond a week

5) Method of harvesting

Harvesting at the ground level is very important especially in place where stubble shaving operation cannot be carried out
This harvesting method adds a few mores tones to yield and also get a better ratoon crops

6) Trash disposal

Trash disposal is an important task soon after the harvest of the plant crop before any other ratooning operation could be taken up
Trash contain 0.35%N, 0.13%P₂O₅, 0.65%K₂O

Trash disposal method

Trash burning is essential under the following conditions;

7) Stubble shaving

This is facilitating healthy underground buds to sprout and establish a deeper root system in ratoon crop
By deep stubble shaving, the lower buds are forced to germinate and thus have root system at lower level
Thus, obtained would help utilize nutrients and moisture from lower soil levels
Deep root system is also necessary to give good anchorage to the ratoon crop

8) Shoulder breaking and loosening inter-spaces

It is an operation where in the ridges are broken or cut on either side
To loosen soil, the inter-spaces between the rows are dug
Shoulder breaking can be carried out by bullock drawn implements like wooden plough or small rider like implement
Sub-soiler may also be used for breaking the compacted soil

9) Gap filling

Gap occurrence when exceeds 20%cause considerable loss of yield
A spot on a row can be considered as a gap if for a distance about 60cm there is no cane clump; otherwise, there is no need for gap filling
For gap filling, it is better to use pre- germinated single bud setts
Clumps can be uprooted and cut into quarters and planted in the gaps
Another recent technique is to rise polybag seedlings and use them for gap filling

10) Fertilizer management

Early growth in ratoons is relatively quicker, hence there is need to apply fertilizers early. Full dose of P₂O₅, one third(1/3) N, and K₂O after stubble shaving and off barring.
Incorporation of legumes crop resides in ratoon cane improves nitrogen use efficiency
Intercrops suitable are sunhemp, french bean and green gram
Ratoons have also been found to foliar application of urea

11) Water management

Ratoons are more susceptible to moisture stress due to their shallow root system
Irrigations are required at frequent intervals, particularly in the early stage
Avoid excess irrigation and improving drainage are essential step to improve ratoon productivity

12) Weed management

At the early stages when the sprouting is beginning to come over the soil surface, there should make weed free environment
It can be done by mechanical method, cultural and chemical control

13) Ratoon chlorosis

In calcareous soils iron chlorosis is a problem
It is because of poor nutrient status in the soils coupled with inability of the ratoons to absorb nutrients particularly at early stage
Control by sulphate spray at 0.25% along with urea 1%

14) Harvesting