Effect of planting techniques for spring planted sugarcane

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of planting method, number of setts per ha, sett size and nitrogen on yield, quality and economics of spring planted sugarcane during 2004–05 and 2005–06. Treatments consisted of three planting methods viz. flat (furrows spaced at 75 cm), paired row trench (30 cm wide, 30 cm deep, centre-to centre of two trenches 120 cm) and pit (30 cm diameter, 30 cm deep and center-to-center of two pits 120 cm), three seed rate (8, 16 and 201 ha⁻¹), three sett size (one, two and three budded setts) and two nitrogen levels (150 and 300 kg ha⁻¹). The results reveal that in plant crop, pit planting using 201 ha⁻¹ seed (125 thousand three budded setts) and 300 kg N ha⁻¹ gave the highest cane yield (91.5 t ha⁻¹) and was at par with flat (83.9 t ha⁻¹) and trench (83.21 ha⁻¹) methods using 8 t ha⁻¹ seed (50 thousand three bud setts and use of 150 kg N ha⁻¹. Whereas in following ratoon crop, conventional flat method using 81 ha⁻¹ three budded setts and 150 kg N ha⁻¹ recorded the highest cane yield and was at par with pit and trench method in which same level of seed and nitrogen were used in plant crop. The use of single bud setts for planting significantly reduced the yield of both plant and ratoon crop, irrespective of planting method, seed rate and nitrogen levels. The commercial cane sugar percent of both plant and ratoon crops also did not vary statistically among different treatment combinations. In plant-ratoon cropping cycle, flat method using 81 ha⁻¹ three budded setts and 150 kg N ha⁻¹ recorded the highest net returns (Rs 93, 500 ha⁻¹) closely followed by trench method at same level of inputs (Rs 90, 200 ha⁻¹). It is concluded that paired row trench planting using 81 ha⁻¹ three bud setts and 150 kg N ha⁻¹ could be adopted as an alternate to flat planting method in spring sugarcane in south western Punjab.