This document discusses nutrient and weed management practices for sugarcane crops. It notes that sugarcane has high nutrient needs, requiring around 100 kg of nitrogen, 60 kg of phosphorus, and 225 kg of potassium per hectare. It provides recommended dosage levels for different growing areas. It also discusses best practices for fertilizer application and describes using biofertilizers like azospirillum. The document outlines that weed competition is a major issue for sugarcane due to its wide row spacing. It identifies several common weed types and notes that the initial 120 days is a critical period for crop-weed competition. It describes mechanical, cultural and chemical methods for weed control, including hand weeding, crop rotation, mulching

1. Nutrient And Weed
Management In Sugarcane
PRP

2. • Sugarcane is a giant crop producing a huge quantity of biomass and therefore its
nutrient needs are high.
• N, P and K requirement of sugarcane is quite large – an average of 100, 60 and 225
kg N, P2O5 and K2O per hectare is actually used up by the crop to produce around
100 tonnes of cane yield. Dosage must be decided based on the crop requirement,
contribution from the soils and organic manures applied, likely losses of the applied
nutrients by means of fixation, leaching, volatilization etc.
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
Area Dose of N(Kg/ha) Dose of P2O5 (Kg/ha)
Dose of K2O
(Kg/ha)
Coastal and
canal irrigated
area
275 62.5 112.5
Well irrigated
area
225 62.5 112.5
Jaggery area 175 62.5 112.5

3. • Basal Application of Fertilizer of NPK @ 300:100:200 kg/ha-Super phosphate (625 kg/ha) is added
along the furrows and incorporate with hand hoe.
• 37.5 kg Zinc sulphate/ha and 100 kg Ferrous sulphate/ha is applied to zinc and iron deficient soils.
• Sulphur is applied in the form of Gypsum @ 500 kg /ha to sulphur deficient soils to increase the
cane yield and juice quality.
• Top Dressing with Fertilizers(Soil application) - 275 kg of nitrogen and 112.5 kg of K2O/ha is applied
in three equal splits at 30, 60 and 90 days in coastal and flow irrigated belts. In the case of lift
irrigation belt, 225 kg of nitrogen and 112.5 kg of K2O/ha is applied in three equal splits at 30, 60
and 90 days in water scarcity areas.175 kg of nitrogen and 112.5 kg of K2O/ha is applied in three
equal splits on 30, 60 and 90 days in jaggery areas.
• Neem Cake Blended Urea:67.5 kg of N/ha + 27.5 kg of Neem Cake is applied at 30 days and is
repeated on 60th and 90th days.
• Band placement: Deep furrows of 15 cm depth are opened with hand hoes and the fertilisers are
placed in the form of band and properly covered.
• Subsurface application: Application of 255 kg of Nitrogen in the form of urea along with potash at
15 cm depth by the side of the cane clump will result in the saving of 20 kg N/ha without any yield
reduction.

4. BIOFERTILIZER FOR SUGARCANE
• Azospirillum is the common biofertilizer recommended for N nutrition which could
colonize the roots of sugarcane and fix atmospheric nitrogen to the tune of about 50 to
75 kg nitrogen per ha per year.
• Azospirillum culture is mixed with powdered FYM, or compost or pressmud and then
applied to the base of the sugarcane plant.
• Azospirillum: 2400 g/ha of Azospirillum inoculant with 25 kg of FYM and 25 kg soil are
applied near the clumps on 30th day of planting. The same is repeated on 60th day with
another 2400 gm.It is repeated on the other side of the crop row on the 90th day (for lift
irrigated belt).

5. WEED MANAGEMENT IN SUGARCNAE
• Weed competition in sugarcane is greater than in other short season row crop,
because of the wider row spacing and slow initial growth phase. More than 200 weed
species have been reported to infest the sugarcane fields.
• The composition of weed varies depending upon the climatic condition , soil type ,
cropping system followed and management practices adopted for controlling weeds
and cultivation of the crop.

6. Some Major Weeds in Sugarcane
Cyperus rotundus Striga sp.
Brachiaria reptans Convolvulus arvensis

7. Period of weed growth and critical period of crop-
weed competition -
• Weeds interfere with crops at anytime they are present in the crop.
•The duration of a sugarcane crop is 12-16 months. So,the initial 120 days can be
considered as critical period for crop-weed competition.
• Weeding around 100-120 days or 120-150 days after planting cane is as important as early
weeding done in the initial crop growing period (30-40 days), as weed seeds keep on
germinating because of wide row spacing and sun light reaching in the exposed inter row
spaces (until full crop canopy development).
• Subsequently, frequent irrigations, heavy fertilizer dose and high temperature induce a
number of new flushes of weeds, both grasses broadleaved weeds.

8. Methods of weed control :-
Methods of weed control :-
1. Mechanical methods
2. Cultural methods
3. Chemical methods
• Providing a weed-free environment is absolutely essential to realize the full potential of
new varieties and to make best use of the key production factors like nutrients, moisture
and other natural resources
Methods of weed control
Mechanical methods Cultural methods
Chemical methods

9. 1. Mechanical methods
• In the sugarcane fields even now the mechanical methods of weed control is the most
popular and effective method. One of the important objectives of pre-planting tillage
operations is to control weeds.
• The mechanical method of weed control involves Hand weeding and hand hoeing
operations which are very effective in controlling weeds in early stages of crop growth.
This is the best way to make sure that you are completely removing the weed problem,
but due to its manual steps, it can be a very slow process.
• The only negative is that it takes a lot of time.

10. 2. Cultural methods
• Weed control could be achieved through crop rotations, crop competition, mulching,
clean cultivation, trap cropping, etc.
• Some of these practices include proper intercropping, earthing up,detrashing , hoeing,
Paired row planting, Trash mulching and more.
• For mulching, you can use the trash you get from your sugarcane to help suppress the
growth of weeds.
• Trash cover restricts sunlight and checks weed
emergence.
• Besides, suppressing weeds, trash mulching also
conserves soil moisture, and provides a potential
source of organic matter.
Trash mulching -
Trash mulching

11. 3. Chemical methods
• Weed management in sugarcane can be controlled through chemicals or herbicides. These
herbicides are sprayed onto the sugarcane crops and are designed to kill off certain types of weeds.
• Pre-emergence application of a herbicide is essential to control initial weeds. This is done soon
after planting on the third or fourth day.
• Pre-emergence application of Atrazine 1.75kg or Oxyflurofen 0.75 lit/ha on 3-4 days of planting
using knapsack sprayer was found to be most effective on a wide range of monocot and dicot
weeds.
• Post-emergence application of Gramaxone 2.5 lit + 2-4,D Sodium salt 2.5 lit/ha as directed spray on
21 DAP was found highly effective in controlling most of the dicot and other broad leaved weeds.
• Metribuzine, diuron, metoxuron, 2, 4-D sodium salt, dalapan, paraquat, alachlor, isoproturon,
isouron and glyphosate have also been found to be effective.
• For controlling twining weeds such as Ipomea spp., application of atrazine or sencor may be done
after final earthing up, around the cane rows.

12. THANK YOU
PRP