How to Grow Sweet Sugarcane? Master These Planting Techniques

Sugarcane is rich in sugar and water, and also contains various vitamins, fats, proteins, organic acids, calcium, iron and other substances that are very beneficial to human metabolism. It is mainly used for sugar production. So, how do you grow sugarcane so it is sweet?

1. Site selection

The greenhouse for growing sugarcane needs to be built on a plot of deep, loose, fertile land, so as to fully meet the needs of its root system growth, thereby allowing the roots to better absorb water and nutrients.

2. Land preparation and fertilization

Deep plowing is the foundation for increasing yield. Sugarcane has a well-developed root system, and deep plowing is conducive to root development, making the aboveground part grow quickly and the yield high. Deep plowing is a general principle and requirement. The specific depth of deep plowing must be adapted to local conditions, depending on the depth of the original plow layer and the soil properties, generally about 30 cm. Fertilizers are mainly organic fertilizer, phosphorus and potassium chemical fertilizers, and a small amount of nitrogen chemical fertilizer. Phosphorus fertilizer and potassium fertilizer are mainly applied as base fertilizer, because the absorption of phosphorus fertilizer by sugarcane mainly occurs in the early and middle stages. Then open planting furrows for the seedlings, and the planting row spacing is required to be 90-100 cm.

3. Field management

1. Remove the film and fill in missing seedlings

Film-covered sugarcane fields should have the film removed as soon as possible and the seedlings checked. For newly planted sugarcane, when a missing-seedling gap in a row reaches 30 cm, missing seedlings should be filled in promptly on cloudy and rainy days together with thinning, and the best leaf age for filling in seedlings is 2-3 leaves.

2. Topdressing and earthing up

Tillering in sugarcane is a period of massive root growth, leaf growth and tillering, and it requires more nutrients. Applying fertilizer early at this time can promote the growth of tiller seedlings so they become thick and strong, catch up with the main seedlings, and increase the number of effective stalks. Before mid-May, after rain, apply tillering fertilizer in furrows together with light earthing up. The application rate is 100 kg per mu of 30% sugarcane special compound fertilizer (or 25 kg urea + 20-25 kg potassium chloride), with 8-10 cm of earthing up, to protect and promote tillering; where the number of seedlings is sufficient, the thickness may be appropriately increased. In mid-to-late June, apply stem-promoting fertilizer together with heavy earthing up, applying 25-30 kg urea per mu, with an earthing-up thickness of 20-30 cm, to control tillering. For sugarcane fields with weaker growth, micronutrient fertilizer can also be sprayed.

3. Thinning and final singling

After sugarcane tillers, there may be too many seedlings, which not only consumes nutrients but also causes the sugarcane seedlings to become thin, weak and spindly, making it difficult for them to form stalks and making them prone to pests and diseases. Therefore, where the number of seedlings is too large, thinning should be done in time, and final singling should be based on about 15%-20% more than the target number of effective stalks, that is, 8-10 sugarcane seedlings per meter is sufficient. The time for tiller final singling is generally to keep tiller seedlings at lower nodes, remove weak and small tiller seedlings, and keep thick and strong tiller seedlings.

4. Pest and disease control

The main insect pests include sugarcane borers, sugarcane beetles, thrips and woolly aphids, among others. Diseases include smut and pokkah boeng, among others.

If you want the sugarcane you grow to be sweet, every step matters, including site selection, land preparation, fertilization and field management.