What to Do When Sugarcane Lodges? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Remedial Methods
As a fruit with high sugar content and high nutritional value, sugarcane is deeply loved by many people. As everyone knows, sugarcane averages around 2 m in height, and growing to such a height inevitably means many problems must be faced during cultivation, among which lodging is a fairly common problem for sugarcane. So why does sugarcane lodge? What should be done when sugarcane lodges? Now let's take a look together with the editor.
1. Causes of sugarcane lodging
Sugarcane is a crop that grows fairly tall; in the later stages of growth it can reach more than two meters, with a tall stalk and an increasing number of leaves. If it encounters stormy, windy weather, its center of gravity becomes unstable and it easily lodges. Especially after rain, when water accumulates in the field and makes the top heavier, a light breeze can knock it over. After lodging, the parts touching the ground may grow new roots and sprout shoots from the side, and the whole stalk will become bent, consuming the nutrients in the main stalk. This causes the sugarcane to become shriveled with hollow gaps and to develop poorly.
2. Effects of sugarcane lodging
1. After large-scale lodging of sugarcane, the cane leaves overlap each other, so the leaves inside cannot carry out photosynthesis and turn dry and yellow.
⟦NL>2. Sugarcane lodging breaks the roots and stems, blocking the absorption and transport of nutrients, so the cane stem does not have enough nutrients to develop, resulting in shriveling and hollowing.3. After lodging, side buds grow; the side buds sprout and grow in large numbers, robbing the cane stem of nutrients. This reduces the sucrose in the cane stem, and the weight of the cane stem decreases accordingly.
4. After lodging, it is the time when rodent damage and cotton aphids are most likely to occur; they gnaw on the cane stem, causing damage to and affecting the growth of the cane stem, and after lodging the broken roots affect the next year's planting.
3. Prevention and control of sugarcane lodging
1. When choosing varieties, you should choose lodging-resistant varieties; these varieties mainly have harder cane stems, very thick roots, fewer cane leaves in the later stage, and straight cane stems, making them not prone to lodging.
2. Before planting, apply enough basal fertilizer, and apply the topdressing early. Fertilizer should be formulated reasonably, and too much nitrogen fertilizer should not be applied, so that the sugarcane is sturdy rather than leggy when it emerges, improving its lodging resistance.
3. After the sugarcane has grown tall, the lower old leaves and dead leaves can be removed, because the photosynthetic capacity of old leaves has already decreased considerably; each sugarcane plant only needs 5-8 leaves. This can reduce the sugarcane's load and the area exposed to wind, preventing lodging. You can also, when the sugarcane has grown to about two meters, tie the sugarcane together with rope into a “人” shape, which can also effectively prevent lodging.
The above is the editor's brief introduction to the causes and prevention of sugarcane lodging. Sugarcane lodging directly affects the quality and yield of sugarcane. Everyone should take preventive measures in advance to avoid lodging. If lodging does occur, I hope this article by the editor can help everyone.