What are the precautions for sugarcane harvesting? Keep these key points in mind
Sugarcane tastes sweet and is a fruit we all love. In addition, it is rich in nutrients and has good planting prospects, making it a great project for getting rich. During sugarcane harvest, only by adopting the correct methods can you increase sugarcane yield and ensure a high yield of ratoon sugarcane the following year. Therefore, there are three key points to note during harvesting. Let's take a look below.
1. Harvest at the right time
The harvest of the previous sugarcane crop has an enormous impact on the ratoon sugarcane. If harvested too early, the period of low temperature and drought is too long, which is not conducive to the sprouting of sugarcane buds, and they are easily affected by low temperatures, thereby losing vitality. They may also be affected by drought, leading to death, which affects the yield and quality of the ratoon sugarcane. According to practical production experience, in southern regions, after Great Cold and during the Beginning of Spring period is the most suitable time for retaining ratoon sugarcane, so harvesting at this time is best. This is because the temperature has begun to rise again, and rainfall is also gradually increasing. Both temperature and moisture can meet the needs of sugarcane germination, promoting the ratoon sugarcane to sprout as soon as possible. In addition, during harvesting, it must be done on a sunny day. If harvesting is done in rainy weather, pathogens will invade through the wounds via rainwater, thereby damaging the ratoon sugarcane and affecting sprouting.
2. Ensure sugarcane quality
During harvest, the quality of the planted sugarcane is an extremely important point in harvesting, because the quality of the sugarcane has an enormous impact on ratoon growth. During harvesting, choose relatively sharp tools, and when cutting, it must be done quickly so that the wounds are smooth and will not cause splitting. After cutting, use a small hoe to appropriately trim off some of the sugarcane stubble, keeping the stubble length at 7-10 cm. This is because if the retained sugarcane stubble is too long, it will affect the sprouting of young buds, resulting in thin and weak stems after sprouting. The trimming of the sugarcane stubble is also not done immediately after harvest. Generally, it is harvested at the Beginning of Spring, and after the weather warms in spring, it is cut away, so that the ratoon sugarcane sprouts uniformly.
3. Clean the field in time
After harvesting, clean the field in time and remove sugarcane leaves and other debris from the field. This is to avoid sugarcane leaves covering the sugarcane stubble, so as to prevent the stubble from rotting and turning sour, which would affect sprouting. In addition, sugarcane leaves will also decay and decompose, breeding a large number of bacteria and microorganisms that harm the ratoon sugarcane. Field cleaning can either leave the sugarcane leaves in the field, pile them together to rot on their own, and then use them to make fertilizer returned to the field; or collect the sugarcane leaves and pile them in the furrows to be used directly as fertilizer; or dry them and burn them, then use them as fertilizer. Sugarcane leaves can provide pollution-free organic fertilizer for the field, improve soil structure, and increase the yield of ratoon sugarcane.
The above are the precautions for sugarcane harvesting. We hope this can help you. If you want to learn more about sugarcane cultivation, please follow us.