Ring pit method of sugarcane

Technology

1. Ring pit method of sugarcane;to double farmer’s income RAWE EXT 411 Presented by Shreya Gupta ID 14146 IAS,BHU

2. Introduction It is good method for planting sugarcane. Yield of sugarcane is 70t/ha in India ,while theoretical potential yield is 474t/ha. ICAR-IISR had developed this technique (1984) Population of main shoot is increased and tillers are reduced. Objective :To increase yield (double).

3. Operational steps Leave 65 cm space around the boundary of the field. Mark the field at 105 cm both length and width wise. At the cross section of these lines, dig pit of 75 cm diameter and 30 cm depth with pit digger machine. Cane stalks of 2 budded setts is dipped in 0.2 per cent solution of bavistin (2 g Bavistin in one liter of water). In each pit, apply mixture of 3 kg FYM + 20 g DAP + 8 g urea + 16 g MoP + 2g ZnSO4 and mix it with soil. Put 20 two-budded setts in a similar pattern as of spokes in a cyclewheel . Spray the solution of 5 liters Chlorpyriphos 20 EC dissolved in 1500-1600 liters of water on setts for one ha area.

4. Conti.. Interconnect each pit with narrow channel manually for irrigating the pits. Now cover the setts with 2-5 cm of soil layer. Apply light irrigation just after planting. Do first filling of pits with dug out soil at 4th leaf stage (35-40 days after planting in spring planting), apply light irrigation and topdress 16 g urea per pit when soil moisture reaches at workable condition. Apply urea @ 16 g per pit and, apply Furadan 3 G @ 33 kg per ha. The gap of at least 3-4 days must be kept in application of urea and Furadan . Fill the pits with dug out soil completely. Carry earthing –up before onset of monsoon.

5. Conti…. Tie cane in each clump in the 1st -2nd week of August with lower dry leaves. In September, tie the clumps of opposite rows together. Remove lower dry leaves. Harvest the cane close to the ground level to take good ratoon crop.

6. Pit digger

7. Pits

8. ICGS- Irrigation at critical growth stages, IWUE – Irrigation water use efficiency Technology Germination (%)2008-09 Ring pit method of planting 72.8 Skip furrow method of irrigation 37.5 ICGS 39.8 Farmers' Practice 33.6

9. Technology Average yield (t ha-1) Irrigation water applied (ha-cm) IWUE (kg cane ha-cm-1) Demonstration Conventional Demonstration Conventional Demonstration Conventional Ring pit method of planting 125.28 63.80 52.92 65.37 2367.46 975.96 Skip furrow method of irrigation 88.54 63.80 53.7 65.37 1648 975.96 Trash mulching 80.1 63.80 47.8 65.37 1642 975.96 ICGS 81.76 63.80 45.2 65.37 1807 975.96

10. Benefit cost ratio Technology Benefit :cost(2008-09) Ring pit method of planting 2.03 Skip furrow method of irrigation 1.96 ICGS 1.45 Farmers' Practice 1.29

11. CASE STUDY;Varatharajan Mr I. Varatharajan , a farmer in Somenahalli village of Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu, has got a yield of over 300 tonnes in a hectare. Mr Varatharajan was awarded the best farmer award by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Under the conventional system, the setts are grown in rows of 90 cm spacing and are arranged in a series without adequate spacing . The germinated setts are very thin in appearance and ultimately affect the number of canes in each setts and its development. According to Mr. Varatharajan,the pits are dug using specially designed tractor drawn power tillers. The pits are then filled with top soil, 5 kg of farmyard manure (FYM), 100 gms gypsum and 125 gms super phosphate and watered well before planting.

12. INCOME Mr Varatharajan has spent about Rs. 1,30,000 per hectare and has earned about Rs. 2 lakh as net income in his first harvest. Under the conventional system, farmers in Tamil Nadu are at present harvesting about 130 tonnes a hectare which yields a net income of about Rs. 1,43,000. Under pit method one can expect to harvest nearly 10 ratoon crops with a yield of about 60-70 tonnes during every ratoon harvest compared to the conventional method where only one or two ratoon harvest is possible," said Mr Varatharajan .

13. VIGOROUS GROWTH The growth of the crop was vigorous and they matured at the eighth month after planting. Due to the equal spacing maintained on all the sides the plants grew steadily and the nutrition supplied through drip fertigation reduced the crop duration. The continuous supply of nutrition and spacing induces the early physiological maturity that was the major benefit the farmer. All the shoots are of the same age, so there is uniform growth and sugar accumulation in the canes. The most important factor was that the sugarcane setts were placed at a depth, which were always moist, hence, in case of drought, or non-availability of water the yield was not affected .

14. Alternative Eg , Sugarcane (traditional) Production 70t/ha 1 HECTARE (area) Ring pit Production 65-70t/ha 0.5 ha can be used for other crops .. 0.5 ha

15. Summary Mother shoot technology or no tiller technology Specifications: - Pit diameter : 75 cm - Depth : 30 cm - Centre to centre : 105 cm - No. of pits/ha : 9000 Suitable for drought prone areas , undulating topography, light textured soils, saline - sodic soils, multiple ratooning and high yielding, tall and thick cane varieties.

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