My first ratoon sugarcane always yields much less than the plant crop. What practices keep ratoon yield up in Uttar Pradesh?
How do I manage a sugarcane ratoon crop so the yield does not drop (ganna)?
RRakesh Tomar8mo ago · 264 views
6 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓8mo ago
Ratoon yield drops mainly from poor stubble management, gappy stands, and delayed care, so the work starts right after harvest. Cut the previous stubble at or just below ground level, remove trash or spread it as mulch, and gap fill the missing clumps quickly so the stand is full. Give an early dose of nitrogen and do off barring and earthing up, and apply irrigation promptly so the ratoon does not stall. Treat the stubble and base for borers and watch for any red rot or wilt carry over from the plant crop. A well kept first ratoon can yield close to the plant crop, but a neglected one falls sharply, so keep only healthy fields for ratoon. Confirm the fertiliser schedule and any sett or stubble treatment with your local KVK or sugar mill cane department.
CCharan Singh7mo ago
The biggest jump in my ratoon yield came from gap filling the empty clumps quickly with settlings or fresh setts. Earlier I left the gaps and the field looked half empty. Filling them within the first few weeks gave a full stand and much better weight at harvest.
MMahendra Pal7mo ago
In our area we found that cutting the old stubble right at ground level matters a lot. If you leave a high stub the new shoots come from the upper buds and are weak. Cutting low forces strong shoots from the base. We also keep only the healthiest plant crop fields for ratoon, never a diseased one.
RRampal Singh6mo ago
Off barring and earthing up early on the ratoon gave my roots a firm base and the field looked uniform. Where I skipped it the clumps stayed weak. Doing the intercultural work promptly after harvest, along with the early nitrogen, is what kept my ratoon close to the plant crop.
DDevendra Singh6mo ago
Spreading the trash as mulch between the rows instead of burning it held the moisture and kept down weeds in my ratoon. Earlier I burnt the trash and the soil dried out fast. The mulch slowly improved the soil too. Just keep the stubble line clean so the new shoots come up well.
SSukhdev Singh5mo ago
Watching the stubble base for borer right after harvest saved my ratoon stand once. The early shoot borer was killing the new shoots and I caught it because I was looking. Keep the soil moist with timely irrigation and check the base, and get any treatment from the mill cane staff or KVK.