Sugarcane intensive farming solutions at Song Con Sugar Factory

To achieve high productivity, Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company has worked hard to arrange farming seasons and guide farmers in the correct technical process of planting and caring for sugarcane.

High-yield sugarcane growing areas are produced from new sugarcane varieties, while complying with the following technical processes:

Sugarcane land:The soil should have a deep, loose, nutritious, neutral pH, well-drained, and a slope of <100, the better.

Land preparation:Because the weather in Nghe An is often hot in June, July and August, at this time sugarcane needs a lot of water to grow. If the soil is shallow, the sugarcane's drought resistance will be reduced, leading to low productivity and poor quality.

Farmers in Huong Son Tan Ky commune take care of sugarcane. Photo: Cam Tu

Therefore, the soil must be plowed 30 - 35 cm deep. It is best to plow the soil 30 - 40 days before planting to expose it to the elements and eliminate pests. Use a 7-pan plow and a milling machine to break up the soil, the proportion of soil particles with a diameter of more than 5 cm is less than 15%. Make furrows more than 30 cm deep, it is best for sugarcane to be planted and fertilized by machine. It is necessary to design an irrigation system to promptly drain water during the rainy season and provide additional irrigation during drought.

Sugarcane varieties:In Tan Ky area, there are currently 6 new sugarcane varieties.

Sugarcane variety 93 - 159: Strong growth and development ability, strong germination, early and concentrated tillering, good regeneration. Agricultural yield 80 - 110 tons/ha, high sugar content over 12 CCS. Adapts well to moist or medium moist soil and sandy soil.

Sugarcane variety 00 - 236: Germinates quickly, strongly, tillers well, retains roots relatively well, suitable for light to medium loam soil with good humidity, drought tolerant, moderately drought tolerant. Agricultural yield 80 - 120 tons/ha, high sugar content over 12 CCS. Adaptable to soil with average humidity and sandy soil.

Planting sugarcane with a multi-purpose machine on the raw sugarcane area of ​​Song Con Sugarcane Joint Stock Company. Photo: Xuan Hoang

ROC 10 sugarcane variety: Fast growth rate, many tillers, good root retention, susceptible to bacterial leaf blight, high yield 80-120 tons/ha, maximum sugar content of 10-12 CCS. Suitable for land converted from rice fields; riverside alluvial soil.

Khonkean 3 sugarcane variety: Good growth ability from the beginning, strong germination, strong tillering, less lodging, no flowering, good root regeneration, no infection with dangerous diseases (grass shoots, charcoal...), maximum sugar content from 10 - 13 CCS. Suitable on land that is not flooded.

Sugarcane variety LK 92 - 11: Grows quickly in the later stages, germinates well, tillers well, rarely falls over, regenerates roots very well, has high effective plant density, does not flag, and is resistant to many diseases. High yield from 100-120 tons/ha, maximum sugar content from 10-12 CCS. Suitable for planting on sandy clay soil, rich in humus.

Sugarcane variety K2000: Fast growing, strong germination, good tillering, less lodging, good root regeneration, high effective plant density, no flagging, resistant to many diseases. High yield from 100-130 tons/ha, maximum sugar content from 10-12 CCS. Suitable for loam, light loam, moist, rich in nutrients.

How to grow

Season: From October 1 to April 30 of the following year.

Density: Depending on soil conditions and sugarcane varieties, the density will be arranged; the amount of cuttings needed is from 40,000 - 45,000 cuttings/ha (each cutting has 3 eyes), equivalent to 10 - 12 tons of cuttings/ha.

Song Con Sugar Company guides people in Tan Luong hamlet, Tan Phu commune to take care of sugarcane. Photo: Document

Depending on manual or machine cultivation, the distance is arranged; usually manual cultivation has a distance between 2 rows from 1.0 - 1.2m, or mechanical cultivation has a distance between 2 rows from 1.3 - 1.5m x 0.4m.

Manual planting: Place the cuttings along the furrows, cover with 3 - 10 cm of soil (depending on the crop and weather). Dry soil needs to be compacted so that the cuttings are in contact with the soil. During the main crop, if possible, water after planting.

Planting and fertilizing by machine: Requires the person who plants the seeds to be steady.

Take care of

For young sugarcane: About 15 - 25 days after planting, when the sugarcane has 1 - 2 true leaves or after harvesting the previous crop, the sugarcane (dead) should be replaced in the afternoon or when the weather is cool. It is best to use germinated cuttings placed at the beginning of the row or cuttings that have been incubated in previously prepared soil.

Dig a trench as deep as the bottom of the trench when planting, place the transplanted tree and cover the base. When transplanting, the soil must be moist enough, the leaves of the transplanted tree must be cut to limit evaporation, and the soil must be compacted to the base of the transplanted tree. If possible, water immediately after transplanting.

Fertilizer

Basal fertilization: Lime powder should be applied before the last plowing, at a rate of 1.0 - 1.5 tons/ha.

Instructions on mixing fertilizer to care for sugarcane for farmers. Photo: Document

Organic fertilizer: 10 - 20 tons (manure, garbage, sludge, ash, ...).

NPK 11.6.8 fertilizer: 1.0 ton/ha.

Top dressing: NPK 11.3.8 fertilizer: 1.5 tons/ha, divided equally into 2 times for fertilization (when sugarcane has 4-5 leaves) and fertilization (when sugarcane has 1-2 real internodes). Apply fertilization about 20-25 cm from the base of the sugarcane, at a depth of 25 cm. To be effective, use a plow to plow underground, fertilize, and loosen the soil between the 2 rows of sugarcane.

Water irrigation

Provide supplementary watering for sugarcane during prolonged dry periods, especially during the sprouting, tillering and growing stages. Sugarcane needs a lot of water but is very intolerant to waterlogging. To avoid waterlogging, sugarcane fields must be flat, and a drainage system must be designed immediately after planting, and ditches and drainage channels must be placed around the fields.

Sugarcane is often affected by grass shoot disease and smut: If grass shoot disease or smut is detected, promptly dig up and destroy diseased plants.

When sugarcane is found to be infected with aphids (just appearing in a few clumps), farmers must strip the leaves, clean the fields and use the pesticide Album 48 EC to spray. In case the aphids appear on a large scale, it is necessary to spray simultaneously over the entire area.

For sugarcane with stumps: After harvesting, the field must be cleaned immediately, using a hoe or sharp knife to cut down high stumps close to the ground (leaves should not be burned after harvesting).

After removing the roots, it is necessary to patch up the areas where the roots or buds are lost.

Within 15 days of harvest, apply 1.0 ton of NPK 11.6.8 fertilizer per hectare, 20 - 25 cm apart from the sugarcane rows, at a depth of 25 cm. To be effective, use a plow to plow underground, apply fertilizer, and loosen the soil between the two sugarcane rows. If the weather is dry, within 15 days of applying basal fertilizer, irrigate with 800 to 1,000 m3/ha/watering.

Top dressing: When the sugarcane has 9 to 12 leaves (1 to 2 real internodes), apply 1.5 tons of NPK 11.3.8 fertilizer per hectare, 20 - 25 cm apart from the sugarcane rows, at a depth of 25 cm. To be effective, use a plow to plow underground, apply fertilizer, and loosen the soil between the two sugarcane rows.

Mr. Nguyen Sy Hai - agricultural officer of Song Con Sugar Factory said: In addition to disseminating techniques through leaflets, seminars, and meetings, Song Con Sugar Joint Stock Company also demonstrates intensive sugarcane production techniques in the fields, and there are also many support policies for sugarcane.