Productivity and profitability of spring sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) under different planting patterns designed for mechanized inter-cultivation.

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Pantnagar during spring 2012 to study the performance of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) under different planting geometries tailored for mechanized intercultivation. The experiment consisted of eight planting geometry treatments viz; 60 cm single row (T1 ), 75 cm single row (T2), 45/105 cm pair (T3 ), 45/150 cm pair (T4), 45/225 cm pair (T5 ), 60/90 cm pair (T6 ), 60/150 cm pair (T7 ) and 60/225 cm pair (T8 ) was laid in randomized block design with three replications. Weeding and interculture operations were carried out both using cultivator and manually in T1 and T2 , by power weeder in T3 and T6, by power tiller in T4 and T7 and by tractor drawn small harrow in T5 and T8 . The results indicated that the planting geometries having pair row spacing of 60 cm (i.e. 60/90, 60/150 and 60/225 cm) recorded significantly more yield attributing characters viz; number of millable canes, cane length, cane girth, number of internodes per cane and individual cane weight than rest of the planting geometries. Paired row spacing of 60/90 cm being at par with 60/150 and 60/225 cm produced significantly higher cane yield (84.24 t ha-1) than rest of the planting geometries. The maximum gross (Rs. 217,836 ha-1) and net return (Rs. 152,769 ha-1) were obtained from 60/90 cm and that B:C ratio from 60/225 cm paired spacing (2.96).