Technological options to enhance sugarcane production in plains of Uttarakhand

Abstract

Sugarcane agriculture is the largest livelihood provider in the rural plain areas in Uttarakhand. It has lower productivity of sugarcane (60.5 & 64.6 mt/ha) than the national productivity (70.0 & 68.2 mt/ha) during 2016-17 & 2017-18*. Among causes of low productivity are rejected cane varieties, delayed planting, water logging and unawareness against ratoon management etc. Technological options is to be given to boost cane productivity and recovery up to 100.0 mt/ha & 12.5% respectively through adoption of newly released early high yielding varieties, improved planting methods, INM and use of bio-fertilizer. With the help of different technological options there was vast increase in sugarcane production (6269 -7235 thousand mt) and productivity (57.4 -64.6 mt/ha) during last five years in Uttarakhand. Keeping all these facts in view, there is a need to improve cane yield & recovery through available and new technological options.