Performance of pit planted sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) under organic management

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during 2011–12 and 2012–13 at Navsari, Gujarat to study the effect of different proportion of organics on productivity of pit planted sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) under organic farming system. The experiment was laid out in ramdomized block design with 3 replications comprising 8 organic treatments and 1 inorganic treatment as control (250:125:125 kg NPK/ha). Significantly higher plant height (399.7 cm), millable canes (129.8 t/ha), cane height (298.2 cm), and single cane weight (1.54 kg) were recorded with 50% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through vermicompost and 50% RDN through castor cake. However, application of nitrogen through vermicompost (50% RDN) along with either castor cake or neem cake (50% RDN) were found equally effective and recorded significantly higher millable cane (129.8 and 128.2 t/ha respectively) and trash yield (23.2 and 22.7 t/ha respectively). In organic vs inorganic-(control) analysis, application of 100% RDF through inorganic fertilizers recorded significantly higher values of growth and yield parameters, and yield of sugarcane crop. Hence for producing higher and profitable cane yield of sugarcane, the crop should be fertilized with 100% RDF (250:125:125 NPK kg/ha) under south Gujarat conditions. Further, for organic production of sugarcane crop, application of 50% RDN through vermicompost and remaining 50% RDN either through castor cake or neem cake was found remunerative.