The judicious use of different organic and inorganic nutrient sources is of prime importance for enhancing the productivity of long-duration and nutrient-exhaustive crops, including sugarcane. We aimed to assess the impact of optimum nutrient application through integration of bio-products and inorganic fertilizers on growth, yield of sugarcane, and N availability in sugarcane plant crops raised through bud chip settlings. The fifteen treatment combinations were replicated three times in randomized block design. Results revealed that 150% of RDF + 5 t vermicompost ha−1 + 25 kg ZnSO4 + Azotobacter + phosphate solubilizing bacteria recorded the highest growth in terms of plant population, drymatter production, cane diameter, millable canes and single cane weight; cane yield (138.7 t ha−1) and net returns (Rs. 2, 62, 600 ha−1) followed by 150% RDF + 5 t vermicompost + 25 kg ZnSO4 ha−1 in sugarcane. However, maximum benefit: cost ratio was evidenced with 150% RDF alone (1.80) and lowest in RDF + 5 t vermicompost ha−1 (0.78), respectively. NO3-N, exchangeable NH4 +-N, hydrolyzable NH4 +-N were found to represent about 20.5 to 30.9, 41.5 to 73.8, 55.8 to 76.8 mg kg−1, respectively. The relative contents of these fractions were in the order: non-hydrolysable > unidentified N > amino acid N > hydrolyzable NH4 +-N > exchangeable NH4 +-N > NO3-N > hexose amine N. Thus, the integration of organic sources with NPK holds great promise to increase cane yield and N availability in soil but with 150% RDF proved to be more remunerative and economically sound for the bud chip raised sugarcane.