Integrated nutrient management holds great promise in meeting the growing nutrient demands of intensive sugarcane agriculture and maintaining productivity at higher levels with overall improvement in the quality of resource base. It helps to improve and sustain soil fertility and provides a sound basis for crop production systems to meet the changing needs. Balanced use of organic, inorganic and biofertilizers is essential to maintain a good soil physical and chemical environment and also serve as energy source for the soil microbial biomass. Sugar productivity can be sustained by replenishing the nutrients removed by crops through proper recycling of crop residues and factory wastes along with biofertilizers. As organic manures often leave profound residual effect, recommendations need to be made on cropping system basis.

No abstract

Field experiments were conducted on a Typic Haplustalf soil of Tamil Nadu by adopting the inductive cum targeted yield model, and fertilizer requirements were quantified for beetroot based on soil test and yield target. The basic parameters [nutrient requirement (NR) and contributions of nutrients from soil (Cs), fertilizer (Cf), and vermicompost (C vermi )]were computed from the field experimental data. Using these basic parameters, we developed fertilizer prescription equations under the integrated plant nutrition system (IPNS), and nomograms were formulated for the desired yield target of beetroot for a range of soil test values. The quantity of fertilizers that could be contributed by vermicompost at 5 t ha −1 was evaluated as 40, 21, and 30 kg nitrogen (N), phosphorus pentoxide (P 2 O 5 ), and potassium oxide (K 2 O), respectively, when applied along with the NPK fertilizers as per soil test and desired yield target.

Technology certainly plays a significant part in the precision agriculture scheme, but understanding the appropriateness of the different forms of technology in response to a management problem is an essential element for successful precision agriculture implementation. Many of the enabling technologies discussed are at varying stages of development with many having restricted application and usefulness when applied at the within-paddock level. However, these technologies can still contribute to largerscale forms of precision agriculture at the region, mill, farm or paddock level. If the sugar industry decides that using global positioning system and geographic information system to chase the benefits of selective harvesting is potentially worthwhile, sorting out the spatial and temporal interactions between yield and CCS will be a critical research issue. Thus the adoption of theses technologies in a precision conservation philosophy could assist in managing the interactions between cane farming and environmental protection in the sensitive coastal floodplain ecosystems.

No abstract

Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Field experiment was conducted during 2015-16 and 2016-17 at ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, India to study the response of six elite sugarcane varieties viz., Co 09004, Co 08009, Co 08016, Co 08020, Co 86032 and CoC 671 to higher nitrogen levels. The experiments were laid out in split plot design with three replications. The soil of the experimental site was clay loam in texture, taxonomically classified as typic haplustalf, low in organic carbon and available N and high in available P and K, neutral in reaction with normal electrical conductivity. The prevailing climatic condition during experimentations represented tropical wet and dry climate, with the wet season lasting from October to December due to the northeast monsoon, wherein mean temperature ranged between 21.6 and 33.1 0 C with a mean relative humidity of 56 to 85 per cent. As against the normal rainfall of 674.2 mm only 678.9 and 386.5 mm of rainfall were received during 2015-16 and 2016-17 crop seasons indicating the erratic behavior of rainfall. The results clearly indicated that mid-late maturing varieties Co 08009 (157.18t/ha) and Co 86032 (152.94 t/ha) equally performed well and significantly outyielded the other mid-late sugarcane varieties Co 08016 and Co 08020. The early maturing Co 09004 (152.11 t/ha) was superior compared to the check variety check variety CoC 671 (129.12t/ha) and found to be more promising with the cane yield of improvement of 17.80 per cent. A significant progressive increase in cane yield was observed with the increase in the dose of nitrogen from 75 to 150 % RDN. Application of 125 % RDN (281kg N/ha) resulted in significantly high cane yield of 154.55 t/ha but it was at par with 100 and 150 % RDN. The results of the experiment revealed that the effect of application of graded level of nitrogen on mean cane yield was significant wherein application of 100, 125 and 150 % of recommended dose of nitrogen recorded significantly higher cane yield over 75 % RDN. The effect of nitrogen application on juice quality was non-significant. A significant differential genotypic response to nitrogen levels was observed wherein Co 86032 the mid-late check variety exceptionally responded linearly up-to 150 of RDN whereas Co 08009, Co 08020 and Co 08016 gave better response up to 125 % RDN and 100 % RDN, respectively. Both the early maturing sugarcane varieties Co 09004 and CoC 671 responded up to 125 % of applied RDN. Thus the newly released early maturing variety Co 09004 with better juice qualities was found significantly superior in terms of cane height (249.23 cm), NMC/ha (98.94 x 10 3 ), cane yield (152.11 t/ha) and CCS yield (21.95 t/ha) over check variety CoC 671. Based on the results of the investigation it is concluded that for realizing maximum cane yield of newly released Co 09004 variety, application of 281 kg of nitrogen (125 % RDN) is recommended under tropical Indian condition in clay loam soil.

No abstract

No abstract