Sugarcane seed crop yield as influenced by certain agro-techniques in nursery using SSI principles

A nursery and a field experiment were conducted from 2013 to 2015 at experimental farm, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu, India to study the impact of varying levels and sources of nutrients on sugarcane chip buds on the productivity of seed crop. The trial was laid in split plot design with three replications containing two main plot treatments viz., seedlings raised with shade net (M1,) and without shade net (M2) and eight sub plot treatments were control (coir pith) (S1), 0.5 g urea per chip bud (S₂), 0.5 g diarnmonium phosphate per chip bud (DAP)(S3), 3% panchagavya foliar spray (S₄), 5 g vermicompost per chip bud (S₅), 0.5% urea foliar spray (S₆), 1% DAP foliar spray (S₇) and 1% 19: 19: 19 complex foliar spray (S₈). In the field, conventional fertilizer rates (275: 63: 113 kg/ha N, P₂ O₅ and K₂ O, respectively) were applied uniformly for all the treatments, and using sustainable sugarcane initiative practices (SSI). Nursery results indicated that chip bud seedlings raised under shade net with fertilizer application rate of 0.5 g DAP or urea per chip bud showed encouraging results in terms of plant height, LAI, root length and seedling vigour index at 25 days after planting. In the main field; also, T₂ or T₃ recorded higher growth and yield attributes viz., plant height, tiller count, number of internodes, dry matter production, and seed cane yield of 43 t/ha at 210 days after planting. Interaction effect was not noticed for any parameters. Higher economic returns were observed under these treatments which is beneficial in the current scenario for sugarcane seed production in India.