S.N. Singh, S.C. Singh, Rajesh Kumar, S.K. Shukla and S.B. Singh. U.P. Council of Sugarcane Research, Shahjahanpur (U.P.

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1 American-Eurasian Journal of Scientific Research (): -8, 008 ISSN IDOSI Publications, 008 Studies on Enhancing Productivity of Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) Through Diversification of Existing Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Based Cropping System in North-West Plain Zone of India S.N. Singh, S.C. Singh, Rajesh Kumar, S.K. Shukla and S.B. Singh U.P. Council of Sugarcane Research, Shahjahanpur - 00 (U.P.), India Abstract: Field studies were undertaken for three consecutive seasons (999-00, and 00-00) at the research farm of U.P. Council of Sugarcane Research, Shahjahanpur- 00 (U.P.), to enhance the productivity of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) through the diversification of existing rice (Oryza sativa L.)- wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori and Paol.) cropping system. Experimental results indicated that rice (skipped rows method)- September end) + potato crop sequence (T ) being statistically at par with rice (skipped rows method)- mid October) + potato (T 6), produced significantly higher values of growth attributes (germination %, no. of shoots, dry matter accumulation in plants and leaves, leaf area index, net assimilation rate and leaf area ratio), yield contributing characters (no. of millable canes and cane length, weight and girth) and yield of cane as compared to other crop sequences in the study. The cane yield obtained under T crop sequence (9.66 t ha ) was higher to the tune of 0.90%, 6.%,.76%,.8% and 6.70%, respectively than that of T (rice-wheat-late cane), T (rice-mustard-spring cane), T (rice-potato-spring cane), T (rice-toria-spring cane) and T 7(rice-sugarcane + potato) crop sequences. Cane equivalent yield (CEY) and economic analysis revealed that the higher CEY (76. and 69.8 t ha ), net profit (Rs and 9 ha ), production efficiency (Rs..8 and 6.8 ha day ) and benefit cost ratio (. and.6) were recorded in T and T 6crop sequences as against the corresponding values of 7. t ha, Rs. 66 ha, Rs ha day and.0, recorded under o rice-wheat-lat cane (farmers practice) crop science. Commercial cane sugar percent and brix did not alter significantly, however, the yield of sugar exhibited almost similar trend as the yield of cane under different crop sequences. Thus, in widely adopted rice-wheat-late cane system, an alternative strategy for partial replacement of wheat crop in a phased manner can safely be initiated by fitting potato as sequential/inter crop in rice- sugarcane growing sequence for reaping higher yield of cane and sugar as well. Key words:rice-based cropping systems Diversification Sugarcane productivity Quality Relay cropping Skip-row planting INTRODUCTION water table, development of secondary salinization, emergence of multinutrient deficiencies and increased The dominant crop rotation of rice-wheat-sugarcane incidence of pests and diseases. Moreover, in addition to is widely adopted by the farmers of north-indian states rice and wheat, the productivity of succeeding sugarcane especially western part of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and also suffers drastically due to nutrient deficiencies and Hariyana where the sugarcane is planted after the harvest delayed planting. Rana et al. [] reported that autumn of wheat in the last week of April or early May. Though planted sugarcane yields -0% more cane yield and the system has sustained over years, yield stagnation 0. unit higher sugar recovery than spring cane and specifically in rice and wheat has been reported of late 0-0% more cane yield than late-spring planted crop. by Nambiar and Abrol []. This stagnation in productivity In spite of popularizing autumn cane planting in can be attributed mainly to the monotony of the system intercropping system with rabi crops for higher on account of over exploitation of soil resource base productivity in sub-tropical India, but acreage remains coupled with imbalanced use of inputs. This has resulted limited and more so in areas of rice growing specially to declining soil, crop and factor productivity, falling with late varieties where the planting of sugarcane after Corresponding Author: Dr. S.N. Singh, U.P. Council of Sugarcane Research, Shahjahanpur- 00 (U.P.), India

2 Am-Euras. J. Sci. Res., (): -8, 008 its harvest is not economically viable due to rapid fall planted with three budded setts 90 cm apart in skipped in atmospheric temperature owing to commencement rice rows making cm deep furrows with the help of small of winter season which restricts its germination, kassi while, planting of cane under rest of the treatments establishment and growth. Since rice is the staple food of was done as per schedule given as above. Sugarcane this area, one can think of replacing wheat only. Further, rd was fertilized with 80:60:60; N: P: K Kg ha of which / inclusion of sugarcane as relay crop in autumn season N+ full doses of P & K were given as side dressing to with skipped method grown rice and later on relay cropped sugarcane treatments after rice harvesting intercropping of potato with cane after rice harvesting while, the same dose of fertilizers was basal-drssed at the may improve the productivity and profitability of the time of planting in rest of the treatments (conventional system. It is being stressed now-a-days that efforts rd planting). Remaining / dose of N in two equal splits should be made to diversify at least 0% area from was top dressed to all the treatments uniformly at peak rice-wheat system to crops like sugarcane, potato etc. tillering phase at proper soil mixture. for judicious management of natural resources. Keeping The dry matter accumulation was studied in leaves the above facts in view, the present investigation was and stems separately at peak tillering phase. Plants taken carried out to evaluate production potiential of different for these studies in each plot were chopped into small rice based cropping sequences. pieces and then the representative samples of 00 g of cane and 00 g of leaves were taken for drying in a driver MATERIALS AND METHODS at a constant temperature of 70 C for a period of 7 hours till constant weight. The dry weight was computed for Field experiments were conducted for three leaves and stems separately on the basis of their fresh consecutive seasons of , and weight. The computation of leaf area index (LAI), net at the research farm of U.P. Council of assimilation rate (NAR) and leaf area ratio (LAR) was Sugarcane Research, Shahjahanpur to identify done as per Radford []. Other experimental data on biologically the most efficient and productive cropping germination percent, number of shoots and millable canes, system for North-West Plain Zone of the country. The cane yield contributing characters and yield of different soil of experimental site was sandy loam in texture, sequential crops were recorded at their respective growth neutral in reaction (ph 7.8), low in organic carbon and harvesting stages. The juice quality observations (0.%) and available nitrogen (.7 kg ha ) and medium were recorded from the five cane samples taken from in available phosphorus (.7 kg ha ) and potash (6 each plot and analysed for CCS% cane as per the kg ha ). The treatments comprised 7 rice-based cropping procedure described by Meade and Chen []. To compare sequences, viz. rice (CV. NDR- 9) wheat (CV. PBW crop sequences, the yield of all crops were converted into )- late spring cane (CV. CoS 976), rice- mustard (CV. cane equivalent yield on the basis of prevailing market Varuna)- spring cane, rice- potato (CV. Kufri Bahar)- prices []. Production efficiency values in terms of kg spring cane, rice- toria (CV. PT 0)- spring cane, rice ha /day were worked out by total production in a crop (skipped row method)- autumn sugarcane (relay cropped rotation divided by total duration of corps in that rotation. in September end) + potato, rice (skipped row method)- Land-use efficiency was obtained by taking total duration mid October) + potato and of crops in individual crop rotation divided by 70 days rice- sugarcane + potato. These sequences were (two years rotation). The production efficiency values evaluated in Randomized Block Design with replications. terms of Rs/ha/day were calculated by net monetary All the crops under different sequences were raised returns of the rotation divided by total duration of the with recommended package of practices under irrigated crops in that rotation [6]. All the data recorded for three conditions. Except two treatments (T & T 6), rice was years of experimentation were got pooled and later on conventionally transplanted in the middle of July with one analysed statistically to interpret the results. month old seedlings after normal puddling. Transplanting of rice under skip rows method was done at row to row RESULTS AND DISCUSSION distance of 8 cm against 0 cm as normal with a view to pave the way for obtaining normal spacing (90 cm) of. Growth attributing characters: Experimental data sugarcane planting in skipped rows as relay method after presented in Table clearly revealed that the growth every five rows of rice in September end and mid October attributes of sugarcane varied significantly due to its (treatment and 6). In these treatments sugarcane was planting under different crop sequences. Agronomically

3 Am-Euras. J. Sci. Res., (): -8, 008 Table : Effect of cropping sequence on sugarcane growth and yield of inter/sequential crops (Pooled over data of , and 00-00) Dry matter accumulation Yield (q/ha) other than sugarcane Germination Shoots Plants Leaves NAR LAR Crop sequence (%) (000/ha) (g/00g sample) (g/00g sample) LAI (0 g/cm /day) (cm /g) Kharif Rabi T : Rice-wheat-late spring cane (farmers practice) T : Rice-Mustard-Spring cane T : Rice-Potato -Spring cane T : Rice-Toria-Spring cane September end) + potato mid October) + potato T 7: Rice- sugarcane + potato CD (P=0.0) NS -- LAI: Leaf Area Index, NAR: Net Assimilation Rate, LAR: Leaf Area Ratio manipulated sugarcane planting in early autumn season as relay crop with rice under the diversified cropping sequence treatment of rice (skipped rows method)- September end) + potato (T ) being statistically at par with rice(skipped rows method)- mid October) + potato treatment (T 6), exhibited significantly higher germination of cane buds and number of shoots as compared to rest of the treatments (T, T, T, T and T 7). Germination of cane buds under sugarcane planting in late autumn season (mid November) after the harvest of rice (T 7) was the lowest due to lower atmospheric temperature but, later on, it tended to increase progressively, though slowly, from the last week of January with the successive rise in environmental temperature and thereby recorded 7.% germination in the middle of February. Higher germination percent under the treatments of T and T 6 cropping sequences perhaps be due to higher relative humidity around the soil surface of standing rice rows as well as higher congenial soil temperature during September- October resulted to higher germination of cane buds. Singh et al. [7] also reported the similar findings. Number of shoots recorded under different cropping sequences followed almost similar trend as the germination percent of cane buds in different crop sequences. It is evident from the data set out in Table that the T cropping sequence being at par with T 6 had significantly more dry matter accumulation in plant and leaves, leaf area index (LAI), net assimilation rate (NAR) and leaf area ratio (LAR) than that with rest of cropping sequences. The probable reason for the increase in above growth attributes under T and T6 cropping sequences having sufficient time for vegetative growth and more interception of solar radiation resulted to higher tiller production and more leaf area per shoot whereas in T, T, T, T and T 7 cropping sequences it decreased significantly due to restricted time span for the growth of cane plants on account of comparatively delayed plantings. T cropping sequence gave the lowest value of growth attributes might be due to lower number of tillers per unit area. Alexander [8] reported that higher leaf area ratio coupled with higher leaf area index was more important in causing dry matter production and yield variation in sugarcane. Skipping one row of rice after four rows at 8 cm apart in regular fashion under T and T 6 crop sequences produced higher yield of rice as compared to rest of the treatments, although, the differences among the treatments were not significant (Table ). Das [9] reported that the crops of rice and wheat planted by skip-rows method are capable of profuse tillering and attaining higher photo- synthetic efficiency which leads in producing nearly % to 7% higher grain yield than that obtained under non-skipped normal showing (so called farmers practice). Yield of other crops grown in different crop sequences was almost normal.. Cane yield and its attributes: A perusal of data summarized in Table indicated that the yield contributing characters viz., cane girth, cane length, cane weight and number of millable canes and also the yield of cane exhibited significantly higher values due 6

4 Am-Euras. J. Sci. Res., (): -8, 008 Table : Yield contributing characters, yield and quality of cane as affected by cropping sequence (pooled over data of , and 00-00) Cane Cane Per cane No. of millable Cane yield Increase in cane Sugar yield Crop sequence girth (cm) length (cm) weight (kg) canes (000/ha) (t ha ) yield over T Brix CCS(%) (t ha ) T : Rice-wheat-late cane (Farmers practice) T : Rice-Mustard-Spring cane % T : Rice-Potato -Spring cane % T : Rice-Toria-Spring cane % September end) + potato % mid October) + potato % T 7: Rice- sugarcane + potato % CD (P=0.0) NS NS.9 CCS: Commercial Cane Sugar to planting of sugarcane in early autumn season under cane plants. Apart from this, potato was given 60 kg the cropping sequence of rice (skipped rows method) - N/ha and perhaps did not utilize all the applied fertilizers September end) + potato (T ) and, later on, the residual N might have utilized by the than that of other crop sequences (Table ). It was closely following crop of sugarcane. Verma and Yadav [] also followed by rice (skipped rows method) - sugarcane (relay indicated favorable influence in taking potato under cropped in mid October) + potato (T 6) crop sequence. The sugarcane based cropping system. Quality parameters cane yield obtained under T crop sequence (9.66 t ha ) viz., Brix and Commercial Cane Sugar % (CCS %) in cane was higher to the tune of 0.90%, 6.%,.%,.8% did not alter significantly due to sugarcane growing under and 6.70%, respectively than that of T, T, T, T and T7 different crop sequences (Table ). crop sequences. Higher cane yield obtained under the former crop sequence was apparently due to higher. Cane equivalent yield and economic analysis: A values of yield contributing characters. But, more perusal of two years mean data summerised in Table specifically it proved advantageous in recording higher revealed that among all the seven crop sequences, the yield of sugarcane due to its planting as relay crop with highest cane equivalent yield (76. t ha ) and net rice which provided comparatively more time for the returns (Rs ha ) were obtained under T cropping growth and development of cane plants. It happened only sequence, followed closely by T 6 cropping sequence because of replacement of wheat with high-volume (69.8 t ha and Rs. 9ha ) as against the vegetable crop-potato in the existing cropping sequence corresponding values of 7. t ha and Rs. 66 ha i.e. rice-wheat-late cane which gave the lowest cane yield under rice-wheat late cane (farmers practice) cropping (.9 t ha ) in the study. Chaudhary et al. [0] also sequence. The higher net returns as obtained from the reported more productivity by replacing wheat in T and T 6cropping sequences was apparently due to rice-wheat system with vegetables like radish and higher cane equivalent yields on account of improved potato. Apart from above, the cane yield obtained under production potentials of the system particularly cane rice-wheat-late cane sequence was significantly inferior yield which was the highest in these cropping sequences than that of viz., rice-mustard-spring cane, rice-potato- and thereby, fetched to more economic gains. Further, spring cane, rice-toria-spring cane and rice-sugarcane + benefit: cost ratio and production efficiency were also potato and, thereby, recorded 9.76%, 0.%,.6% and maximum (. and Rs..8 ha day ) under T crop 9.06% more cane yield, respectively. Inclusion of potato sequence which closely to T crop sequence (.6 and in any of the above crop sequence proved beneficial in Rs. 6.8 ha day ). The lowest values (.0 and Rs. enhancing the yield of cane. It may be attributed due to 9.76 ha day ) were, thus, recorded under rice-wheat deep hoeing of the field on account of ridge palnting, late cane cropping sequence. earthing up and digging of potato tubers which caused It can be concluded that farmers of the area can for proper soil aeration and weeds free condition to the replace wheat crop of rice-wheat-late cane system as the 7

5 Am-Euras. J. Sci. Res., (): -8, 008 Table : Cane equivalent yield, Production efficiency, land use efficiency and economics of rice-based cropping sequences (mean data of and 00-00) Cane equivalent Percent increase Land use Production Cost of Gross Net Production yield (CEY) or decrease in efficiency efficiency cultivation return return B:C efficiency Crop sequence (t ha ) CEY over T (%) kg ha /day (Rs/ha) (Rs/ha) (Rs/ha) ratio (Rs/ha/day) T : Rice-wheat-late cane (Farmers practice) T : Rice-Mustard-Spring cane.0 (-) T : Rice-Potato -Spring cane 60. (+) T : Rice-Toria-Spring cane 0.6 (+) September end) + potato 76. (-) mid October) + potato 69.8 (+) T 7: Rice- sugarcane + potato.70 (+) T and T 6 cropping sequences have been observed. Verma, S.P. and S.C. Modgal, 98. Production more productive, sustainable and economically viable potential and economics of fertilizer application as that fetched more net returns per unit area and time. a resource constraints in maize-wheat crop This can be a better option for the farmers of North- sequences. Himanchal Journal of Agricultural West Plains Zone of India where the productivity of Research, 9 (): crops and soils are almost under declining trend 6. Tomar, S.S. and A.S. Tiwari, 990. Production due to over exhaustion of natural resource base on potential and economics of different crop sequences. account of widely adoption of rice-wheat late cane Indian Journal of Agronomy, (&): 0-. system. 7. Singh, R., B.C. Biswas, S.C. Maheswari and S.C. Srivastava, 98. Sugarcane, The Fertilizer REFERENCES Association of India, New Delhi. 8. Alexander, A.G., 97. Sugarcane Physiology.. Nambiar, K.K.M. and I.P. Abrol, 99. Long term Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam. fertilizer experiments in India: An overview: Fertilizer 9. Das, T.K., 00. Skip-row planting for higher News, 7(): -0. photosynthetic efficiency. ICAR News, 8():.. Rana, N.S., Kumar, Sanjai, S.K. Saini and G.S. Panwar, 0. Chaudhary, J.B., R.C. Thakur, M. Bhargava and R.D Production potential and profitability of Sood, 00. Production potential and economics of autumn sugarcane-based intercropping systems as rice (Oryza Sativa L.) based cropping systems on influenced by intercrops and row spacing. Indian farmers fields under mid-hill conditions of Himachal Journal of Agronomy, (): -. Pradesh. Himanchal Journal of Agricultural Research. Radford, P.J., 967. Growth analysis formulae, their 7 (,): -. use and misuse. Crop Science, 7: Verma, R.S. and R.L. Yadav, 988. Nitrogen response. Meade, G.P. and J.C.P. Chen, 977. Cane Sugar of autumn planted sugarcane grown with various th Handbook. 0 Edition John Willey and Sons, Inc. companion crops. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, New York pp: Cambridge, : -9. 8