Effect of Nutrition Management, Row Spacing and Earthing up on Lodging, Cane Yield and Quality of Spring Planted Sugarcane.

Lodging of sugarcane badly affects the cane yield and quality. Lodging can be controlled by earthing up, wider row spacing and nutrition management. A field study was conducted during spring season to evaluate the effect of different row spacing, timing of earthing up and nutrition levels on cane yield and quality of sugarcane. Wider row spacing of 150 cm apart trenches were compared with 120 cm apart trenches (standard) and 60 cm apart furrows (farmer practice). No earthing up was compared with earthing up done 90 days after sowing and 120 days after sowing while NPK fertilizer was applied @ 100-100-100, 150-100-100, 200-150-150 and 250-150-150 kg ha ^-1. Maximum lodging was observed at narrow row spacing of 60 cm apart furrows. Lodging was reduced when earthing up was done 90 days after sowing but it affect the number of tillers. Incidence of lodging was intensified with the increase in Nitrogen rate while lodging was decreased with increase in Phosphorous and Potash level. Maximum stripped cane yield (125 t ha^-1) was produced when earthing up was done 120 days after planting with fertilizer dose of 250-150-150 NPK kg ha^-1. Similarly maximum sugar yield (15.20 t ha^-1) was obtained when earthing up was done 120 days after planting with fertilizer dose of 250-150-150 NPK kg ha^-1. Planting of sugarcane at wider row spacing of 150 cm is most suitable option to control lodging. Earthing up should be done 120 days after planting with fertilizer dose of 200-150-150 NPK kg ha^-1 to avoid lodging and minimize the cane yield and quality losses.