Sugarcane is a major cash crop used for sugar production, ethanol, and jaggery. It is a long-duration perennial crop.
Sugarcane
Saccharum officinarum
Cash Crop
Overview
Common Pests
Sugarcane Internode Borer (Chilo sacchariphagus)
Symptoms:
Dead hearts in young plants; bored internodes reducing stalk quality; reduced sugar content in mature cane.
Whitefly (Aleurolobus barodensis)
Symptoms:
Sooty mold on leaves over honeydew deposits; reduced photosynthesis; yellowing of lower leaf canopy.
Common Diseases
Red Rot (Colletotrichum falcatum)
Symptoms:
Red discoloration of internal pith tissue with white cross-patches; withering of tops; foul alcoholic smell.
Treatment:
Remove and burn infected canes; avoid ratoon cropping from infected fields.
Sugarcane Smut (Sporisorium scitamineum)
Symptoms:
Whip-like structure covered with black powdery spores emerging from the growing shoot tip.
Treatment:
Remove and destroy smut whips before spores spread; plant resistant varieties.
Soil Requirements
Sugarcane requires deep, fertile soil with excellent water retention for its long 12–18 month cycle. Alluvial soils of UP and medium black clay soils of Maharashtra are ideal. Avoid waterlogged or highly saline fields.