|
|
|
|
MECHANIZATION Sugarcane is one crop in which there has been little mechanization in India, all farm operations from planting to harvesting being labour dependent. This is one of the reasons for higher cost of cultivation of this crop and lower yield. Recently a mechanized tractor drawn cane planter has been developed by Khalsa Farm Equipment Works, Meerut in Uttar Pradesh which can plant two hectare area in eight hours. All the operations of seed treatment with organo-mercurial fungicides like Emisan for hastening and improving germination; soil treatment with Lindane (Gamma BHC 20 EC)/ Chloropyriphos for the control of termites and shoot borer, fertilizer placement, cutting seed cane into pieces, placing these into furrows and planking are done simultaneously with the planter; resulting in significant decrease in the cost of planting. The germination, growth and stand of the crop is also quite uniform. The two, three and four furrow planters are available depending upon the horse power of the tractor available. A paired row planting ridger has also been developed which draws two furrows at 30:30 cm row spacing, the third furrow at 150 cm and the fourth one again at 30 cm. This paired row planting has proved useful in propping up the two closely planted rows easily which helps in saving the crop from lodging. Besides this, an intercrop can also be grown successfully and cane yield of the plant and ratoon crop is higher. Another tractor drawn implement developed by this company does interculture to control weeds, applies fertilizer along the root zone for more efficient fertilizer use and does earthing up of the crop to save it from lodging in grown up plant and ratoon crop in May and June. This three in one arrangement can greatly help in reducing the cost of cultivation of sugarcane.
CANE PLANTER
3-IN-1 IMPLEMENT FOR INTER-CULTURE, FERTILIZER PLACEMENT & EARTHING-UP A tractor drawn trench opener has also been developed which makes trenches about 30 cm deep and two rows of cane can be planted in this trench. Ridge portion can be used for growing intercrops like peas. For insecticide spray, tractor mounted sprayers are now available for pre-monsoon spraying in May/June to control Black Bug, Pyrilla, Thrips and other insects more economically and to cover larger area within a short period.
TRACTOR-MOUNTED INSECTICIDE SPRAYER
GREEN CANE HARVESTER There is yet no suitable cane harvester available in India to harvest cane except a few trials being conducted by the Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow to develop a tractor drawn harvester. However, there is urgent need of developing a harvester suited to harvesting cane with closer inter-row spacing of 75-90 cm followed in India. The Australian chopper cane harvester designed for wider inter-row spacing of 150 cm has recently been introduced by Sakthi Sugars in Tamil Nadu which is proving successful. The wider inter-row spacing of 135-150 cm is possible in India without any adverse effect on cane yield. This harvester should be introduced in India, with suitable modifications, if need be, to bring about mechanization in cane harvesting. This is a single row cane harvester but can cut two rows simultaneously if paired row planting of 30:30-150– 30:30 is followed in India. An Indian company Khalsa Farm Equipment works at Meerut in Uttar Pradesh state is also engaged in developing a tractor drawn whole cane harvester with off-loading arrangement in a trolley. This harvester is proposed to be designed for 75-90 cm inter-row spacing followed in India. Cane harvesters being used in countries like Australia are both for burnt cane and green cane harvesting, the recent trend being a shift to green cane harvesting. |
|
Send mail to
rkanwar@in.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
