Efficient and Economical Way of Improving Sugarcane Settling Vigour by Mechanized Priming of Single Bud Setts with Nutrients

Nursery production of sugarcane settling is gaining importance to replace large quantity of seed cane requirement and the associated cost in conventional method. Sett treatment with nutrients using vacuum-based sett treatment device is effective in delivering nutrients into the setts, and the methodology has already been standardized. However, efficiency of reuse of same nutrient solution for treating different batches of single bud setts has not been standardized. Hence, this study was carried out by reusing the same nutrient solution for treating single bud setts up to ten cycles. One set of setts from each treatment cycle was used for nutrient infusion study. Another set of setts was planted in protrays along with control to study germination, settling growth and vigour. Setts treated with nutrient solution up to fifth cycle showed weight gain and concurrent increase in nutrients showing infusion of treatment medium and nutrients. The sett treatment up to five cycles showed mean germination time of 12.64 days implying two days of germination advancement over control. Highest shoot and total biomass was in fourth treatment cycle, which was on par with initial five treatment cycles, and was significantly higher than control and other treatment cycles. However, settling vigour index (biomass-based) up to four treatment cycles were on par and second cycle showed the highest index, which was significantly higher than control and other treatments. Based on this study, it is concluded that the nutrient solution can be reused effectively up to four cycles without compromising settling vigour.