BAR TODAY || Official Quarterly Publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

Earning more from canes
by Junelyn S. de la Rosa

July-September 2001
Volume 3 No. 3

Almost every farmer depends on a bountiful harvest to have money for his and his family's other needs. In the case of the sugarcane farmer, aside from a big harvest or high tonnage--- he also wishes for a quality harvest---canes that have high sugar content that command higher prices in the market. Most sugarcane farmers would like to know when is the right sugarcane product

time to harvest, to fertilize and how much fertilizers does he need to apply to the soil to ensure a good harvest for each cropping season. Three scientists from the Department of Soils and Plant Nutrition of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) tackled these questions with their study entitled: "Influence of Varying Levels of Nitrogen, Time of Fertilization and Age of Harvest on Growth and Yield of Sugarcane". Mesdames Rosario Bombio, Solena Tahum and Nimfa Navarro conducted two experiments at SRA, La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Center (LGAREC), La Granja, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental to know when is the right time to fertilize, to harvest and what is the best fertilizer rate for sugarcanes. The researchers found that farmers could get the most profit if they harvest the canes 12 months after planting (MAP). The economic analysis showed a high return of investment (ROI) at 252% when farmers harvested 12 months after planting and applied 200 kg of Nitrogen per hectare.

Canes that were harvested at 12 MAP gave the highest average net profit of Php 81,719.86 with ROI of 243%. Harvesting at 12 MAP produced the highest sugar content (LKg/ha) compared to canes that were harvested at 9, 10 and 11 MAP with a difference of Php 19,738.64, Php 11,332.61 and Php 14,775.19 respectively.

For farmers who wish to harvest canes that have the highest sugar content, the scientists recommend harvesting the canes 10 months after planting. Confirming the studies done by Magnaye and Quilloy (1999), results of the chemical analysis showed that canes harvested 10 MAP have the highest sucrose content.

The scientists also said that knowing when is the right time to apply fertilizers is a must for every cane farmer to avoid unnecessary waste of resources. Applying fertilizers during planting and using the correct dosage produced the highest tonnage or the biggest harvest for the whole cropping season. The highest net profit was Php 91,126.58 obtained from plots that were fertilized during planting and harvested 11 months after planting. This is equivalent to a return in investment of 257%.

For farmers to profit most from planting sugarcane, scientists recommend a fertilizer dosage of 100-200 kg N/ha during planting and harvesting the canes at 11-12 months after planting.

(For particulars, contact: Ms Rosario Bombio, Ms Solena Tahum, and Ms Ninfa Navarro of SRA- La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Center SRA-LGAREC at Tel No. 034-433-4952.)