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Booklet
B14003
Guide for sugarcane planting
Planting is the most expensive operation in the sugarcane • Satisfying the plant’s nutritional requirements but aiming to
production system – costing around $800 per hectare produce a moderate yielding crop - application of nitrogen
depending on region. 1-2 months before cutting plants may improve germination.
Money is wasted if the crop is poorly established. To ensure • Satisfying the crop’s water requirements to produce billets
the best crop establishment it is recommended that highest with 2-3 internodes per billet (internode spacing of about
quality planting billets are placed in soil conditions that 100 to 150 mm).
promote germination and establishment. There is no magic
formula for a good plant strike, but correctly doing a set of • Growing cane under uniform soil conditions to ensure a
basic actions will tip the odds of success in your favor. uniform crop of even maturity.
What should I do? • Obtaining the original material from an approved seed
source and increasing it to commercial quantities in on-
Remember good planting is the essential first step to a good farm nursery plots. As a rule of thumb, rely on a 20 to
crop. A poorly planted crop will never match the yield of a well 1 multiplication per year when using a whole-stalk planter
planted crop. So when planting always: (1 kg will produce 400 kg in 2 years). This amount will be
about halved if a billet planter is used.
• Start with good seed cane and high quality planting billets.
• Treat the seed and billets with care and the appropriate If you are unsure of the disease status of your sugarcane
fungicide and insecticide sprays. plants, contact your local productivity services group to find
about more about RSD testing prior to planting.
• Put billets into a good seedbed, cover with the correct
amount of soil and firm the soil after planting. The ‘ideal’ billet for a mechanised billet planter is:
What type of material should I plant? • is 250-300 mm long
Grow sugarcane specifically for planting material. You must • has a minimum of 2 nodes per billet with sound eyes.
deliberately produce sugarcane that is suitable for plants • has both ends cleanly cut (no squashing of ends).
rather than for maximum production. • has minimum damage to rind from the harvester rollers.
• is free from piping (hollow centres).
If you start with unsuitable or diseased planting material, you • is actively growing.
will have little chance of getting a good strike. Make sure that • is free of pests and disease.
all planting material is confirmed as disease-free prior to use. • contains little trash.
Planning is essential to ensure high quality cane is available at Erect cane is essential for plant material. Most growers know
planting time. High quality planting material is produced by: that lodged, bent cane is unsuitable for whole-stalk planters.
• Growing cane in a disease-free and well-drained However, research has showed that bent cane also produces
environment. billets of poor quality, even when cut with best-practice,
modified, plant-cutting harvesters.
• Growing cane in a weed-free and sugarcane volunteer-free Crop lodging is managed by crop husbandry. Nutrients, in
environment. particular nitrogen, must be limited and rates applied will
• Avoiding lodging by planting or ratooning later in the depend on previous field history. Do not use more than 100 kg
season, withholding fertiliser and/or water, or planting on N/ha. Planting after large, well-grown legume crops may result
less fertile soil. in excessive N levels. Crop growth can also be controlled by
restricting irrigation, or late planting.
sugarresearch.com.au
Booklet
B14003
Where should I propagate plants? An underslung basecutter box is best for cutting plants, but
these are not commonly used in the industry. When using
Growing cane for plants does not require the same inputs as the leg-type basecutter box, remove all feed paddles or aids
a commercial crop. The best soils on the farm should not be from the leg shaft to minimise rind damage. Irrespective of
used to propagate plants, but don’t use the worst ones either. the type of basecutter used, keep the harvesting pour rate
Soils should be well drained and ideally have little or no slope. even and moderate. Harvester pour rates of 55 to 75 tonnes/
The site should be readily accessible by machinery and weed hour are recommended. During operation, various machine
free. components should be regularly maintained to ensure that
high -quality billet are produced.
Limited natural rainfall and readily available irrigation is ideal,
as you can ‘control’ plant growth. Basecutter blades require regular maintenance:
Plant for propagation only in clean (free from volunteer • Keep blades extended to the maximum length possible.
sugarcane plants), fallowed blocks. Never plant into plough- • Use thin blades as these produce the best quality cut
out replant blocks.
• Replace blades when the cutting edge becomes dull and
Pests, such as weevil borers, should be avoided if possible. rounded.
Cane should be inspected for these pests and, if they are
heavily infested, use plants from somewhere else. Chopper blades should be sharpened regularly and replaced
if damaged or when worn excessively. As a guide, blades
Machinery issues should be resharpened after cutting each 20 tonnes of billets,
but more often in abrasive soils or where rocks are present.
Which harvester should I use? Portable, battery -powered grinders and impact wrenches make
these jobs easy.
Sugarcane must be harvested with the appropriate machinery
to produce the highest quality planting billets. Billet-planting What about handling and transport?
systems require a modified harvester to supply billets, as
commercial machinery is often too aggressive and will cause Research shows that standard billet handling systems are
excessively high levels of billet damage. not detrimental to billet quality, but excessive handling of
billets should be avoided. Maintain and operate all handling
SRA field tests have shown that a combination of erect, high- and planting machinery to ensure that billets remain in good
quality cane and the use of machinery specifically modified for condition. Check billets regularly during planting and identify
the production of planting billets can produce planting billets and rectify any changes in billet quality. Always empty and
of equivalent quality to those from a whole-stalk planter. It clean haulouts and planters of all billets when changing
is important that the harvester operator is aware of all the varieties and farms.
factors that contribute to the production of quality planting Soil conditions for planting
billets and takes due care when operating the harvester.
The harvester to cut planting billets should be modified with: What soil tilth is needed?
• feed train rollers speed optimised (ratio of roller speed to Because soils vary greatly, there is no recipe for land
chopper speed is critical to ensure clean cut of the billet) preparation. If you use a conventional planter, whole-stalk
or billet, you must obtain a suitable soil tilth before planting.
• rubber-coated feed rollers to minimise rind damage Most soils require only limited tillage to produce a satisfactory
• reduced cane knockdown angle to prevent splitting of the seedbed for sugarcane. Excessive tillage using aggressive
cane stalk. implements, such as a rotary hoe, will lower organic matter,
producing a poorly structured soil that will reduce crop
More information is available in the Billets Quality information establishment. Poorer soils will degrade quicker than better
sheet which is available on the SRA website soils.
www.sugarresearch.com.au/page/growing_cane/harvesting/ The idea that a well-tilled, fine soil is essential for sugarcane
information_sheet germination and establishment is incorrect if improved
planting machinery is used. Many growers have significantly
sugarresearch.com.au
Booklet
B14003
reduced the number of times they till fields and are seeing firmed, all in one machine pass
the benefits of minimum- and no-tillage planting. Good soil • the depth of soil cover on the sett is more uniform.
structure and moisture conservation associated with minimum
tillage provide ideal conditions for germination. With improved How should fungicide be applied?
planting equipment such as double-disk planters and modified
planters with narrow planting chutes, you won’t need as Fungicides will protect billets against soil-borne diseases,
much, if any, tillage for seedbed preparation. Be aware of the particularly Pineapple sett rot disease. However, they are only
needs of your planting equipment and use only enough land effective at protecting sound billets with two or more nodes
preparation to prepare a suitable seedbed. and no pipes.
Is soil temperature important? You have a choice of fungicides that are registered for use on
Soil temperature is a critical variable for sugarcane sugarcane, but all must be used as per the label instructions.
germination and emergence. Time to sprout differs between Mercury-based fungicides also stimulate germination however
varieties, but relies on accumulating temperature-day units. the future availability of this product is limited.
Establishing cane using fewer days at higher soil temperature Most planters use a billet-dip system, a spray system, or a
will reduce loss through disease and insect damage. Cane combination of both. There is no advantage of one system over
should not be planted when soil temperatures at the sett are the others, although systems that recirculate the fungicide
below 18°C. solution are prone to soil contamination.
Planting the crop Fungicide application systems can be tested by adding a
How much soil cover? marker dye to the tank. After application, cut ends of the
billets MUST be completely covered by the fungicide solution.
Sugarcane plants can emerge from a range of soil depths, but, Make sure that you clean fungicide-dip tanks regularly, as
as the cover of soil over the sett increases, plant emergence they can become polluted with soil and weed seeds. In many
is slowed and fewer plants will emerge and establish. The areas, dip tanks are becoming less popular as billet planting is
best soil cover will depend on soil type, time of year and local adopted. Spray systems must use low pressure (maximum
conditions. Usually 40-65 mm is acceptable. 70 kPa 10 psi) and large orifice nozzles to produce large
droplets that give effective billet cover and minimal spray drift.
Disk-type soil coverers are best on conventional planters, as Is insecticide needed at planting?
these coverers are easily adjusted and suit a wider range of
soil types than fixed tines. Stop regularly during planting and In some areas an insecticide may be required to control
dig in the furrow to check the amount of soil covering the sett. wireworms and other pests that attack the germinating buds.
This is particularly important if the soil type changes. Insecticides used to control these pests should only be used
Is soil firming required? as specified on the label instructions. They are usually sprayed
from a gravity-fed tank directly over the billet as it is placed in
Effective press wheels are essential components of both the furrow.
whole-stalk and billet planters. Those with high soil- How do I apply fertiliser at planting?
firming pressures significantly improve both the rate and
the percentage of crop establishment. Rollers are not Planting fertiliser is usually placed beside the billets during
recommended as they generally have lower pressing forces planting, usually on the sides of the furrow. Take care to
and will firm an excessive area. Tractors must NOT be used prevent contact between the fertiliser and the billet, as the
to press the soil after planting as the planted billets can be fertiliser can burn the young shoots. Minimum- and no-tillage
damaged. plantings often require fertiliser and setts to be placed in the
Using an effective press wheel on the planter ensures that: same soil slot. In these cases, use reduced rates of low salt
index fertilisers (DAP and sulphate of potash type fertilisers) to
• only soil covering the sett is pressed - why press other parts minimise toxicity to the emerging plants. Additional fertiliser
of the field and make it easier for weeds to germinate? can be applied after the crop has established using a disk
coulter rig. Allowable fertiliser rates will depend on fertiliser
• an extra field operation for soil firming is not required, as type, soil type and planter opener so discuss reduced tillage
the furrow is opened, sett placed, furrow closed and soil fertiliser options with your advisor.
sugarresearch.com.au
Booklet
B14003
What about the billet metering system? diseased planting material. The bacteria are highly contagious,
and a contaminated harvester or whole-stalk planter can
The metering system of a billet planter should supply high spread them very efficiently. Planting machinery should be
quality seed billets at a uniform rate, with acceptable levels disinfected before changing plant sources, varieties or farms.
(very low) of ‘misses’ or ‘multiples’ within the planted row. Machinery can also carry weed seeds between farms or
districts and good hygiene will prevent the spread of weeds.
Whole-stalk or whole stick planters, when supplied with
high quality cane, are the most uniform and precise planters An implement can be disinfected by:
available. The use of a ground-wheel drive system and positive
feeding of the sugarcane stalk ensures uniform plant spacing • Removing all soil and plant material using high-pressure
over a range of ground speeds. The high labour requirements water and detergent.
of whole -stalk planters means that they are becoming less
popular. These machines should be used to plant all nursery • Spraying cutting surfaces and parts that contact cut
plots to maximise the area planted by a given quantity of seed surfaces with a registered product containing 0.1 per cent
cane. benzalkonium chloride. The disinfectant should be left in
contact with the implement for five minutes before further
All current billet planters use mass-flow billet-metering use. The disinfectant is degraded by exposure to sun, soil
systems that typically have poor singulation of billets and need and organic matter.
high planting rates. At lower planting rates, they commonly • Disinfecting the basecutter, chopper box, extractor fans, feed
deliver clumps of billets and then gaps with no billets which chain, boot and elevator slats of harvesters when cutting
leads to poor plant spacing. To reduce the number of gaps cane for planting billets.
along the planted row the planting rate of billet planters is
often at least double that of whole-stalk planters. • Disinfecting planters and haulouts.
You can, however, make changes to billet planters to improve • Flushing the recirculating fungicide spray-system with
performance. Maintaining a uniform ‘head’ or depth of cane disinfectant, as they can carry RSD bacteria and spread
over the elevating conveyor will improve uniformity of billet disease.
metering. Planting rate increases with excessive depth of • Regularly removing soil, cane billets and trash from the
billets or ‘cover’ of the elevating system and reduces as depth machines and cleaning all machinery before leaving a
of billets is reduced. Planting clean billets free from trash will site. Billets should never be carried over from one job to
allow an even flow of billets within the planter hopper and the next. Planting billets should always be freshly cut. It is
assist in maintaining an even head of cane billets. Excessive cheaper to discard day-old billets rather than to use these
planting speeds should avoided, with 8 to 10km/hr being the as planting material and then suffer a sub-optimal crop
limit for most planter types. establishment.
The uncontrolled drop of billets from the top of the elevating Things to do
slats of billet planters makes the gap and clump distribution
of this meter worse. Some early billet planters have used Plan your planting well in advance and ensure you:
the elevator slats to lower billets to maintain billet spacing
integrity. • Start with cane grown for planting.
How do I ensure planting hygiene? • Produce high quality, sound billets.
Ratoon stunting disease (RSD) and leaf scald are caused by • Treat billets carefully and use the appropriate fungicides and
bacteria that can be spread by cutting implements and contact insecticides.
with the cut ends of billets. These diseases cause severe
losses, and you should make sure that they are not brought • Place the billets into a good seedbed, cover with the correct
onto your farms by contaminated planting equipment or in amount of soil and firm the soil with a press wheel.
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Copyright © 2014 • All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of SRA. Disclaimer In
this disclaimer a reference to ‘SRA’, ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ means Sugar Research Australia Ltd and our directors, officers, agents and employees. Although we do our best to present information that is correct and accurate, we make no warranties, guarantees or representations
about the suitability, reliability, currency or accuracy of the information we present in this Information Sheet, for any purposes. Subject to any terms implied by law and which cannot be excluded, we accept no responsibility for any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred
by you as a result of the use of, or reliance on, any materials and information appearing in this Information Sheet. You, the user, accept sole responsibility and risk associated with the use and results of the information appearing in this Information Sheet, and you agree that
we will not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever (including through negligence) arising out of, or in connection with the use of this Information Sheet. We recommend that you contact our staff before acting on any information provided in this Information Sheet.
Warning Our tests, inspections and recommendations should not be relied on without further, independent inquiries. They may not be accurate, complete or applicable for your particular needs for many reasons, including (for example) SRA being unaware of other matters
relevant to individual crops, the analysis of unrepresentative samples or the influence of environmental, managerial or other factors on production.
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