With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements:
1. A substantial saving in seed material is made when ‘bud chip settlings’ are raised in a nursery and transplanted in the main field.
2. When direct planting of setts is done, the germination percentage is better with singlebudded setts as compared to setts with many buds.
3. If bad weather conditions prevail when setts are directly planted, single-budded setts have better survival as compared to large setts.
4. Sugarcane can be cultivated using settlings prepared from tissue culture.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Sugarcane is normally propagated by stalk cuttings consisting of 2 to 3 bud sett. In
conventional system, about 6–8 tons seed cane /ha is used as planting material.
Establishing the sugarcane crop using bud chips in place of setts could save about 80% by
weight of the stalk material, however this technology has not been scaled up at commercial
levels due to poor survival of bud chips under field conditions. So, statement 1 is correct.
The researchers found that the setts having two buds are giving germination about 65 to 70
% with better yield. Large setts have better survival under bad weather but single budded
setts also gives 70% germination if protected with chemical treatment. So, statement 2 and
3 are not correct.
Planting is the most important and labour intensive operation in sugarcane cultivation.
Sugarcane germination as well as yield is affected by planting material, layout, plantpopulation, method of planting and placement of bud etc. Planting material for
vegetative propagation such as whole cane, setts having of single bud to six buds, settling
prepared from tissue culture or single buds in nursery are being used. So, statement 4 is
correct.
Therefore, the correct answer is (c).