Drip Irrigated Sugarcane

Growth, Climate & Weed

Control

Dr.
Dr.V.
Dr . V.Praveen Rao,
Praveen Rao
Rao,,
Manager,
Manager,Corporate
CorporateAKM
AKM
Presented by: Netafim
NetafimLtd,
Ltd,Israel
Israel

1
What is Crop Rotation ?
The practice of alternating annual crops on a specific piece of land
in a planned pattern or sequence in successive crop seasons/years
so that crops of same species or family are not grown repeatedly
without interruption on the same field.

Objective:
To get maximum profit from least investment without impairing the
soil fertility.
 ENVIRONMENT CROPPING
Climate, Soil, Principles, Pattern, Crops,
Social etc Economics etc

CROP
ROTATIO
N
SYSTEM

DRIVING
FORCE
NATIONAL NEEDS &
PRODUCTION POLICIES

FARM RESOURCES TECHNOLOGY

Land, Labour, Power, BMP, Managerial,
Capital, Water etc TOT etc

Components of Crop Rotation System

Principles of Crop Rotation
1. Crops with tap root system should be followed by those which have a fibrous root
system.
2. Avoid growing crops belonging to same family in succession to avoid weeds, pests &
disease buildup
3. Follow a legume forage crop (clover or alfalfa), with a high N-
N-demanding crop (corn),
to take advantage of the nitrogen supply
4. Use crop sequences that promote healthier crops, for example, Cabbage – Onions or
Potatoes – Corn) in comparison to crop sequence (Peas/Oats – Potato) that have
adverse effects
5. Use crop sequences that aid in controlling weeds
6. On sloping & erosive lands use no till planting, extensive cover cropping, strip
cropping and longer duration perennial crops
Benefits of Crop Rotation
1. Timely agricultural operations & easy supervision of work
2. Maintenance of good soil physical condition
3. Increase in organic matter and biological activity,
4. Improves distribution of plant nutrients in the soil by varying the
feeding range of roots
5. Improves fertility with legume nitrogen and, when using green
manure crops, makes other plant nutrients more available
6. Fosters the most effective use of manure and fertilizer
7. Reduces chemical usage by naturally breaking the cycles of
pests, diseases & weeds
8. Continuous vegetative cover causes less erosion and sediment
deposition
 Insect Susceptible
crop
Alfalfa weevil Alfalfa
Sweet clover weevil Sweet clover
Moth, Banded moth, Stem weevil, Midge & Beetle Sunflower
Corn root worm Corn
Maggot and Root aphid Sugar beet

(Source: Peel, 1998)

Effect of Legumes on Soil Quality
1. Legumes are recognized and valued as "soil building" crops.
2. Growing legumes improves soil quality through their beneficial
effects on soil biological, chemical and physical conditions.

These include:
a) Enhance the N-N-supplying power of soils
b) Increase the soil reserves of organic matter
c) Stimulate soil biological activity
d) Improve soil structure
e) Reduce soil erosion by wind and water
f) Increase soil aeration
g) Improve soil water
water--holding capacity
h) Make the soil easier to till
Rhizobium,, Legumes & Nitrogen
Rhizobium

1. A symbiosis – Bacteria gets carbohydrates and

nutrients from plants; Plant gets N from
bacteria
2. Incoulation – Effective and correct strain
3. Rhizobium bacteria fix atmospheric N and
benefit the Farmer by saving in Nitrogen

Why haven’t legumes taken

over the world?
Energy cost – ∼20%
20% of plants’
Photosynthates for bacteria
 Nitrogen contribution of various types of legumes
Legume Plant N derived from N fixed symbotically
Atmosphere (%) (kg/ha)
Alfalfa 80 114 – 300

Sweetclover 90 5 – 250

Fababean 90 178 – 300

Field Pea 80 2 – 200

Lentil 80 10 – 150

(Source: Heichel,
Heichel, 1987 and Green and Biederbeck,
Biederbeck, 1995)
1995)
 Improved Increased
Aeration Soil Biota Increased
Improved Improved Increased
Aggregation Infiltration pH buffering Nutrient Cycling

Enhance Increase Soil

Soil structure Organic matter

Cover Crops

Improve Pest Environmental

management Quality
Weed Nematode
Suppression Suppression Reduced Reduced
Pathogen N - Leaching Reduced Run off
Suppression Erosion
Which Crop Fits Well in to Rotation Design ?
Assess each crop in light of how many functions it can perform.
perform.
These include:
1. Economic value as a cash crop
2. Importance as livestock feed
3. Role in building up the soil organic matter
4. Provision of adequate cover to protect the soil from erosion
5. Contribution or drain on the soil’s nutrient level
6. Ability to compete successfully with weeds
7. Inherent pest resistance
8. Possibility of its labor demands conflicting with other duties on the farm.
Grouping Crops

Time of planting & harvest

Botanical family

Market demand

Susceptibility to pests & diseases

Cash vs. cover crops

Ability to compete with weeds

Life cycle

Direct seeded vs transplanted cultural practices

Heavy vs. Light feeders

Income per hectare
 Know your Families & Crops
Know Your Families

Solanaceae Tomato, Pepper, Potato, Eggplant

Liliaceae Onion, Garlic, Leek, Chive

Cucurbitaceae Melons, Watermelon, Cucumber, Gherkins, Pumpkin

Radish, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Turnip,
Cruciferae
Brussel sprouts
Compositae Artichoke, Lettuce
Alfalfa, Broad bean, French bean, Peas, Clover,
Leguminosae
Peanuts, Soybean
Umbelliferae Carrot, Celery, Dill, Parsley, Fennel

Gramineae Corn, Wheat, Sugarcane, Barley, Oats

Rules of Thumb
1. Group crops by botanical family
2. Do not replant same family in an area for 3+ years
3. In case of disease or pest incidence, review host range
and biology to determine if other crops must be excluded
from the area in rotation
4. Include cover crops with due consideration of weeds and
alternate hosts
Steps to designing a Crop Rotation
1. Prepare a sketch of your farm, with each field delineated.
2. Assign a unique number to each field.
3. Divide your fields into relatively even acreages so that when crops are
rotated to different fields, the total crop planted doesn’t vary much from
year to year.
4. Divide your fields according to their specific characteristics, i.e., saline,
ill
ill--drained, frost affected, well drained soil, slopy land, sandy soil etc.
5. Sort crops you want to grow with similar limitations, i.e., brassicas &
potatoes in cooler fields, tomatoes & corn in well-well-drained sunny areas
6. Plan the amount of acres you need for each crop.
7. List any alternative crops, such as green manure, catch, or cover crops
you might also grow.
Steps to designing a Crop Rotation (Contd.)
8. Maintain and use a cropping history form
9. Establish your crop plan for ensuing year by first adding your most
important crops to specific fields followed by green manure & cover
crops. Also keep track of acreages
10. Evaluate your crop plan with reference to objectives, requirements,
limitations etc
12. Look at both the cropping history for each field and the future rotation
plan for the field
13. a) Does the plan for each field meet the crop rotation objectives?
b) Does the plan for your entire farm meet the objectives?
c) Are there fields that need to be on different rotation cycles due to their
soil type, topography etc.
 Now the ball is
on your side
Man Despite His Artistic
Pretensions, His Sophistication
And His Many
Accomplishments Owes
His Existence
To a Six-
Six-Inch Layer of Topsoil
And the Fact That It Rains