Effect of Sett Soaking and Integrated Nutrient Management on Yield and Economic Analysis of Single-node Materials of Planting Sugarcane

Abstract

Aims: To evaluate the effects of sett soaking treatments and integrated nutrient management (INM) on germination, growth, yield, quality, and economic returns of single-node planted sugarcane. Study Design: Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with three replications. Place and Duration of Study: Crop Research Farm, Sugarcane Research Institute, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), during the spring season of 2021–22. Methodology: The experiment comprised four sett soaking treatments: no soaking (S1), overnight soaking in water (S2), overnight soaking in 50 ppm ethrel solution (S3), and overnight soaking in 100 ppm ethrel solution (S4). Five nutrient management treatments were evaluated: RDF alone (N1), RDF + vermicompost (VC) at 5 t/ha (N2), RDF + VC at 10 t/ha (N3), RDF + VC at 5 t/ha + PSB + Azotobacter (N4), and RDF + VC at 10 t/ha + PSB + Azotobacter (N5). Soil characteristics were loamy with sandy texture, calcareous, pH 8.2, and 0.43% organic carbon. Data on germination, tillering, millable cane count, dry matter accumulation, cane yield, sugar yield, and economics were recorded and analyzed. Results: Overnight sett soaking in 50 ppm ethrel (S3) significantly improved germination (79.1%), tiller count (85.4×10³/ha), millable canes (63.9×10³/ha), dry matter accumulation (293.2 q/ha), cane yield (78.0 t/ha), and sugar yield (10.23 t/ha). S3 also registered the highest gross returns (₹261,233/ha), net returns (₹133,978/ha), and a B:C ratio of 1.12. Among nutrient treatments, RDF + VC at 10 t/ha + PSB + Azotobacter (N5) recorded the highest shoot population and yield attributes, whereas RDF alone (N1) produced the highest B:C ratio (1.5) due to lower input costs. RDF + VC at 5 t/ha + PSB + Azotobacter (N4) may become more profitable if vermicompost is produced on-farm, reducing expenditure. Conclusion: Sett soaking in 50 ppm ethrel and integrated nutrient management significantly enhance yield and quality of single-node planted sugarcane. While ethrel soaking and enriched INM improve productivity, the economic viability depends on input costs, with N1 and N4 being more favorable under resource-efficient conditions.