Sugarcane News: Sugarcane productivity improvement tips are given at an awareness programme.

Under the joint auspices of the Kothari Sugars and the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University’s Agricultural Engineering College at Kumulur near, an awareness programme on use of distillery effluent in sugarcane fields to step up soil health was held.

Dean of the college, K. Ramasamy said the programme, titled as ‘Impact of post-methanated distillery effluent on sugarcane crop yield’, was aimed at sensitising sugarcane farmers to the need for using the distillery waste in their fields to bring down the cultivation cost, particularly the expenses on fertiliser.

Inaugurating the programme which formed part of the ‘Field Day’ celebrated on the occasion, he said that the application of treated distillery waste would go a long way in reducing the pH level. The distillery waste was ideally suitable for alkaline and salt-affected soil. The productivity of sugarcane would increase through the distillery waste. He also underlined the importance of conducting soil test by the sugarcane farmers.

A series of research programmes had been conducted in and around Kumulur. The application of distillery effluent was being conducted in coordination with the college, said A. Sagunthalai, a faculty member and T. Sherene Jenitta Rajammal, Assistant Professor.

The chemical action in soil by the treated distillery explained by S.Pushparaj, Assistant General Manager of Kothari Sugars, and Anna Arasu, its Assistant Deputy Head.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/