Abstract

A cane crop standing erect yields more cane and sugar per acre than that which is lodged and broke and otherwise damaged. Besides physiological deterioration due to inversion of juices from fallen canes tending to grow again or rooting at nodes, physical destruction due to attack of rats and other rodents, is responsible for reduced yields from lodged crops. In brittle canes, like Co-419 the damage is all the more great. Hence it is in the interests of increased production to prevent lodging of cane crops. Never-the-less precautions, other than mere tying up of clumps are not taken in most countries of the world to keep the cane crop erect. Even this tying up is not a regular practice in all the plantations of all the countries. The seriousness of this problem varies with the locality. Where cyclonic winds are frequent and regular, it is incumbent on the cultivators to take greater precautions. Hence the ryots of the East coast districts, of this province which are subject to cyclonic winds very often, developed two elaborate practices to a fine art for keeping cane crops erect, (Wrapping and proping of cans). It is proposed to present a general account of the methods followed to keep cane crops erect and furnish a review of the results of experiments so far conducted in this province to study the efficacy and economics of these operations in this paper.

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