For years, farmers have relied on the conventional stick seed cane as a source of planting material. However, this method has inherent inefficiencies which increase the cost of cane production. Using the entire stalk denies the farmers income because the cane that should be delivered to the miller for processing is utilised as planting seed. Research has been conducted to ensure that only the nodes on the stalk are extracted and propagated into seedlings known as the ‘speedlings’. How are they prepares? Before conventional seed cane is propagated and planted as a commercial sugar cane crop, it should receive hot water treatment (HWT) against the economically important plant pathogen, ratoon stunting disease. HWT involves submerging the seed cane in 50 degree centigrade water for two hours. This process is to free the seed cane from diseases, such as sugar cane mosaic virus, sugar cane smut, and the African sugar-cane borer. The use of speedlings as an alternative has numerous advantages.
Handling single-budded sets and their speedlings is far easier and more cost-efficient than working with whole seed cane stalks. Additionally, only a small quantity of mother seed is required to produce large numbers of transplant speedlings. The rapid multiplication of a sugar cane variety is possible, less material has to be moved from the speedling nursery to the seed cane nursery field and sugar cane speedlings from hot water-treated single-budded sets are a reliable foundation for disease-free seed cane.
Requirements
The speedlings are hardy but they need optimal conditions during transplanting to enable them achieve full potential. The node sections from the mother seed cane stalks are extracted using a sharp blade. On each of the small nodal sections, there’s an immature bud that will grow into a sugar cane plant which is what are referred to as ‘single-budded sets’
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Planting
The single budded set that has undergone hot water treatment is planted into the speedling tray filled with growing media which is a mixture of baggase and organic materials. The trays are placed in a controlled room with favourable growing conditions. After germination, the speedlings are put outdoors. Supplementary irrigation is recommended to ensure constant moisture for the young plants. It takes three to five months for the speedlings to achieve the required height for transplanting.
Caring for speedlings
During transplanting, ensure you handle the speelings with utmost care to maximise on the survival rate. For instance, use plastic liners to transport speedlings from the nursery to the field to minimise injury. Ensure that the speedlings are kept moist all the time while in transit. The transplanting field should have fine tilth that will allow root contact with the soil. Add fertiliser in the planting holes with reference to the soil analysis test results. Do not transplant the speedlings too deep, a depth of 13 cm is recommended for proper growth. Ensure that, at least 5cm is applied above a speedling’s root plug, or up to the first-leaf sheath; this will guarantee good tillering of the speedling below the soil surface. After transplanting apply water in cases where rains are off season. About six weeks later, a top-dressing of fertiliser, again as per soil sample recommendations, needs to be applied.
Keep the transplanted field free of weeds. This will enhance the growth of the speedling and increase yield potential. Weed along the rows until the cane forms canopies over the inter-rows. Should you opt for herbicide weed killer, timing of the application is key for good results. Because speedlings will take slightly longer to reach the canopy stage, two herbicide applications using softer chemicals are needed to limit damage to the plants and their growth. The herbicide should only be directed into the inter-rows so the spray swathe covers only the base of each transplant.
