Nutritional Deficiencies/Disorders of Sugarcane

Nitrogen

• Die back of older leaves. Leaf blades turn light green to yellow. Short and slender stalks. Tips and margins of older leaves become necrotic.
• Management: Soil application of N fertilizer or foliar spray of urea 1-2% twice at weekly interval.

Phosphorus

• Red and purple discolouration of tips and margins, Slender leaves. Short sand slender stalks. Poor or no tillering
• Management: Foliar spray of DAP 2% twice at fortnight interval.

Potassium

• Yellow-orange chlorosis of leaf borders & tips. Stalks slender. Older leaves brown or “fi red”. Spindles distorted producing “bunched top” or “fan’ appearance.
• Management: Foliar spray of KCL 1% twice at fortnight interval.

Calcium

• Mottling and chlorosis of older leaves. Spindles often become necrotic at the leaf tip and long margins. Rusty appearance and premature death of older leaves
• Management: Soil application of 25 Kg/acre of gypsum

Magnesium

• Mottled or chlorotic appearance at the tip and margins. Red necrotic lesions resulting in “rusty” appearance. Internal browning of rind
• Management: Soil application of MgSO₄ 10 Kg/acre or foliar spray of MgSO₄ 2% twice at fortnight interval.

Sulphur

• Chlorotic young leaves. Narrower and shorter leaves with faint purplish tinge. Slender stalks
• Management: It is advisable to use sulphur containing fertilizers: Ammonium Sulphate - 24% S. Single Super Phosphate - 12% S. Potassium Sulphate - 18% S. Gypsum - 13-18% S . Any one of the above fertilizers at the rate of 4-8 Kg/acre.

Copper

• Green splotches with leaves eventually showing bleaching. Stalk and meristems lack turgidity. Reduced inter-nodal length and tillering.

Iron

• Varying degrees of chlorosis. Interveinal chlorosis from tip to base of leaves.
• Management: Soil application of 10 Kg/acre of FeSO₄ or foliar spray of FeSO₄ 0.5% on 90, 105 and 120 days after planting.

Manganese

• Occurrence of interveinal chlorosis from leaf tip towards the middle of leaf. Bleaching of leaves under severe deficiency.

Boron

• Distorted leaves. Formation of translucent lesions or water sacks along leaf margins. Brittle and bunched with many tillers. Death of apical meristem.

Molybdenum

• Short longitudinal chlorotic streaks on the top one-third of the leaf. Short and slender stalks. Slow vegetative growth
• Management: Application of Ammonium Molybedate (54% Mo) and Sodium Molybdate (39% Mo) are common sources of Mo to rectify its deficiency in soils and crops.

Zinc

• Midrib and leaf margin remain green and yellowing of leaf blade. Red lesions on leaves. Reduced tillering and shorter internodes. Thin stalks with loss of turgidity.
• Management: Soil application of 15 Kg Zinc sulphate/acre before the last ploughing.

IPM for Sugarcane

To know the IPM practices for Sugarcane, click here.

Source: NIPHM and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage