Crop Production

Crop Production Division

The Crop Production Division is headed by Dr. P. Gopalasundaram (Principal Scientist & I/C Division).

The Thrust Areas of Research for the Crop Production Division are:

Basic

• Development of integrated nutrient management practices and low cost production technologies involving microbes, unconventional sources of manures, organic recycling etc
• Identify clones suitable for Multi-ratooning
• Irrigation management for higher water use efficiency
• Management of abiotic stress (drought, salinity and waterlogging) Studies on integrated weed management
• Physiological studies on drought tolerance and evaluation of elite clones for drought tolerance.
• Physiological basis of salt resistance in sugarcane and evaluation of co-canes for salt resistance

Strategic

• Screening varieties for low-cost production technologies- Studies on maximising sugarcane productivity through cropping system approach
• Screening IVT/AVT genotypes for resistance to salinity and drought
• Photoperiodic induction and synchronization of flowering in sugarcane clones
• Investigations on the hormonal regulation of flowering in sugarcane
• Evaluation of promising clones and breeding stocks for drought, salinity and waterlogging
• Physiological studies on ratooning in sugarcane varieties
• Studies on waterlogging resistance in sugarcane clones
• Investigations on the mechanism of sucrose synthesis and accumulation in high and low sugar varieties

Applied

• Screening of varieties for higher calorific value of bagasse for co-generation
• Developing technology for conversion of sugarcane biomass to biofuels
• Enrichment of soil through incorporation of trash after composting
• Use of distillery effluents and sugar factory wastes (press-mud) after proper treatment to enhance microbial activity and nutrient status

Anticipatory

• Studies to generate basic data required for developing crop models for yield predictions
• Studies on planting geometry for adoption of micro-irrigation systems
• Studies on tackling operational problems in micro irrigation systems
• Studies on agrotechniques for mechanised sugarcane farming
• Impact of climate change in sugarcane agriculture
• Investigations on PEP carboxylase in Saccharum species for genetic transformation
• Investigations on the mechanism of sucrose synthesis and accumulation in high and low sugar varieties
• Identification of marker gene for floral induction

Research Programmes

The Division has 4 major programmes of research:

1. IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY OF PROMISING SUGARCANE VARIETIES BY INTEGRATED, COST EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE CROP MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES - 5 projects are in operation under this programme.
2. PHYSIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS ON GROWTH PRODUCTIVITY AND FLOWERING IN SUGARCANE - 3 projects are in operation under this programme.
3. STUDIES ON SUGARCANE CHEMISTRY, MATURITY, JUICE AND JAGGERY QUALITY, PRE / POST HARVEST TECHNOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS 2 projects are in operation under this programme
4. STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF CERTAIN SOIL CONDITIONS & FERTILISERS ON NUTRIENT UPTAKE, YIELD AND QUALITY OF SUGARCANE - 5 projects are in operation under this programme

carried under the following disciplines-

• Agronomy
• Plant Physiology
• Agricultural Chemistry
• Soil Science
• Microbiology