Q23. 'Sett Method' and 'Ratooning' are methods of Propagation of which of the following crops?
(c) Sugarcane
Sugarcane is a labour intensive crop. The crop is kept weed-free and irrigated frequently if there are no timely rain. Most of the crop is planted just before the hot season, a little earlier in the southern and eastern parts.
Sugarcane is planted through following methods:
Sett Method: New canes are usually planted by taking cuttings from old plants. These cuttings, known as setts, quickly become established and after a few days buds sprout to form new stalks. Four to five stalks grow from cutting. The sugarcane takes anything from 8 months to a year to mature.
Ratooning: In this method, during the first harvest, the sugarcane is cut leaving a little bit of the stalk in the soil with the roots. The stalk soon puts out new shoots or ratoons. The second or any other successive crop obtained from the roots of the leftover crop is called Ratoon.