Harvesting

When sugarcane crop is matured, harvesting should be done in time. If immature sugarcane is harvested or harvesting delayed after maturity, the success content decreased to a certain extent. To judge the maturity of sugarcane crop, the following points should be considered.

• Entire field (crop) becomes yellow in appearance.
• Appearance of arrowing in arrow (tassel) emerging varieties.
• While knocking / tapering to sugarcane stalks, the metallic sound is produced.
• Swelling of eye buds.
• Easy breaking of sugarcane stalk from the nodes.
• Brix Saccharometer reading shows figure 19 or above which indicate sugarcane maturity and it is likely to be ready for harvest.
• When sugar crystals are observed in sunlight for this sugarcane stalk cut across with sharp knife and keeps against sunlight sparking of sugar crystals.

Irrigation should be stopped 15 days before harvesting just to increase the sucrose content. Sugarcane stalks should be cut to the ground level with "Koyta" and dried leaves are stripped off from top most mature internodes.

Yield

The average yield of sugarcane is 70 tonnes per hectare in Gujarat. About 70 to 85 tonnes in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The yield of Adsali crop (18 months) in Southern India is usually 120 to 140 tonnes/ha. The ratton crop also gives the yield about 60 q/ha.