NSI doing trials for intercropping of sweet sorghum with sugarcane crop

Kanpur: National Sugar Institute (NSI) in pursuit of developing alternate feed stocks for production of ethanol has joined hands with leading sugar groups, Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd and Dalmia Bharat Sugar Mills Ltd. to undertake trials for intercropping of sweet sorghum with sugarcane.
Trials of five varieties of sweet sorghum, CSH22SS, SS74, SS84, Phule Vasundhara and ICSSH28, provided by ICAR Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad earlier conducted at the institute farm, indicated average yield of sweet sorghum and ethanol production potential to be about 50-55 tonnes/hectare and 45-50 litre/metric ton of sweet sorghum.
“Now, we have taken trials for intercropping of the sweet sorghum with sugarcane crop between the two rows of sugarcane plantation. Sweet sorghum is being grown in Gonda and Shahjahanpur districts with the help of these sugar companies”, said director, National Sugar Institute, Kanpur, Prof Narendra Mohan.
Growing sweet sorghum and sugarcane in the same field will help sugarcane farmers to get higher income from the same field, it would also be possible to get more ethanol per hectare land. The sugarcane farmer’s income per hectare is expected to increase by 35% while the ethanol production potential may also increase by around 30%, he said.
Although sugar beet is a crop for cold climatic conditions, the institute is exploring the possibilities of growing it in north India during the period November to April when the temperatures are favourable. “We have taken trials of three varieties, LS6, LKC2020, IISR COMP. 1 at the institute farm. While the beet root yield has been about 60-80 tonnes/hectare, the ethanol yield has been found much higher than sugarcane and is of the order of 80-100 litre/ton of beetroot, Prof Mohan said.