Prepare: drought times

In about eighty percent of the land dedicated to sugarcane in the Cauca River Valley, furrow irrigation is used. For the agronomic management of crops with this system in periods of water deficit Cenicaña makes some recommendations.

In about eighty percent of the land dedicated to sugarcane in the Cauca River Valley, furrow irrigation is used. For the agronomic management of crops with this system in periods of water deficit Cenicaña makes some recommendations.

      • Agree shifts to capture surface water with the other users of the basin, through the user associations of the rivers.
      • Repair water leaks in the pipes.
      • Conform and seal the flanges of the irrigation ditches.
      • Use the 4.0 version Water Balance program to prioritize irrigation by age and cutoff number.
      • Prioritize irrigation by textural soil family:

      • Guide the water in the grooves and remove the obstacles (large lumps, stones, weeds).
      • Plug the grooves at the end to avoid water waste.
      • If surpluses occur, direct them to other lots that require irrigation.
      • Incorporate cachaza and compost in sandy or stony areas.
      • Conform the trenches with two ditches at the base, in order to improve the advance of the water and bring the water closer to the roots of the crop.
      • If you do not have enough water to water germination, avoid renewing plantations.
      • In times of drought, avoid deep breaking work. Perform scarification. Only in cases of absolute water shortage do you post mechanized work as far as possible.
      • Monitor harvesting equipment traffic to prevent trampling of strains.
      • Use crop residues to conserve moisture in the soil. Ship only on the regrowth.
      • In socas, perform the first irrigation at 2.5 months of age, trying to match the fertilization.
      • In socas with a 4x1 runway, place the water in two of the four streets without residues and alternate in time. The potential water saving is 60%.
      • In socas with 2 × 1 stranding, place the water in one of the two lanes without residues and alternate in time. The potential water saving is 66%.
      • Measure the partial water advance times along the groove and increase or decrease the flow rate per groove according to the suggested times:
    • Move the granulated fertilization until the soil has adequate humidity (for example, after a rain of more than 20 mm). If you are going to make late fertilizations, use high clearance tractors.
    • Potassium is key to the crop in case of a possible water deficit. Verify if you perform proper fertilization with this element using soil analysis.
    • In cases of absolute water shortage reduce the doses of nitrogen application. Higher doses will not protect the crop.
    • For nitrogen fertilization, preferably use UAN solution or ammonium nitrate, which are sources of immediate availability for the plant.
    • Before the application of growth regulators, perform an aerial survey to observe the development of the crop and detect strips of sandy soil where it is counterproductive to apply ripener in drought conditions.
    • Use the results of the pre-harvest evaluations to decide the type of ripener to use and its application.
    • Consult wit or Cenicaña for the recommended doses for growth regulators during this season.
    • Apply the growth regulators in template reeds with more than 11 months of age and in soybean reeds greater than 10.5 months or 10 months when the crop development is not affected by the water deficit.
    • Harvest in a range of 4 to 8 weeks after application of the ripener and, if possible, between weeks 5 and 6.
To consult

Additional recommendations are available on the www.cenicana.org website for:

  • Flat and foothill areas with fine to fine loam soils using furrow irrigation.
  • Flat area with thick to thick loam soils using localized or drip irrigation.
Information letter
3 Year / 2 Number / July of 2015

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