UPSC Prelims 2020 Question:

With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India,

consider the following statements: 

1. A substantial saving in seed material is made when bud chip settlings' are raised in a nursery and transplanted in the main field. 
2. When direct planting of seeds is done, the germination percentage is better with single-budded setts as compared to setts with many buds. 
3. If bad weather conditions prevail when seeds are directly planted, single-budded seeds have better survival as compared to large setts. 
4. Sugarcane can be cultivated using settlings prepared from tissue culture.
    

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Explanation:

• Sugarcane is typically propagated by stalk cuttings with few bud setts. As planting material, approximately 6-8 tonnes seed cane/ha is used in the conventional system. Raising the sugarcane crop with bud chips in a nursery and then transplanting it in the  field instead of setts could save up to 80 percent of the stalk material. It is less expensive and requires less labour than traditional sett planting. So, statement 1 is correct.
  
  
• It has been observed in research that the setts having two buds are giving germination about 65 to 70% with better yield. Large setts have better survival under bad weather but single budded setts also gives 70% germination if protected with chemical treatment. So, statements 2 and 3 are not correct.
  
  
• Planting material such as whole canes, setts with one to six buds, settling prepared from tissue culture, or single buds in a nursery can be used for vegetative propagation of sugarcane. So, statement 4 is correct.
  
  

Therefore, option (3) is the correct answer.

Subject: Environment | Plant and Animal Anatomy