Planting and crop management for sugarcane
Case 1 A harvest and renewal calendar - 1
Pick the plot first Open a new chat and tap Plots (All) under the question box. Choose the plot you want advice for. ORTH then works from that plot’s crop, variety, soil and documents, and from the farm weather. For sugarcane Pick one plot of one variety and one cut. We picked Talhão 1: RB867515 on 12.64 ha of clay soil near Sertãozinho, planted in March 2023 as 18-month cane and harvested for the third time on 18 August 2026, green, with the straw left on the field. Every number below is for that plot. - 2
Start from the Crop Selection button Tap Crop Selection for questions such as a planting and harvest calendar, varieties for your market and harvest window, or crops that fit a plot’s soil, water and climate. For pruning and fruit set, type your question. For sugarcane A cane plot is cut once a year for several years before it is renewed. Planning covers this ratoon’s harvest and the decision to keep it for another cut or replant. - 3
Ask for a planting and harvest calendar We tapped Build a planting and harvest calendar for my farm. ORTH aimed the third-ratoon harvest for July to August 2027, depending on maturity, the mill’s schedule and whether the clay carries the machines. It built 16 actions from 15 March to 3 December 2027, starting with a stand map by 15 March, harvest, transport and mill capacity by 15 May, and machinery and access by 1 June. July and August are usually drier, and rain returns in October and early November, which could give a rainfed planting window. These are climate averages, so check the forecast again nearer the time. It also said to bring the potassium chloride actions in line with the vinasse credit. - 4
Save the proposal as actions When ORTH proposes a plan, tap Review to see every action with its date, category and instructions. Change or add actions if you need to, then tap Create. The actions land in the plot’s plans, ready to assign to someone on your team. For sugarcane On Talhão 1 this saved 16 actions. On 5 September 2027 you decide whether to keep the next ratoon or replant, and the soil sampling, compaction work, seed cane and planting steps run only if you replant. Planting is set for 12 November 2027 if the readiness check passes, with January to March 2028 as the fallback. Case 2 Replanting after the weevil - 5
Choose the planting window We asked whether a renewal should be 18-month cane planted in January to March or 12-month cane in October, and about seed cane, the weevil and other varieties. ORTH chose 18-month cane in late January or February 2028, later than the 12 November planting in the saved calendar. The longer gap after the August harvest gives time to destroy the old stools, reduce the weevil, remove volunteers and prepare the clay. If the soil is still saturated, move into early March. October 2027 only works if the harvest ends early, the stools are fully destroyed, scouting finds little or no weevil and the soil is moist but carries the machines. - 6
Work out the seed cane For conventional whole-stalk planting, ORTH used 12 to 15 t/ha as a provisional range. For the 12.64 ha that is 151.68 to 189.60 t, or 166.85 to 208.56 t with a 10% reserve. Do not buy the upper amount by default: set the order after you check the nursery lot for viable buds, germination, stalk size and health. The calculation does not apply to pre-sprouted seedlings. - 7
Clear the weevil before you plant ORTH treats the renewal as a pest eradication job. Confirm the weevil at harvest from larvae, pupae or adults in damaged rhizomes, and tell it apart from Migdolus before choosing a treatment. Harvest clean sectors before infested ones and clean the machines in between. Destroy the old stools completely and remove every volunteer, because a shallow pass keeps the pest alive. Scout the old patches again during the fallow, and plant only clean, traceable seed cane. Use biological products or pheromone traps only after MAPA AGROFIT confirms the product for sugarcane and the pest, and follow the label for dose, method, PPE and re-entry. If live larvae remain near planting time, wait and repeat the eradication. - 8
What changes with another variety ORTH found no trait sheets for the three varieties, so it gave a provisional comparison. RB867515 stays the local benchmark: do not blame its weak patches on the variety alone while the weevil is there. RB966928 is the first candidate for an earlier harvest and fast establishment, which could make October planting more attractive, without making up for poor eradication or soil preparation. CTC 4 is a candidate to spread risk, after you see its breeder sheet and the mill’s results on clay. For all three, keep the same weevil sanitation. A lower-risk path is to plant only part of the plot with the new variety, if you can harvest and record it separately.
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