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 setts 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 setts are directly planted, single-budded setts 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
Statement 1 is correct: In conventional planting, 6 to 8 tonnes of seed stalk per hectare are required. Using bud chip technology (raising seedlings in pro-trays and transplanting), seed cane requirement is reduced by roughly 80% by weight, resulting in substantial savings in seed material.
Statements 2 and 3 are incorrect: Multi-budded setts (typically 2-budded or 3-budded setts) achieve higher germination percentages and greater survival under adverse weather conditions because adjacent buds and stalk moisture protect sprouting nodes from desiccation.
Statement 4 is correct: Sugarcane can be successfully micropropagated through tissue culture (meristem tip culture) to produce disease-free, high-yielding foundation seed cane and settlings on a commercial scale.
Hence, statements 1 and 4 are correct — Option C.