• Soil should be without problems like alkalinity, salinity, water logging etc.

• There should be adequate irrigation facility.

• The seed plots should be distributed in different divisions or sections and accessible for easy distribution.

• There should be good road facility for easy and quick transport.

• The farmers should be progressive.

• Primary nurseries should be located in the factory farm/research station farm/Government seed farm.

• Ploughing and cultivation is essential so that a good seed bed is prepared.

• A higher amount of organic manures is advantageous for nursery crops for obtaining a vigorous crop.

• Apply 25 to 30 tonnes of FYM or cured press mud may be applied about 15 days before planting.

• To get a higher yield of setts a slightly narrower spacing is advantageous.

• Space should be75cm between the rows.

a. Preparation of setts for planting:

1. Take seed material from short crop (6 to 7 months age) free from pests and diseases incidence.

2. Harvest the seed crop one day before planting to obtain higher percentage and uniform germination.

3. Detrash the cane with hand before setts preparation.

4. Avoid damage to buds while cutting setts.

5. Planting material or seed cane should be free from aerial roots and splits.

6. Change the seed material after every two to three seasons. In case if it is inevitable to use mature cane as seed, the top one-third portion can be used satisfactorily.

b. Sett treatment with Azospirillum: Prepare the slurry with 10 packets (2000 g/ha) of      Azospirillum inoculum with sufficient water and soak the setts in the slurry for 15      minutes before planting.
c. Sett treatment with fungicide: The setts should be soaked in Carbendazim (1 gram in
    1litre of water)
d. Aerated steam treatment: Treat setts with Aerated steam at 50 o C for one hour to      control primary infection of grassy shoot disease.

1. Use short crop (6-8 months) seed materials
2. Discard pest, disease affected and damaged buds and canes.
3. Do not trash & prop.
4. Apply 125 kg Urea / ha + 125 kg MOP/ha one month prior to harvest
5. Irrigate the crop well before harvest
6. Detrash the cane with hand at the time of sett preparation
7. Selection of proper planting months for raising nursery crop in relation to main field      planting.

• Generally sugarcane is grown by planting the seeds setts directly into the field. But some times, when the water is in short supply or the field is occupied with some other crop, buds or seed setts can be planted in polythene bags to raise nursery.

• Polythene bags of 10x15cm filled with soil and compost mixture (in 1:1 ratio) are arranged closely in an open space, close to water source.

• Scooped buds are at 1-2 cm depth.

• Cut sugarcane pieces with one bud can also be used for raising the nursery.

• Insert these cut pieces into the soil, filled bags up to the node level, keeping buds just touching the soil.

• Irrigate these bags twice a week. Saplings will be ready for planting in 60 days.