**2. Planning and implantation cost of sugarcane plantation**

Several technologies can be used in setting up and managing sugarcane plantations in small farms. Those selected and recommended by the authors are focused on maximizing the use of inputs, land and human resources to reduce operating costs and increase crop yields, in addition to helping preserve the environment. The main cost items for setting up 1 ha of sugarcane in the region are shown in **Table 1**.


**21**

**Table 2.**

*Simulation of a sugarcane plantation area needed to feed 25 dairy cows (20 kg of natural matter per cow/day)* 

*for 365 days and plant-cane yield and yield stability in seven succeeding cuts.*

*Sugarcane Production Systems in Small Rural Properties DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84975*

**C) Total cost for the implantation of a sugarcane plantation (A+B)**

Covering of seedlings h/m or d/H Herbicide application h/m or d/H

Formicide application d/H Insecticide application d/H

**Subtotal (B)**

**Table 1.**

**Cost item Unit\* Unit price Quantity Total** 

*\*t: tonne, Kg/ha: kilograms per hectare, L: Liters, Kg: Kilogram, h/m: machine hours, d/H: work days per man, sample.*

*Main cost items for the implantation one hectare of sugarcane in small farms of the Zona da Mata region.*

**price**

**(US\$) (US\$) %**

**Participation**

## *Sugarcane Production Systems in Small Rural Properties DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84975*


*\*t: tonne, Kg/ha: kilograms per hectare, L: Liters, Kg: Kilogram, h/m: machine hours, d/H: work days per man, sample.*

### **Table 1.**

*Multifunctionality and Impacts of Organic and Conventional Agriculture*

**2. Planning and implantation cost of sugarcane plantation**

**Cost item Unit\* Unit price Quantity Total** 

sugar, *cachaça,* and ethanol.

**A) Consumption**

**Subtotal (A) B) Service**

Limestone t Gypsum t Seeds of *Crotalaria juncea* kg/ha Fertilizer kg Sugarcane seedlings t Chemical insecticide L or kg Herbicide L or kg Formicide L or kg Biological insecticide L

Land rent ha Soil analysis sample Plowing h/m Harrowing h/m Sowing of *Crotalaria juncea* h/m

h/m

h/m

d/H

h/m or d/H

h/h or d/H

Incorporation of *C. juncea*

Furrowing for planting

Fertilizer application in the

Seedling distribution and

Insecticide application on the seedlings

into soil

sugarcane

pruning

planting furrow

appropriate techniques are used. The main agricultural techniques recommended to these small farmers are aimed at improving the physical and chemical properties of the soil by lime and gypsum application, chemical fertilization, green fertilization, using organic compost, planting of sugarcane varieties with greater yield potential, chemical weed control, and biological pest control. The sugarcane produced in these properties is intended for animal feed and the production of *rapadura*, brown

Several technologies can be used in setting up and managing sugarcane plantations in small farms. Those selected and recommended by the authors are focused on maximizing the use of inputs, land and human resources to reduce operating costs and increase crop yields, in addition to helping preserve the environment. The main cost items for setting up 1 ha of sugarcane in the region are shown in **Table 1**.

**price**

**(US\$) (US\$) %**

**Participation**

**20**

*Main cost items for the implantation one hectare of sugarcane in small farms of the Zona da Mata region.*


#### **Table 2.**

*Simulation of a sugarcane plantation area needed to feed 25 dairy cows (20 kg of natural matter per cow/day) for 365 days and plant-cane yield and yield stability in seven succeeding cuts.*

In sugarcane, it is common to evaluate the results obtained by quantifying the production of culms, sugars, or total shoot biomass. In analyzing the production costs, one can use the exchange ratio, which is an economic indicator that shows the exchange capacity of a certain product in relation to the inputs used in production (product/input).

The great advantage of exchange ratio analysis over price analysis is that agricultural products represent the weighted average of several inputs and goods used by the farmer. Thus, it is easier to calculate the variation in producer purchasing power or production system efficiency. If possible, this analysis should cover a long period of time, so that the extent of the variation in results can be measured. The use of spreadsheets (e.g., Excel) is helpful in analyzing simulation results, as well as budgeting and managing sugarcane production costs. The authors have guided farmers to adopt practices that recover and maintain soil fertility, recycle nutrients, and reduce compaction and sealing of the topsoil, combined with activities that enable increased yields in plant-cane and small decreases in subsequent cycles. **Table 2** shows a simulation of sugarcane yield in 14 scenarios, which combine high and medium yields in the plant-cane cycle to low, medium, or high decreases in yield over seven cycles (seven cuts).

**Table 2** shows that to feed 25 cows for 365 days (20 kg of natural matter per cow/ day), an area of 1.63 ha of a sugarcane plantation with high yield in the plant-cane cycle and 10% decrease in subsequent cycles would be necessary (Scenario 1). On the other hand, an area of about 3.3 ha would be needed for a sugarcane plantation with medium yield in the plant-cane cycle and large decreases in subsequent cycles (Scenario 14). In sugarcane plantations with yields of less than 60 tons of natural matter per ha (about 50 tons of industrializable culms), in addition to decreasing the use of land and labor resources, chemical weed control is generally inefficient, as the crop does not completely cover (shade) the soil, allowing the emergence and growth of invasive species (**Figure 1**). Also, in cases where sugarcane is cut by hand, the worker will be more exposed to snakes and scorpions.

**Figure 1.** *Contrast between a sugarcane plantation with high yields and excellent weed control, and a plantation with low yields and poor weed control.*

**23**

*1*

*2*

*3*

*4*

*5*

*6*

*7*

*8*

*9*

**Table 3.**

*under high-yield conditions*

*Diseases of the plant shoot.*

*Sensitivity to certain herbicides*

*Source: Silveira, L. C. I. (unpublished data).*

*cultivation in the small farms of the Zona da Mata region.*

*Sugarcane Production Systems in Small Rural Properties DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84975*

**Characteristic Variety**

Tillering5 Average Excellent Average Very

*Yield: Yield per ha of industrializable culms and biomass (High, Medium or Low)*

*Tillering: growth speed and soil shading, thus minimizing weed competition*

*Detrashing: removal of dry leaves or attachment of the sheath to the culm*

*Soils: Soil fertility requirement (High, Medium or Low)*

*Harvest: Recommended months for the harvest of sugarcane for brown sugar and rapadura*

*Regrowth: sprout vigor of regrowth under conditions of trampling by machines or animal traction vehicles*

*Toppling: plant growth habit, which varies from erect to decumbent. Even cultivars with upright culms may topple* 

*Agroindustrial, morphological, and tolerance characteristics of seven varieties of sugarcane recommended for* 

Choosing the right variety is an important and low-cost technology for the producer. Currently, there are several sugarcane cultivars with proper agronomic and zootechnical characteristics, such as high response to improved soil fertility, erect growth, and resistance to falling, which facilitates harvesting, high culm and sucrose yield, regrowth vigor, resistance to pests and diseases, and good dry matter

Yield1 High High High High High High High Maturation Early Medium Medium Late Late Medium Medium

Harvest 2 Apr-Nov Jun-Nov Jun-Sep Sep-Nov Ago-Nov Jun-Sep Jun-Sep Soil3 Medium Medium Low High Medium Medium Medium Regrowth4 Good Excellent Good Good Good Excellent Good

Toppling6 Frequent Little Little Little Frequent Little Rare Detrashing7 Easy Medium Easy Medium Easy Medium Easy Pilosity No No No Yes No Yes No Flowering Absent Absent Medium Absent Absent Absent Present Wilting No No Medium No No Little Yes

**RB835054 RB855536 RB867515 RB928064 RB975201 SP80-1816 SP80-3280**

High High High Medium Medium High High

good

High Medium Low Low Low Medium Medium

Coal9 Resistant Intermediate Resistant Resistant Resistant Intermediate Intermediate Rust9 Resistant Resistant Resistant Resistant Resistant Resistant Resistant Red Streak9 Resistant Intermediate Susceptible Resistant Intermediate Resistant Resistant Leaf scalding9 Resistant Intermediate Resistant Resistant Resistant Resistant Resistant

Average Very good Very good

**3. Selecting sugarcane variety**

digestibility.

Sucrose content

Sensitivity to Herbicides8
