Fertiliser placement on green cane trash blanketed ratoons in north Queensland

In most mill areas in north Queensland, the amount of cane harvested green has increased significantly during the past few years. Green cane now comprises the bulk of the harvested crop in five of the nine mill areas. The four mill areas with relatively low percentages of green cane harvesting are in the super wet belt from Tully to Babinda. In the majority of cases, the residue from green cane harvest is retained as a trash blanket. In the wettest areas, a large percentage of the residue is burnt on the ground after harvest. In the main, the practice of incorporating trash residues into the soil has been discontinued. In 1985, the authors instigated a trial program in the Hambledon and Mulgrave Mill areas to determine the effect on sugarcane yield of surface and subsurface applications of urea applied at various rates to green cane trash blanketed ratoons.