Use of sugarcane industrial by-products for improving sugarcane productivity and soil health

Purpose Sugarcane industries are age-old industrial practicesin India which contribute a significant amount of byproductsas waste. Handling and management of these byproductsare huge task, because those require lot of spacefor storage. However, it provides opportunity to utilizethese by-products in agricultural crop production asorganic nutrient source. Therefore, it is attempted to reviewthe potential of sugar industries by-products, their availability,and use in agricultural production.Methods A large number of research experiments and literatureshave been surveyed and critically analyzed for theeffect of sugarcane by-products on crop productivity andsoil properties.Results Application of sugar industries by-products, suchas press mud and bagasse, to soil improves the soilchemical, physical, and biological properties and enhancedthe crop quality and yield. A huge possibility of sugarcaneindustries by-products can be used in agriculture to cutdown the chemical fertilizer requirement. If all the pressmud is recycled through agriculture about 32,464, 28,077,14,038, 3434, 393, 1030, and 240 tonnes (t) of N, P, K, Fe,Zn, Mn, and Cu, respectively, can be available and thathelps in saving of costly chemical fertilizers.Conclusions Application of sugarcane industries by-productsreduces the recommended dose of fertilizers andimproves organic matter of soil during the crop production.It can also be used in combination with inorganic chemicalfertilizers and can be packed and marketed along withcommercial fertilizer for a particular cropping system. Thathelps in reduce the storage problem of sugarcane industriesby-products across the India.