During trials, it achieved a capacity of 1,700 buds per hour at an operational cost of ₹1,000 per hectare, compared with ₹6,250 for conventional methods.
| Photo Credit:
Siva Saravanan S / The Hindu.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has secured a 20-year patent from the Patent Office, Government of India, for a sugarcane single bud sett cutter developed under the Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI).

SSI is an innovative method that promotes the use of single-budded chips to produce uniform and more millable canes per seedling. The machine will improve yields further and reduce cultivation costs for farmers, said a press release from the farm university.

Conventional bud chippers and manual operations are often inefficient and labour-intensive. The machine, powered by a 4-HP diesel engine, is designed to quickly and uniformly cut sugarcane stalks into single-bud setts. Built on a sturdy mild steel frame, it includes a power transmission system, serrated cutting discs, protective covers, a cane holder for easy feeding, a delivery chute, a counter to record output, vibration control mounts, and wheels for mobility, the release said.

India, which has the second-largest area under sugarcane cultivation after Brazil, is set to benefit from this new mechanised solution to improve planting efficiency and reduce labour costs. Sugarcane is cultivated across 4.7 million hectares in the country, with an average productivity of 72 tonnes per hectare. Tamil Nadu leads the country in sugarcane productivity, averaging more than 100 tonnes per hectare.

Performance and savings

The machine was tested at a blade rotational speed of 2,200 rpm with 200 mm-diameter cutting discs. It can produce sets of 30 mm, 35 mm and 40 mm by adjusting spacers between the cutting discs.

During trials, the cutter achieved a capacity of 1,700 buds per hour. The operational cost of bud cutting was estimated at ₹1,000 per hectare, significantly lower than ₹6,250 for conventional bud chippers. Developers said the machine can save more than 50 per cent in time and cost.

Beyond reducing cultivation expenses, the mechanised system also eases labour drudgery in sugarcane farming.

Germination rates were recorded at 95 per cent in protray nurseries and 90 per cent under field conditions, indicating high planting efficiency.

The machine is priced at ₹34,000, offering a cost-effective solution for farmers adopting SSI-based sugarcane cultivation, the release said.

Published on February 18, 2026