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Sugarcane Research Institute, Faisalabad

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is an important cash crop of the Punjab province. It belongs to the family Poaceae and native of temperate humid to tropical regions of Asia. All sugarcane species interbreed and the major commercial cultivars are complex hybrids and products like table sugar, molasses and ethanol are directly obtained from sugarcane. The bagasse that remains after sugar cane crushing is burnt to provide heat and electricity. It is also utilized as raw material for paper, chipboard, and utensils, because of its high cellulose content. The sugarcane tops serve as fodder during scarcity of fodder period. The grower’s economy and viability of sugar industry is based on this crop. Sugarcane crop plays a pivotal role in our domestic economy next to cotton as a cash crop. It has 0.8% share to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In the Punjab, during 2023-24 sugarcane was cultivated on an area of 1.2 million ha with production of 87.6 million tones and average cane yield was increased from 722 maunds/acre to 801 maunds/acre. 1 % yield has been decreased as compared to last year. 

The Sugarcane Research Station was established in 1934, in Lyallpur. Later on, this section was upgraded as Sugarcane Research Institute; Faisalabad in 1978.The Research work was focused on the main objectives of the evolution of high cane and sugar yielding, disease and insect pest’s resistant varieties besides, the development of improved production technology. The Annual Research Program is prepared to develop the research strategy for the coming crop year. The Research Program includes experiments on various disciplines including Sugarcane Breeding, Agronomy, Pathology, Entomology and Technology on going trials including some new experiments in the current research year. The Sugarcane Breeding components includes collection of fuzz and cultivars, raising of seedlings, selection of seedlings, screening and selection of clones at various selection stages and varietal adaptability under different soil and climatic conditions. The research programme work also includes cane flowering at Research Sub Station, Charapani, Murree. The SRI, Faisalabad is also focusing on integrating advanced technologies—such as AI, IoT, GPS, and remote sensing—into sugarcane cultivation that can enable precision agriculture, improve input efficiency, support pest and disease management, and reduce environmental impacts. Such technological adoption is vital for enhancing sustainability, climate resilience, and economic viability.

Mission

  • Evolution of widely adaptable varieties having desired economic characters.
  • To develop package of production technology for optimum cane and sugar yield.
  • To evaluate varieties for higher sugar contents.

Objectives

  • To produce clones having desired parental characters and to raise seedlings for selection of elite clones.
  • To evolve varieties having high yield and quality potential for different soil and climatic conditions.
  • To evolve varieties resistant to insect pests, diseases, lodging, drought, frost and soil hazards.
  • To determine optimum planting and harvesting schedule of varieties to obtain maximum cane and sugar yield. 
  • To develop package of production technology to improve cane and sugar yield from plant and ratoon crop.
  • To find out most economical fertilizer doses for optimum yield.
  • To develop technology to minimize sugar losses during harvesting and processing of cane.

Future Plan

Short Term

  • Zoning of sugarcane growing areas
  • Screening of resistant varieties against biotic and abiotic stresses
  • Varietal distribution
  • Strengthening of NUYT & Zonal trials

Mid Term

  • Strengthening of SRI, Faisalabad
  • Broadening of germplsm
  • Analyzing of red rot strains in Punjab and resistant to new pathotypes
  • Healthy seed of approved varieties
  • Mechanical cultivation of sugarcane & import of machinery
  • Sugarcane campaign
  • Capacity building of the scientists of SRI

Long term

  • Legislation for sugarcane
  • Developing technologies for alternate uses of sugarcane
  • Research on conservation sugarcane farming e.g. cropping pattern, soil health, planting method, irrigation method mechanical cultivation etc.
  • Studies on other sugar crops like sugarbeet, sweet sorghum and stevia

Research Activities

Following are the research activities of the Institute

Sugarcane Variety Development

  • Maintenance & flowering behaviour of germplasm (Saccharum officinarum)

  • Hybridization program at SBSS, Murree

  • Controlled flowering induction in sugarcane clones

  • Raising of fuzz and establishment of seedling

  • Study of sugarcane seedlings in field and selection of desirable phenotypes

  • Nursery- I

  • Nursery-II

  • Preliminary varietal trial (N-III)

  • Semi-final varietal trial

  • Final varietal trial

  • National Uniform Yield Trial (1st YEAR).

  • National Uniform Yield Trial (2nd YEAR).

  • Genepool

Sugarcance Agronomy

  • Zonal testing of promising sugarcane clones
  • Effect of different irrigation levels at various planting methods on yield and quality of sugarcane
  • Ratooning potential of promising sugarcane clones
  • Canola intercropping in sugarcane
  • Trash management in ratoon crop
  • Evaluating the effect of farmyard manure on fertilizer use efficiency & irrigation use efficiency
  • Effect of irrigation and fertilizer management on sugarcane crop and soil properties
  • Evaluating the effect of various sources of NPK fertilizers on soil fertility and sugarcane crop
  • Screening of drought tolerant sugarcane varieties/clones
  • Performance of sugarcane clones at various planting times

Sugarcane Pathology

  • Evaluation of resistance in sugarcane clones to diseases (red rot, whip smut, Pokkah Boeng, red stripe, rust and mosaic)
  • Drenching of fungicides to control sugarcane red rot

Sugarcane Entomology

  • Screening of sugarcane clones for resistance against borers under natural conditions (no insecticide).
  • Microbial control of sugarcane insect pest complex.  

Sugarcance Technology

  • Quality evaluation of sugarcane clones
  • Balance use of macro and micronutrients to increase sugar yield per unit area under changing scenario of climate change
  • Screening of promising sugarcane clones for Gur production and its quality
  • Evaluation of mineral nutrient contents in juice samples of different sugarcane varieties

Sugarcane Research Station, Khanpur

  • National uniform yield trial of sugarcane
  • Management practices to improve water use efficiency in sugarcane
  • Zonal varietal trial of sugarcane

Sugarcane Breeding Substation, Murree 

  • Production of fuzz and its viability test 
  • Experiments on Parental crossing

Achievements

Following are the achievements of the institute:

Varieties Developed

28 varieties of sugarcane have been got approved for commercial cultivation. A number of varieties are in pipeline.

Sr. No.

Variety name

Year of Release

Av. yield

(t/ha)

Sugar recovery (%)

Sugar yield

(t/ha)

Sowing Time

Recommended Areas

Salient Features

1.

CoL-29

1954

70

10.10

7.07

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Removed/ banned

2.

CoL-44

1954

75

8.93

6.69

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Removed/ banned

3.

CoL-54

1963

75

9.63

7.22

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Removed/ banned

4.

BL-19

1966

85

9.49

8.00

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Removed/ banned

5.

BL-4

1968

85

10.34

8.79

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Removed/ banned

6.

L-116

1973

75

10.81

8.11

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Removed/ banned

7.

L-118

1975

83

8.23

6.83

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Removed/ banned

8.

Triton

1983

85

10.10

8.58

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Removed/ banned

9.

BF-162

1990

90

10.35

9.31

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Removed/ banned

10.

CP43-33

1996

80

11.69

9.35

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Medium maturing, good yielder, good recovery, resistant to insect pest

11.

CP72-2086

1996

85

12.35

10.49

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Medium maturing, good field performance, good recovery with chewing quality, better for gur production

12.

CP77-400

1996

90

11.90

10.72

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Early maturing, good growth, better ratooning, Resistant to diseases

13.

CoJ-84

2000

90

9.80

8.82

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Removed/ banned

14.

SPF-213

2000

90

10.50

9.45

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Medium maturing, good growth, average ratooning, slight lodging

15.

CPF-237

2000

95

12.50

11.87

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Early maturing,  Good yielder, average ratooning, disease resistant behavior, non lodging in nature

16.

HSF-240

2002

95

11.70

11.11

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Medium maturing, frost and Red Rot Resistant, non-lodging

17.

SPF-234

2002

100

11.60

11.60

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Southern Punjab only other than riverine areas 

Medium maturing

18.

SPF-245

2004

100

11.00

11.00

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Medium maturing, good growth, high yielder, good ratooning potential

19.

HSF-242

2006

102

12.50

12.75

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Non lodging, good growth behavior, medium maturing, also fit for average input conditions

20.

CPF-243

2006

102

12.55

12.80

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab

Medium maturing, good growth, non lodging, good ratooning behavior and fit for average soil and input conditions

21.

CPF-246

2011

105

12.15

12.60

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Other than riverine areas of Punjab

Medium maturing, non lodging, good ratooner and responding well in higher input conditions

22.

CPF-247

2011

105

12.25

12.86

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Other than riverine areas of Punjab

Medium maturing, fast growing, good tillering, non-lodging, excellent ratooner and responded well to average inputs

23.

CPF-248

2013

112

12.71

14.32

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Other than riverine areas of Punjab

Medium maturing

Good Tillering potential, non lodging behavior, good ratooner

24.

CPF-249

2016

116

12.46

14.48

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Other than riverine areas of Punjab

Medium maturing, tolerant to salinity, good growth

25

CPF-250

2019

111.3

12.72

14.1

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab other than river belt areas and particularly for southern Punjab

 
  • Early maturing variety
  • Fast growing variety
  • Well suited for early crushing season
  • Non lodging

26

CPF-251

2019

108.05

13.2

14.3

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab other than river belt areas

 
  • Early maturing variety
  • Well suited for early crushing season
  • Also suitable for low fertile soils
  • Fast growing variety

27

CPF-252

2019

129.8

11.7

15.9

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab including river belt areas
  • Late maturing variety
  • Non lodging variety
  • Resistant to red rot disease
  • Recommended for harvesting in second fortnight of January
  • Particularly recommended and suitable for September plantation and intercropping

28

CPF-253

2019

116.7

12.54

14.6

i. September sowing

ii. February  sowing

Whole Punjab including river belt areas
  • Medium maturing variety
  • Resistant to red rot disease

 

Technologies Development

  • Development of 4 feet apart dual row trench planting technique
  • Post furrow deep ploughing technique
  • Alternate skip irrigation
  • Development of sugarcane implements (sugarcane ridger, combo sugarcane ridger, stubble shaver)
  • Advanced production technology for each sugarcane variety
  • Identification of infectious red rot race (Cf-718) in sugarcane growing areas of Punjab
  • Integrated weed management package of sugarcane
  • Comprehensive control measures of sugarcane diseases and insect pests
  • Site specific varietal distribution to overcome red rot incidence in sugarcane growing areas
  • Identification of mysterious disease white fly of sugarcane in sugarcane growing areas of Sindh & its control measures
  • Introduced drenching technique for fungicidal application to control Red rot under field condition
  • International collaboration to strengthen sugarcane breeding programme
  • Developed intercropping scheme of high value crops in sugarcane

Discovery of New Insects

  • Two new insect pests of sugarcane i.e. Early shoot borer,Chilo infuscatellus, and Sugarcane beetle,Euetheola humilis, are discovered in Punjab. An especial consideration is gi ven to early shoot borer and experiments are designed for its proper control.
  • Three new beneficial insects i.e. Telonomus(egg parasite of borers & pyrilla), Cotesia(borer’s larvae parasite), mite destroyer lady beetle (red mite eater) are identified for natural control.

International Collaboration

  • Sugarcane Research Station, Canal Point, USA
  • South African Sugarcane Research Institute

Publications

Around 600 research papers are published in national and international journal / proceedings, since 1973.

 

Name

Designation

E-mail

Contact No.

Sugarcane Research Institute, Faisalabad
Dr. Muhammad Kashif Munir
Chief Scientist
directorsugarcane@gmail.com
041-9201688
Dr. Babar Hussain Babar Principal Scientist babarhbabar@gmail.com 041-9201688
Dr. Muhammad Kamran Principal Scientist mkamran.uaf.pk@gmail.com 041-9201688
Dr. Abdul Majeed
Senior Scientist
041-9201688
Dr. Naeem Iqbal
Senior Scientist
 naeemiqbalveh@gmail.com
041-9201688
Dr. Muhammad Abdul Shakoor    Senior Scientist shakoorbadani@gmail.com 041-9201688
Dr. Syed Saqlain Hussain Senior Scientist saqlainssri@gmail.com 041-9201688
Naeem Fiaz Senior Scientist naeem_1732@yahoo.com 041-9201688
Dr. Mahmood-ul-Hussan
Senior Scientist
 muh.agr@gmail.com
041-9201688
Dr. Muhammad Akhlaq Mudassir Senior Scientist mudassirakhlaq@gmail.com 041-9201688
Saima Gulnaz
Senior Scientist
041-9201688
Dr. Mubashra Yasin
Scientific Officer
041-9200771
Salma Niaz
Scientific Officer
041-9200771
Muhammad Shahzad Afzal
Scientific Officer
041-9200771
Dr. Imran Rashid 
Scientific Officer
041-9200771
Muhammad Shafique Scientific Officer mian.shafique30@gmail.com 041-9200771
Binish Ali Scientific Officer binishali886@gmail.com 041-9200771
Ahsan Mubarak Scientific Officer ahsanmubarak9@gmail.com 041-9200771
Ahmad Jawad Scientific Officer ahmadjawad766@gmail.com 041-9200771

Sugarcane Research Station, Khanpur
Taj Muhammad Principal Scientist sakhanpur@gmail.com 068-5574088
Tauqeer Qadir
Scientific Officer
068-5574088
Asif Jamal Scientific Officer masifjamal2375@gmail.cm 068-5574088

Sugarcane Research Station, Murree
 
Scientific Officer
  

Facilities

Following are the facilities provided by the institute:

  • Pathology labortories
  • Sugarcane technology laboratory

Services

Introduction

  1. Provision of Sugarcane seed of approved varieties
  • Importance of quality seed.

For harvesting a good Sugarcane crop, Sugarcane seed having good yield potential with excellent recovery is the most important. Without which the yield target cannot be achieved. A study revealed that 1-12 % drop in yield is because of the absence of good quality seed.

  1. Free of cost advisory services, on all aspects of sugarcane crop, to cane growers and sugar mills
  2. Free of cost quality analysis of cane and Gur, for cane growers and sugar mills
  3. Training of sugar mills’ cane staff, farmers and extension workers etc.

Scope  

Sugarcane Research Institute, Faisalabad produce high yielding and good recovery varieties, which shows resistant against pest & diseases. This Institute also provide the guild line to the farmer at the field level.

How to vail the Service? 

Cane seed can be purchase from this Institute on the basis of “first come first get” so that new varieties seed can be available to the farmers up to the maximum extent. For this CNIC & Contact number will be provided for the same. Generally, new varieties seed is available in the months of February and September

Place/ Location

Sugarcane Research Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Jhang Road, Faisalabad

Contact of the Focal Person

Dr. Muhammad Kashif Munir  Naeem Fiaz
Chief Scientist, Sugarcane Research Institute, Faisalabad Senior Scientist, Sugarcane Research Institute, Faisalabad
Phone: 041-9201688  Phone: 0334-6295984
Email: directorsugarcane@gamil.com Email: naeemfiaz1732@gmail.com   

Allied Stations

Sugarcane Research Station, Khanpur

Introduction

The Sugarcane Research Section was established at Khanpur in 1959 under the Economic Botanist, Agricultural Research Station. The primary aim was to research sugarcane improvement, varietal development, and agronomic practices to enhance productivity in Southern Punjab. Recognizing its importance, the section was upgraded in 1983 to the present status of Sugarcane Research Station, Khanpur. Since then, it has been functioning under the umbrella of the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI), Faisalabad, and has played a vital role in the testing, evaluation, and dissemination of high-yielding sugarcane varieties across Punjab, especially contributing to improved cane yield, sugar recovery, and ratooning potential.

Objective

  1. Introduction and acclimatization of sugarcane varieties.
  2. Quantitative and qualitative improvement of sugarcane clone.
  3. To study the performance of promising sugarcane clones for high cane and sugar yield under extended growth period.
  4. To develop production technology of the promising clones.
  5. To study the Ratoon-ability of the promising clones.
  6. Seed multiplication of approved and recommended varieties.

Achievements

 
  • This Station played a vital role in the approval of FDP-254 Sugarcane variety.
  • The station introduces intercropping of different crops e.g., wheat, raya, onion and garlic in sugarcane crop under South Punjab condition.
  • Provided latest production technology of 4 feet sugarcane planting to local farmers.  
  • The station provided quality seed of sugarcane to farmers of South Punjab and Sindh.

Present research activities

Varietal trials

  • National uniform trial.
  • Preliminary Varietal trial.
  • Semifinal Varietal trial.
  • Final Varietal trial.                                        
  • Autumn planted varietal trial.
  • Zonal varietal trial

Agronomic trials                

  • Ratoonability of promising sugarcane clones
  • Sowing method trials of sugarcane
  • Management practices to control lodging
  • Intercropping Trials of Sugarcane Wheat/Raya/Vegetables
  • Fertilizer application Research Trials 
  • Sugarcane seed multiplication.
 

Focal Person
Taj Muhammad
Principal Scientist (BPS-19)

Contact No.

0301-7427040, 068-8574088
address Sugarcane Research Station, Chak No.04/P Near Rangers Public School Khanpur Distt. Rahim Yar Khan
 

Sugarcane Breeding Sub-Station, Murree

Sugarcane Breeding Sub-Station (SBSS) was established in 1950s. This sub-station is situated in Murree and holds 6.5 Acres of leased agricultural land at two experimental sites – Charrapani and Pail. It is situated in northern mountainous region (Murree, Punjab) of Pakistan at latitude of 33.849o North and altitude of 400m. The site offers relatively suitable environmental conditions for fuzz production.

Research Activities

Following are the research activities of the station:

Production of elite clones that are widely adapted to most parts of the country with significant higher yield and sucrose content.

Contact Us

Scientific Officer
 

Contact Us

Chief Scientist
Sugarcane Research Institute, Faisalabad
Phone: +92-41-9201688
Fax: +92-41-2651142