The operation of tying the leaves together using the bottom dry and green leaves is known as propping. It is primarily done to check lodging of cane. Usually the trash without removing from the cane is twisted to form a sort of rope and cane stalks are tied together. This is known as trash-twist propping. Propping can be either done for each row or two rows can be brought together and tied.

In India bamboo poles are used and propping is done in certain pockets, but it is too expensive. In areas where cane top growth is heavy and wind velocities are high, propping is very much necessary to prevent lodging. This is because lodging leads to several problems:

• Cane breakage and thus loss of stalk number at harvest and thus loss of cane yield
• Infestation of certain pests and diseases causing microbes through lodged and damaged canes
• Damage by rats and rodents
• Bud sprouting leading to reduced cane quality
• Aerial root formation which also affects cane quality
• Difficulty in inspection of driplines and harvesting

In the Picture: Propping in sugarcane prevents lodging and minimizes pests