Novonesis CaneShakti™: A Boost for sugarcane farmers and mills in Karnataka
Novonesis launched CaneShakti™, a biostimulant for sugarcane in Karnataka, India. Field trials indicate over 15% higher yields and 2–3% improved sugar recovery. The product enhances plant resilience, nutrient uptake, and stress tolerance, supporting farmers and sugar mills.
Novonesis, a leading global biosolutions provider recently launched CaneShakti™, a biostimulant developed for the sugarcane ecosystem, in Belagavi, the sugar bowl of Karnataka. Designed to help improve crop performance and resilience, CaneShakti™ enters the market after half a decade of rigorous field validation, marking this as a science-backed innovation for sugarcane growers and mills alike.
“Novonesis is proud to bring CaneShakti™ to support India’s sugarcane farmers,” says Puneeth Kumar KT, Business Director – Planetary Health Biosolutions, South Asia at Novonesis. “The launch comes at a critical time as the sector seeks solutions that can improve farm productivity, strengthen crop resilience, and enhance mill-level recovery, amid changing climatic and geo-political conditions. This underscores Novonesis’ continued commitment to drive impact across India’s sugarcane value chain”.
Shanmugam Sambanthan, Head- Agriculture (South Asia, Middle East and Africa), Novonesis said, “This is a promising step for sugarcane innovation. At Novonesis we believe in science-backed action, as seen by our rigorous field validation for CaneShakti™. With flexible application methods, and demonstrated benefits for both farmers and mills, CaneShakti™ represents an important innovation for the sugarcane ecosystem. Its launch in Karnataka marks a promising first step toward improving productivity, resilience, and value creation for sugarcane in India.”
Benefits for Farmers and Sugar Mills
For farmers, CaneShakti™ offers the potential for more than 15% higher yields. Beyond yields, CaneShakti™ also supports improved plant vigor and better tolerance to stress conditions such as heat and drought. In practical terms, this can help improve the reliability and profitability of sugarcane cultivation.
For sugar mills, the increase in sugar recovery by 2-3% is very meaningful. Higher cane availability, better crop quality, and improved recovery can all contribute to stronger operational performance. When scaled across a large area, these gains can support more efficient raw material sourcing and potentially improve mill-level output.
Strong Field Results Backed by Validation
Over five years, the technology has been tested under practical conditions across G00+ acres, helping validate its performance in real farming environments.
How CaneShakti™ works on the crop
This technology is based on a plant signalling protein derived from naturally occurring bacteria. According to the product’s technical profile, it works by initiating a complex set of metabolic responses in the treated plant, triggering natural gene expression and activating the plant’s own growth and defense systems. This makes the product distinct from conventional inputs, as its efficacy is based on the ability to stimulate the plant’s internal mechanisms rather than acting externally alone.
CaneShakti activates both Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) and Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) responses simultaneously. Once applied, the plant signalling proteins bind to plant receptors and trigger a chain of signalling pathways that support crop vigor and resilience.
The result includes improvements in photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, root development, plant growth, and tolerance to abiotic stress. For sugarcane farmers in India, these traits are especially valuable because the crop is long-duration, input-intensive, and highly sensitive to environmental stress during key growth phases.
Launch Event in Belagavi
At the event, stakeholders saw live crop demonstrations, which emerged as one of the major highlights. These demonstrations helped translate technical claims into visible field outcomes, generating strong interest among participants from the sugar industry.
The launch brought together key stakeholders from 20 leading sugar mills, collectively influencing nearly G lakh acres of sugarcane cultivation. The event also saw the participation of representatives from reputed sugarcane research institute who had conducted trials of Caneshakti and shared their positive experience, further strengthening the technical credibility of the platform. The enthusiasm, interaction, and positive feedback from the audience made the launch a clear success.
Sugarcane farmers and mills are under increasing pressure from rising ethanol blending demand, climate volatility, and shrinking arable land. Erratic weather, drought, and water stress are impacting yields and supply consistency, while evolving ethanol economics continue to challenge mill profitability. In this environment, CaneShakti offers a science-backed solution enhancing root development, improving nutrient efficiency, and strengthening tolerance to abiotic stress. By enabling higher yields and improved sugar recovery, it supports a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable sugarcane value chain, helping the industry meet growing demand with greater confidence and stability.
Link: phb.explore.novonesis.com/l/1089612/2026-04-02/4pc6zc
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Source : ChiniMandi
