Check maturity with a hand refractometer: 18–20% brix shows optimum maturity, and the top-to-bottom brix ratio should be 1:1. Harvest early varieties at 10–11 months and mid-season varieties at 11–12 months, at peak maturity, cutting the cane at ground level.
Pending expert review
Source
Crop Production Guide – Agriculture 2020 (Directorate of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu & Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU)), Sugarcane – Assessing maturity; harvesting, p. 301
