The purpose of the Crop Improvement and Protection (CIP) Program is to develop and promote demand-driven CIP related technologies and innovations for enhanced sugar productivity, profitability, sustainability and competitiveness of the sugar industry. The program is made up of the following sub programs:

 

• Plant breeding & biotechnology

The broad objective  is breeding superior sugar-cane varieties and genotypes; and the collection, conservation, evaluation and documentation of sugar-cane genetic resources. Since its inception it has developed 21 Improved sugarcane varieties mainly KEN selections.

 

• Agronomy

This manipulates climatic, edaphic and environmental management to suit high and sustainable sugarcane and sugar related crops productivities in collaboration with other stakeholders .It aims to address the following constraints; declining soil fertility, ineffective crop husbandry practices, intermittent moisture stress, continuous sugarcane monoculture. The subprogram advocates for the best management practices (BMP) for improved and sustained productivity

 

• Crop protection

The aim of crop protection is to focus on the control of pests, diseases, nematodes and weeds of sugarcane and other related crops. This subprogram focuses on the integration of various control mechanisms with a view to determining effective, affordable and environmentally friendly approaches

 

• Agrometeorology

Climate variability leads to economic and food security risks throughout the world because of the direct influences on agricultural productivity. Increasing severity of climate variability is one of the major reasons for the low level of sugarcane productive in Kenya. The sub program develops effective methods for communicating probabilistic forecasts and interventions needed to integrate with other inputs and management decisions for maximized production of sugarcane

Program services
The program provides the following services to KALRO-SRI and stakeholders:

• Seed cane, 

High quality and clean seedcane material   is  a presiquisite for increased productvity.  Sub program ensures that clean seedcane sugarcane varieties  of true to type  is a vailed to cane growers
 

• Soil and plant tissue analysis

Aims to détermine the fertiliser type and rate for efficient use of the fertiliser
 

• Consultancy services.