The present study on drip irrigation in sugarcane was undertaken to assess crop yield, quality of juice, nutrient uptake and its utilization efficiency, irrigation water use efficiency, and soil moisture status for two crop years at the Research Farm of Water Management, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidhyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra (long. 19°45' to 19°57' north; lat. 74°18' to 74°65' east), India. Drip irrigation at 2-, 3-, and 4-day intervals produced 20, 16 and 13% higher cane yield than furrow irrigation at 75 mm cumulative pan evaporation (CPE) in which the cane yield was 131.4 t ha-1. During the crop growth period, soil moisture depletion was 34-46% in furrow-irrigated treatment and 5-20% in drip-irrigated treatment. Similarly, 108% higher irrigation water use efficiency was achieved in 2-day drip irrigation over furrow irrigation in which the irrigation water efficiency was 787 kg ha-1 cm. Fertilization through drip improved agronomic efficiency, physiological efficiency, and apparent recovery considerably more than furrow irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]