To design a suitable subsurface drip irrigation system for sugarcane, an experiment was conducted at the Khuzestan Sugarcane Research and Training Institute. This experiment utilized a split-plot design within a completely randomized block framework with three replications. The main factor was mulch management at two levels: removal of plant residues through burning and retention of sugarcane residues on the soil surface after harvesting. The subplot factor was the installation depth of the drippers at three levels: 15 cm, 25 cm, and 35 cm. The main and interaction effects of the treatments on both the quantitative and qualitative performance of the first ratoon sugarcane were investigated. Quantitative performance parameters included stalk weight as yield and the total weight of stalks, leaves, and tops as total biomass. Qualitative parameters included POL, Brix, syrup purity, brown sugar yield, and sugar yield. According to the results, increasing the depth of dripper installation resulted in reduced yield due to moisture accumulation in a zone below the effective root depth. Additionally, the use of mulch reduced quantitative performance for biomass and Water Use Efficiency (WUE) by 14.89%, 17.8%, and 14.9%, respectively. Furthermore, the 25 cm installation depth showed better results compared to other dripper installation depths, with a yield of 132.6 ton ha-1, biomass of 231.1 ton ha-1, and a WUE of 6.4 kg m-3 under non-mulch conditions, and a yield of 111.4 ton ha-1, biomass of 193.5 ton ha-1, and a WUE of 5.36 kg m-3 under plant residue management conditions. Meanwhile, the presence of mulch led to a non-significant increase in some qualitative parameters, as brown sugar yield and Brix increased in all treatments despite the use of mulch.It is noteworthy that the presence of mulch caused a statistically insignificant but observable increase in certain qualitative parameters. Specifically, the presence of mulch resulted in increased brown sugar yield and Brix levels across all treatments.