Sugarcane breeding

1. Sugarcane
2n = 80 Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Saccharum
Species: S. officinarum
Binomial name
Saccharum officinarum L.

2. Importance:-
The word sugarcane is derived from Sanskrit word “shakkara”
meaning sugar.
Sugarcane propagated vegetatively through sets.
It is an important agricultural cash crop in tropical and subtropical
region of the world.

5. The main product of
sugarcane is sucrose,
which accumulates in
the stalk internodes,
80% of sugar comes
from sugarcane and
the rest from sugar
beet.

6. Types of sugars

7. Sugarcane provides industrial raw material for sugar
allied industries such as acetic acid, paper, ply wood,
industrial enzymes, animal feed, and as a source of
renewable energy.

8. Sugarcane- origin- 6000 BC
There are two centers of domestication for sugarcane:
 Saccharum officinarum by Papuans in New Guinea
Saccharum sinense by Austronesians in Taiwan and
southern China.
 Saccharum barberi was only cultivated in India after the
introduction of S. officinarum.

10. Global distribution of sugarcane
Sugarcane crop covering 22 million hectares worldwide.
Brazil and India are the main producers which account
for 60 % of the world’s cane production.

11. In India, sugarcane occupying around 5
million hectares.
The main producing states – Uttar pradesh,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
and Gujarat.

12. Taxonomy
Sugarcane geneticists have adopted the term
‘Saccharum’ complex, originally coined by Mukherjee
(1957) to describe a subset of genera within Saccharinae
closely related to Saccharum to have contributed to its
genetic background.
Genera within the Saccharum complex include Erianthus,
Miscanthus, Narenga, Saccharum, and Sclerostachya.
Using DNA sequences to assess the interrelationships of
genera within the Saccharum complex concluded that
Saccharum and Miscanthus are more closely allied to each
other than they are to other genera.

13. Saccharum’ complex

15. Origin of sugarcane

17. Breeding objectives:-
1. High cane yield / weight of individual cane.
2. Moderate to high sucrose content
3. Early to full season maturity
4. Resistance to diseases.
a) Red rot b) Smut c) Wilt d) Mosaic
e) Ratoon – stunting disease f) Grassy – shoot
5. Resistance / tolerance to insect pests
a) Shoot borer b) Cane borer c) Pyrilla d) Mealy bugs
e) White flies f) Termites g) White grub
6. Tolerance to abiotic stresses
a) Drought b) Salinity c) Flooding d) High
temperature
7. Wider adaptability

18. 8. Diameter of the stem: Uniform stems and medium or
large diameters that do not break easily in order to
increase yield and reduce waste on mechanized
harvesting.
9. Growth speed and tillering: The varieties should have
fast initial development, good tillering, and proper canopy
closure of intervals between plants, minimizing the
competition with infesting weeds.
10. Fibre content: Fibre has been important for the
generation of electric power to address the needs of
power plants and distilleries, as well as for the sale of
surplus energy. The ideal quantity of fibres ranges
between 12 and 13 %.

19. 11. Absence of flowering: Excessive flowering can cause
losses in the quality of the raw material due to the
isoporization of the stems, increase of fibre content and
lateral bud germination, reduction of the juice extracted
by the mills, and paralyzation of the development of the
flowered stems, causing reduction of productivity.
12. Erect growing habit: This trait is important for
mechanization as well as the manual harvest.
13. Sprouting: The yield of the stalks of sugarcane
decreases each cut. In breeding programs and also
commercial areas, it is desirable that cultivars show high
ability to sprout after cutting.

20. Arrowing in Sugarcane

23. Procedure of clonal
selection in asexually
propagated crops

24. Hybridization: Three basic types of crosses are made
•Biparental crosses:- These are the crosses resulting from
two known parental clones. This is easily achieved by
bringing together the two parents in an isolated area or
under lanterns
•Area crosses: In this system several male sterile female
clones are pollinated by one male parent in an isolated
area.
•Melting pot crosses: Melting pot crosses or polycrosses
are made by bringing together arrows of large number of
superior / potential parental cultivars in an isolated area.
Natural cross pollination is allowed.
•This procedure allows the evaluation of breeding behavior
of a large number of clones at a minimum expense.

27. The cultivated varieties of sugarcane (complex hybrids)
are developed by using S. officinarum, the noble
sugarcanes; S. barberi, the Indian sugarcanes; S. sinense,
the Chinese sugarcane; and two wild species, viz. S.
spontaneum and S. robustum germplasm.
The genes for sucrose accumulation in modern
sugarcane varieties are derived from S. officinarum, S.
barberi, and S. sinense.
The wild species has contributed disease resistance,
tolerance to environmental stress, and higher yield
potential through higher biomass production.
S. officinarum with S. spontaneum (nobilization) and
produced a commercial variety, Co. 205 in the first
generation.

29. Genetic base-broadening through “nobilization”

31. 2. Breeding for resistance to diseases:-
Red rot:- It is a major problem in sub-tropical countries. The major
sugarcane varieties which are found to be resistant to this disease are
Co 1148, 1336, 6304, Co 5659, CoS 698 etc.
Smut: Serious disease in many sugarcane growing countries resistant
commercial varieties in India are Co 449, 527, 853, 1148, 1336.
3. Mutation Breeding:
Many mutation breeding programmed with X – rays and gamma – rays
were started during early sixties in India.
•Mutation breeding in sugarcane aims at creating economic mutants
for higher cane yield, non – flowering and resistance to various
diseases such as redrot, smut, downy mildew and to various insect
borers.
•Gamma-rays as well as chemical mutagens such as EMS are applied
mostly on buds.

33. 4. Abiotic stress tolerance / resistance:-
•Common abiotic stresses for sugarcane as in other
crops are drought, flooding, salinity, high
temperature freezing temperature

34. CHARACTERISTICS GENERA/ SPECIES
Tolerance/ resistance to drought S. spontaneum, Narenga spp., Erianthus spp.
Tolerance/ resistance to water
logging
S. robustum and S. Spontaneum
Tolerance/ resistance to cold
(performance at high altitude)
Miscanthus nepalensis, E. fulvus
S.spontaneum, S. Barberi
Tolerance/ resistance to salinity Erianthus spp., S. barberi, S. sinense,
S. Robustum
High nutrient use efficiency S. spontaneum (JK 76-20, SES 24, IS
760164)
S. Robustum ( 51 NG 27), S. sinense
(Khadya),
S. officinarum (UB-16)
Low nutrient requirement S. spontaneum, Erianthus spp.
Robust growth under low input
conditions
Erianthus spp.
Saccharum species and related genera which may impart tolerance/
resistance to abiotic stresses and nutrient use efficiency in sugarcane

35. Three-Tier Seed Programme
This programme is mainly based on heat therapy.
i) Breeder Seed Cane: Genetically pure apparently healthy seed cane is
taken from a plant crop unaffected with water logging, drought and
insect pests. This seed cane is subjected to moist hot air treatment
(MHAT) at 54oC and 95% RH for 4.0 hours. While for Hot water
treatment temperature should be 500 C for 2.0-2.5 hours. The sets are
treated with recommended fungicide before planting also examined to
remove infected ones or with damaged buds. The crop is inspected at
monthly intervals from the germination stage till harvest.
ii) Foundation Seed Cane: All the operations, except heat therapy,
applied for raising breeder seed cane, are also applied for raising
foundation seed. The crop is inspected three times, first after 45-60 days
of planting, second after 120-130 days and third 15 days before harvest.
iii) Certified Seed cane: Certified seed cane is also raised and no heat
treatment is given to the seed obtained from foundation seed crop. The
25% of crop is inspected during first inspection and only 10% crop during
the course of second and third inspections.

37. Method of
propagation
Sugarcane is a
vegetatively
propagated crop
and is cultivated
through stem
cuttings using 3-
budded 'setts'.

42. Inspired by the success of 'System of
Rice Intensification' under WWF-ICRISAT
project, Biksham Gujja and his Team
extended this concept to sugarcane and
the 'Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative‘
(SSI) was born.

43. Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI)
Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative is a method of sugarcane
production that involves the use of less seeds, less water and
optimum utilization of fertilizers and land to achieve more
yields.
The major principles that govern SSI are:
• Raising nursery using single budded chips.
• Transplanting young seedlings (25-35 days old).
• Maintaining wide spacing (5X2 feet) in the main field.
• Providing sufficient moisture and avoiding inundation of
water.
• Encouraging organic method of nutrient and plant
protection measures.
• Practicing intercropping for effective utilization of land.

49. Advantages
Less seed, fertiliser and water
Farm-based method using targeted inputs
Encouragement of inter-crops
Improves productivity of land, water and
labor - all at the same time
Climate-, ecosystem- and socially-friendly
Opens up new business opportunities

50. Comparison between Conventional and SSI methods of
Sugarcane Cultivation

52. Micropropagation or In vitro propagation

53. Merits of Micropropagation
1. Quick multiplication (1 shoot apex: several thousand
plants)
2. Disease-free material
3. True-to-type plants
4. Easier transport
5. Low gestation period for exploiting new varieties
6. Rejuvenation of old varieties
7. Germplasm storage
8. Micropropagated plants are more vigorous, give higher
cane yield and sucrose %.
9. The quality of seed produced by this technique can be
maintained for 3- 5 years with proper monitoring.

54. Sugarcane micropropagation by temporary immersion
systems.
(a) Recipient for automated temporary immersion (RITA™),
(b) gravity immersion bioreactor (GIB),
(c) Temporary Immersion Bioreactor (TIB) and
(d) (d) SETIS™ bioreactor, after 30 d of incubation.
Temporary immersion system (TIS) - Semiautomated
means of micro propagation

55. Numerous studies report on the improvement of
drought tolerance in sugarcane through transgenesis with
differing rates of success.
The first approval to commercially grow a GM sugarcane
crop was given to Indonesia in 2013 (ISAAA, 2015).
The approved GM sugarcane crop was transformed with
the EcBetA gene from Escherichia coli. The product of the
EcBetA gene is the enzyme choline dehydrogenase, which
catalyzes the production of the osmoprotectant “glycine
betaine” and confers tolerance to drought stress.
Transgenic approach

56. Energy canes
Energy cane is sugarcane that is modified to become more
productive for biofuel and biochemical manufacturing, as
well as for renewable energy generation.
Energy cane has been divided into Type I and Type II types
based on its sugar and fiber content.
Type I energy cane contains comparable level of sugar
(>13%) but higher fiber content (>17%) than conventional
sugarcane.
Type II energy cane has marginal sugar content (<5%) but
very high fiber content (>30%) and is exclusively bred for
biomass production.
Lignin content in Type I and Type II energy canes was
slightly more than that of conventional sugarcane.

57. Energy canes

58. With lignocellulosic conversion of bagasse
into ethanol, year round production of
alcohol is feasible with captive energy cane
plantations.
 The energy canes developed are capable
of growing in marginal and abiotic stress
condition where any food crop cannot be
cultivated economically

59. •Erianthus arundinaceus and Saccharum spontaneum have
contributed significantly to the energy cane development.

62. Varieties used in breeding to impart desirable traits to the
progeny
TRAIT VARIETY(IES)
Sucrose content M336, PR 1000, CP33-224, Co 281, PR1140
Cold resistance CP 1165
Salt tolerance Co 453
Drought tolerance PR 980, Co 312
Lodging resistance Q27
Erectness CP38-34, CP66-346, CP52-68
(also transmits mosaic susceptibility)
Smut resistance Co 419, Co 453, Co 603
Red rot resistance Co 475, Co 980, Co 1227
Leaf scald CB 38-22
Leaf scald, gumming disease, Fiji disease
and Mosaic resistance
Co 290
Diatraea resistance and red strip
susceptibility
US 1694
Wide adaptation PoJ 2878, Nco 310

63. Breeding centres:-
1.Sugarcane breeding institute, Coimbatore
2.Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow
3.State sugarcane research stations, such as shahjahanpur (UP),
Seorali, (Deoria) (UP), Pusa (Bihar), Padegaon (Maharashtra) and
Anakapalli, Uyyur and Perumallapalli (AP).
Drought : Co 285, Co 740, Co 997, Co 1148
Frost : Co 1148, N Co 310
Salinity : Co 453, Co 62125
Lodging : Co 6304, Co 7117, CoS 7918
Water logging : Co 1157, Co 975, Co 785, Bo 91, Bo 104,
Bo 106, Bo 109
Top borer : Co J 67, Co 1158
Inter nodal borer : Co C 671, Co 975
Red rot : Co 7627, Co J 64, CoR 8001.

64. Limitations to conventional breeding
Complex genome
Variable chromosome number
Rare flowering habit
Narrow genetic base
Poor fertility
Susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses
Long duration to breed elite cultivars.

65. Constraints in sugarcane varietal improvement
1. Limited use of genetic resources in breeding
2. Problems in using germplasm due to flowering
synchrony
3. Constraints in breeding for disease resistant
specially red rot
4. Photo and thermo-sensitivity
5. Lack of genetic information
6. Meiotic irregularities during reproduction
7. Highly heterozygous and complex polyploid
nature