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Variability in Breeding Pool of Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) for Yield, Quality and Resistance to Different Biotic and Abiotic Stress Factors

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Abstract

The understanding on the available genetic variability in the breeding pool aids the breeder to choose better parental combinations for the desired genetic improvement in crop plants. The variability present in the National Hybridisation Garden (NHG) of sugarcane in India at Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore with an assemblage of 606 clones of sugarcane cultivars and other elite hybrids were studied for cane yield components, juice quality parameters and their level of resistance against red rot. The data on smut resistance, tolerance to stalk borer and tolerance to different abiotic stresses like drought, salinity, water logging, low temperature, high temperature and winter ratooning ability of these clones to be used parental clones were collected from the available literature. Significant leptokurtic distribution for the cane characters and right skewed distribution for juice quality traits were observed in this breeding pool. Correlation studies indicated that selection of parents contributing to high cane height and high number of millable canes (NMC) would result in progeny with high single cane weight (SCW) and cane yield because, the SCW was negatively correlated with NMC and cane thickness. Clones with high per se performance for important yield contributing characters were identified which are potential parents for yield improvement. For sucrose content, a highly heritable trait in sugarcane, nineteen clones with high juice sucrose of more than 20 % were found to be suitable as parents for quality enhancement. One hundred and thirty-seven clones were found as either resistant (R) or moderately Rto the most virulent races of red rot pathogen by testing with mixed inoculum of Cf 671 and Cf 94012 isolates. Screening of the clones for pollen fertility inferred that NHG has higher number of clones that can be used as female parent than as male parent. The synchrony in flowering of female and male parental clones with desirable traits of interest and the combining ability of the clones are also discussed in this paper. The critical consideration of the different parameters in choosing suitable parental clones in crossing programme will help in rapid varietal improvement for cane and sugar yield as well as to enhance the resistance against different biotic and abiotic stresses for increased sugarcane productivity.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Dr. N. Vijayan Nair, Director Sugarcane Breeding Institute for necessary facilities and Dr. G. Hemaprabha, Head, Breeding Section, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore for the logistic support and suggestions given during the course of the present study.

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  1. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, 641 007, India

    A. Anna Durai, M. N. Premachandran, P. Govindaraj, P. Malathi & R. Viswanathan

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  1. A. Anna Durai
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  2. M. N. Premachandran
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  3. P. Govindaraj
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  4. P. Malathi
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  5. R. Viswanathan
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Correspondence to A. Anna Durai.

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Anna Durai, A., Premachandran, M.N., Govindaraj, P. et al. Variability in Breeding Pool of Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) for Yield, Quality and Resistance to Different Biotic and Abiotic Stress Factors. Sugar Tech 17, 107–115 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-014-0301-x

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