This document provides information about sugarcane, including its origins, cultivation, economic importance, and breeding. It notes that sugarcane originated in the Old World and is now the main source of sugar production. India has the largest area of sugarcane cultivation and is the top producer of sugar. Sugarcane is an economically important cash crop. The document also describes different species of sugarcane and methods used for breeding, including nobilisation, selfing, and various hybridization techniques.
2. INTRODUCTION
● The word succharum derived from sanskrit word sarkara means sugar.
● It the main source of of sugar and holds prominent position as a cash
crop.
● India has the largest area under cultivation in world & rank 1st in sugar
production.
● Over 62% cultivation of sugarcane is in uttar pradesh & maharashtra.
● Sugarcane is one of the main crop of earning foreign exchange.
3. Economic importance.
● 62 % of world’s sugar is made from cane. India alone required 16 to 20
million tons.Sugar industry is the largest agro based industry next only to
textile in India. At present there are 450 sugar factories, average
productivity is 14.2 million tons.Average sugar recovery of 11%.
● There are four main by products of economics importance
● Bagasses,can tops, filter mud/presmud,molasses
5. They have six species of perennial grasses all of which originated
in old world and only two are occurring in a wild state i.e
S.spontaneum and S.robustum
● The other four species are cultigens:
● S.officinarum - Noble cane of New guinea.
● S.barberi - North Indian canes
● S.sinensis - Chinese cane.
● S.edule - Melenesian cane.
6. Saccharum spontaneum (2n = 40 - 128)
Saccharum spontaneum (2n = 40 - 128)
● A perennial grass, free tillering, often with Rhizomes. S.spontaneum
represents a polyploid series.
● Natural hybridization with S.officinarum would have produced
S.barberi and S.sinense
● Used in breeding programmes through nobilisation with
S.officinarum.
● Spontaneum provides vigour, hardiness and resistance against
diseases.
7. Saccharum robustum : (2n = 60 - 194)
● Origin is New guinea
● Vigorous perennial.
● Robustum would have given rise to S.officinarum with which it is
interfertile.
● S.robustum is highly susceptible to mosaic virus and leaf scale and
because of this its use in breeding programmes is very much
limited.
8. Saccharum officinarum (2n = 80)
Origin : South pacific.
● Chewing cane.
● Noble cane
● This cane is suited to tropical conditions and requires favourable soil
and climate.
● The stems are stout thick high in sucrose, low in fibre and with soft rind.
● The noble canes are susceptible to most of the diseases. Some of the
earlier cultivars are Bourbon, Cheribon noble canes.
9. S. barberi (2n = 82 – 124)
● S.barberi is short medium to slender in thickness, with high fibre content,
medium sucrose content and poor yielder.
S.sinense : (2n = 18)
● Chinese cane. Tall vigorous, slender, high fibre content. Poor juice quality.
S.edule : Polynesian cane (2n = 118)
● Slender, weed like form. Seeds are edible. Not much used.
10. ● It is above ground portion of the plant which
bears leaves and flower.
● A small portion of the stalk is below ground
which is called as rootstock.
● At each node there is a bud sometimes known
as eye appearing on opposite sides of the cane.
● The stalk consist of segments called joints Each
joint is make up of a node and an internode.
Stalk
11. ● Divided into two parts – sheath and
blade The sheath is attached to the
stalk by a basal ring and completely
clasps the stalk.
● The leaf blade is long, flat, structure
varying from one to one and a half
meters in length and 5 -7 cm wide.
Leaves
13. ● The inflorescence of a sugarcane generally called the
“ Arrow” .
● It is an open panicle flower have both male and
female organs but not all produce fertile pollen.
● Sugarcane usually flower at age of 10-12 month but
some varieties in north India do not flower at all cane
produced from seed is not so vigorous but this
important for breeders
Inflorescence
14. NOBILISATION IN SUGARCANE
Nobilisation is crossing the noble cane S. officinarum with S.barberi,
S.spontaneum and infusing disease and pest resistance in the noble cane.
● The first successful use of nobilisation was made and variety cheribon was
crossed with S.barberi variety and progenies having resistance to sereh
disease were evolved. Susceptible to mosaic and inferior in sucrose content.
● By subsequent crossing with S.officinarum i.e. second and third nobilisation
good varieties like POJ 2878 were evolved.
15. BREEDING OBJECTIVES FOR SUGARCANE
Breeding varieties suitable for Jaggery making.
● Breeding varieties for factory purposes - high Brix value.
● Breeding varieties resistant to shoot borer.
● Breeding varieties resistance to disease shoot disease, Rust, Brown spot.
● Breeding varieties with high ratooning ability.
● Breeding varieties with drought resistance.
● Breeding varieties with more number of productive tillers.
● Varieties with shorter duration without yield.
16. BREEDING THE SUGARCANE
Cross pollination is the rule in sugarcane.
● Self male and female sterility, protogyny and hanging down of anthers away
from the stigma at the time of anthesis promote self pollination.
● Stigma protrudes out first and anthers dehisce afterwards. Flower opening
will be from top to downwards. It will take about 10 days for complete
opening of spikelets.
● Flowering in sugarcane is location specific and influenced by environment.
Natural pollination is by wind.
17. SELFING
Selfing is done by covering the arrow with a bamboo frame work or cage
which is covered with muslin cloth or polythene paper (the lantern).
● It prevents accidental cross pollination. The lantern has to be
supported by bamboo poles.
● The lantern has to be opened once in a day to reduce the
temperature that might build up inside during the day time.
● Usually the cover has to be retained in position till the seeds are set.
● Within one week or 10 days we can get selfed seeds.
18. CROSSING
Hybridization is very difficult because: It is mostly vegetatively propagated. Some
varieties seldom flowers outside tropics.
Some varieties flowers once in 6 to 8 months. It is highly controlled by
photoperiods. Spikelets are minute.
So, hand emasculation is not possible. Self sterility of both pollen and ovule
predominates in almost in all the varieties.
Hot water treatment can not possible.
20. COIMBATORE METHOD
During flowering period, the sugarcane stem will be cut leaving one or two buds.
● The cut stem can be transferred to a mud pot having moist mud.
● Within 10 days the buds will develop into roots and there will be good root
system. This can be transferred to the breeding block.
● In the crossing block, the male and female plants are covered with common
lantern.
● Free shedding pollen over female plant will occur. We can harvest both
selfed and crossed seeds from the female parent.
● The selfed seeds can be identified by chromosome number by raising it in
the nursery. Selfed seeds thus removed retaining crossed seeds.
21.
22. MARCOTTING METHOD
During flowering, cut around the stem and tie a polythene bag with
nutrients (growth medium).
■ The bud near cut end give rise to roots.
■ This can be cut and used for hybridization purposes.
■ This method is called marcotting.
23.
24. LANTERN METHOD
Providing Lantern for a female plant before anthesis starts.
● From the desired male parent cut the arrow.
● That arrow can be introduced into the Lantern and shaken up and thereby
crossing can be affected.
● This will be repeated for 2-3 days in order to have more seed set.
25.
26. HAWAII METHOD
(SULFUROUS ACID TECHNIQUE)
Both male and female flowering arrows are cut along with small portion of stem.
● These cut end will be immersed in a vessel containing 0.01% sulphuric acid
and 0.01% phosphoric acid.
● The cut end at the lab is brought nearer and effect cross pollination. They
absorb the weak acids.
● A weak solution is added daily to replace the acid taken by stem.
● Once in a week, the solution is completely changed. This is done for 20-30
days.
● During this time, the seed will mature.
27. Cont…
● In a modified method of the Hawaii method, the female plant alone is
cut and kept in weak acid at the time of flowering the male parent can
be brought nearer and the pollen can be shed by shaking as done in
Lantern method.
