ABSTRACT
Ensuring and exploiting the genetic diversity of sugarcane Anna L. Hale, USDA-ARS, USA; Phillip Jackson, CSIRO, Australia; and James R. Todd, USDA-ARS, USA
1 Introduction
2 Germplasm collections
3 Introgression of Saccharum spontaneum
4 Introgression of Erianthus
5 Introgression of other genera and species
6 Conclusions and future trends
7 Where to look for further information
8 References
Modern sugarcane (Saccharum spp.; 2n = 100 = 130) cultivars are derived from interspecific hybridization, primarily involving Saccharum officinarum L. and Saccharum spontaneum, L. (Ming et al. 2006). In the late 1800s, breeders in Java, Indonesia, recognized the value of interspecific hybrids and began to intentionally hybridize the two species. The interspecific hybrids were considerably more vigorous than the noble canes (Saccharum officinarum) that were being grown commercially at the time. Furthermore, these early hybrids were resistant to the sereh disease (a putative virus of uncertain etiology), which was severely affecting the local industry. Interspecific cultivars from early hybridization efforts in Java and India were imported into every major sugarcane-producing country and almost completely replaced noble cane cultivars worldwide. The majority of cultivars in current commercial sugarcane breeding programmes trace back to a few key interspecific hybrids that were developed during the early 1900s.
