ABSTRACT
Although sugarcane has been undergoing the process of selection for thousands of years, modern controlled breeding of sugarcane dates back to the 1880s (reviewed in Roach 1989). The ability of sugarcane to produce sexual offspring was initially observed in Barbados in 1858, but was not then exploited for breeding. Later, nearly simultaneous observations in Java in 1885 and in Barbados in 1888 initiated an interest in modern sugarcane breeding. The first crosses were made amongst Saccharum officinarum genotypes. Controlled interspecific crossing and nobilization (backcrossing to S. officinarum) began in Java soon thereafter as a way to introgress disease resistance from wild species (such as S. spontaneum) into an S. officinarum background and was performed in response to an outbreak of sereh disease, now thought to be caused by a virus. The breeding took place at Proofstation Oest Java, and the varieties were given the prefix POJ. POJ hybrids displayed a marked increase in vigour (biomass), ratooning ability and disease resistance compared to the traditional ‘noble’ (S. officinarum) canes used for sugar production. These hybrids were exported to other sugar-growing regions beginning in the 1920s and had a major impact on cane sugar production (Dodds 1938; Roach 1989; Gravois and Bischoff 2008). In addition, breeding programmes were established around the world. Today, active sugarcane crossing and/or breeding programmes are present in over 25 countries.
