ABSTRACT
Because sugarcane is a complex polyploidy crop, no single technique has been found to be superior for confirming polygenic and phenotypic characteristics. This crop's genetic advancements are hampered by its complex genome, low fertility ratio, longer production cycle, and susceptibility to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Biotechnology interventions are expected to pave the way for overcoming these challenges and improving sugarcane crop yield and quality. Drought and salinity stresses are the primary cause of yield losses in sugarcane production, and its occurrence is expected to increase in several regions due to climate change. Despite advances in conventional breeding and transformation technology, developing sugarcane for drought and/or salinity tolerance remains the major challenge. This challenge is due not only to the complexity of the sugarcane genome but also to the complexities of plant responses to water deficit and the difficulty of identifying physiological and morphological traits to use for selecting drought- or salt-tolerant varieties suitable for commercial production.
