ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the role of biotechnology in increasing sugarcane productivity and tolerance to stress. Sugarcane productivity is significantly affected by abiotic stresses such as salinity, alkalinity, drought and waterlogging. Drought is a major cause of decreased productivity because of the morpho-physiological effects that water deficiency causes to sugarcane. A tissue culture technique has emerged as a feasible and cost-effective alternative tool for developing stress-tolerant plants in recent years. The lack of genetic and molecular information about drought-tolerance mechanisms and inheritance in sugarcane has limited the development of improved cultivars. Studying stress responsive miRNAs and their target expression can help to explore the possibilities for enhancing plant stress tolerance. All these advances in sugarcane biotechnology could become remarkable in the coming years, both in terms of improving productivity as well as substantially increasing the value and utility of this crop.
