Breeding Methods inn Sugarcane, Varietal Development in Sugar cane, breeding sugar crops

1. College of Agriculture
BZU, Bahadur Sub-Campus Layyah

2. OUTLINE
Breeding
Objectives
Limitations
Breeding
Methods
Conclusion

3. Breeding Objectives
To develop sugarcane varieties with
characteristics of:
• High yielding
• High sugar contents
• Drought tolerance
• Cold tolerance
• Salt tolerance
• Good ratoon ability
• Resistant to insect pest and diseases

4. Limitations
• Complex genome
• Lack of genetic information
• Variable chromosome number
• Rare flowering habit
• Poor fertility
• Susceptibility to biotic and abiotic
stresses
• Long duration to breed improved
cultivars

5. Breeding Methods
Biparental crosses
Area crosses
Coimbatore Method
Marcotting technique
Melting pot technique

6. Biparental crosses
• Sugarcane is of erratic nature
• Male sterility is common
• Pollens are dehiscent
• Protandrous
• Pollens become dead due to winds
• Crossing is necessary
• In controlled environment

8. Marcotting
method
During
flowering,
cut around
the stem
Tie a
polythene
bag with
nutrients.
The bud
near cut,
give rise
to roots.
This can
be cut and
used
further.
This
method is
called
marcotting
.

9. Coimbatore method
• During flowering period, the sugarcane stem will be cut leaving one or
two bud.
• 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.

10. Coimbatore method
• 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 raising them in the
nursery.
• Selfed seeds thus removed retaining crossed seeds.

11. Area crosses
Sterile lines are
crossed with
common male
parent
1
Male parent
arrow wrapped
around female
parent
2
Arrow is
covered with
muslin cloth
(air can flow)
3
Used with self
incompatible
lines
4

12. Melting pot
(Hawaii
Technique)
Male sterile flowers taken
Placed in sulphurous acid solution
0.01% Sulphuric Acid
0.01% Phosphoric acid
Crossed with male flowers
This method eliminates labor cost
Ensure large number of viable seeds

13. Varieties