Abstract
An efficient protocol to produce higher number of shoots was developed for Sugarcane (Saccharum Hybrid spp.) variety SL 96 328. In-vitro direct shoot regeneration from sugarcane leaf spindle tissues was achieved in modified Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/L of Benzylaminopurine, 0.5 mg/L of Kinetin, 0.5 mg/L of 2,4-D, 1 mg/L of Indole-3-acetic acid and 400 mg/L of Cysteine Hydrochloride. The survival rate of explants and number, length and vigour of shoots generated from explants, and minimal number of chlorophyll-mutated shoots per explant were recorded. Explants incubated in the dark for two weeks enhanced direct shoot regeneration and produced the highest number of shoots (25) from a single explant. The best diameter and the thickness of the explant were 3 mm and 2 mm, respectively. The amplification of Simple Sequence Repeat primer using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) revealed that the plants obtained through in-vitro directly-regenerated shoots were genetically more identical than those generated from stem cuttings. Nested PCR confirmed that the plantlets obtained from direct shoot regeneration were free from sugarcane white leaf disease (WLD) phytoplasma. Thus, the in-vitro protocol suggested for rapid micropropagation of sugarcane through this study can be adopted in producing genetically-homogenous and WLD-free planting material in establishing sugarcane nurseries.
Highlights
Commercially-grown sugarcanes (Saccharum Hybrid spp.) are perennial grasses belonging to family Poaceae that thrive well in tropical and frost-free warm temperate areas in the world
Non-availability of quality planting material in required quantities is identified as a main constraint for sugarcane production in Sri Lanka
The highest number of shoots was produced after two weeks of dark incubation of explants in all four treatments and the mean number of shoots produced in Treatment 3 (25) was significantly different (p
Summary
Commercially-grown sugarcanes (Saccharum Hybrid spp.) are perennial grasses belonging to family Poaceae that thrive well in tropical and frost-free warm temperate areas in the world. Non-availability of quality planting material in required quantities is identified as a main constraint for sugarcane production in Sri Lanka. A gradual decline in average sugarcane yield in commercial sugarcane plantations is observed since mid-1980s new high-yielding varieties have been introduced. One of the main reasons for this yield decline was identified as “varietal degeneration” due to accumulation of systemic diseases in the crop over the years due to vegetative propagation. In Sri Lanka, smut (Sporisoriums citamineum), leaf scald (Xanthomonoas albilineans) and white leaf (Phytoplasma) are the major sugarcane diseases, of which white leaf disease (WLD) has been identified as the major constraint for sugarcane production at present.
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