Characterization of Progenies from Polycrosses of S. robustum Clones f. sanguineum

Abstract

The contribution of S. robustum in the development of cultivated varieties of sugarcane is very less compared to other wild species of sugarcane. Some of the popular varieties of Hawaii were immensely benefited from this wild species but only the Port Moresby type could find a place in the ancestry. In India also, some of the recent Co canes have the improved clones of S. robustum in their pedigree. This paper discusses the characterization of interspecific progenies generated from polycross on two clones S. robustum forma sanguineum (red fleshed S. robustum) and their potential in the crop improvement programme of sugarcane. This is the first report of utilization of the red fleshed S. robustum clones in breeding programme of sugarcane. The progenies developed possess high variability for morphological and yield traits with considerable improvement over the S. robustum parents. The variability generated will be of utmost importance in crop improvement programme of sugarcane as the world gene bank holds only very limited variability for this group of plants (2n = 60) which are characterized by gigantic growth and red coloured flesh.