RESEARCH-ARTILE Agricultural performance and genetic parameters for yield-related traits of sugar- and energy cane families derived from planned crosses.

The forecast of a growing energy demand in the coming years has aroused particular interest in biomass for energy cogeneration, to diversify the energy matrix by using clean and renewable sources. To meet the new demands of the sugarcane industry, this study evaluated the agronomic performance and estimated genetic parameters for yield traits in sugar- and energy cane families derived from planned crosses. The cane families were assessed in the northwest of the State of Paraná, county of Paranavaí, in a randomized complete block design, with three replications. The evaluations were carried out 12 months after the first cut, in the ratoon cane cycle, in December 2014, under very unfavorable conditions for the crop, due to the low fertility and water-holding capacity of the soil. Besides, the crop was evaluated at the end of the harvest, when the agricultural and industrial quality of the crop is reduced. The following traits were evaluated at the plot level: soluble solids content, apparent sucrose content (PC), fiber content, tons of cane per hectare, tons of sucrose per hectare (TSH), and tons of fiber per hectare (TFH). High genetic variability was observed for all evaluated traits, with accuracy estimates from 0.69 (TSH) to 0.92 (PC), and high heritability ​​(up to 0.84), indicating the possibility of genetic progress. The sugarcane families derived from crosses of Saccharum spontaneum and Saccharum robustum species with sugarcane hybrids had the highest fiber contents. Highest sugar contents were found in sugarcane families resulting from crosses of sugarcane clones and conventional cultivars. The TSH means were highest in the families F160 x MEX68-200 and RB855156 x RB987935. The highest genotypic mean for TFH was observed in the special polycross involving cultivar RB036066 with S. spontaneum accessions as pollen donors.

Comparison between different selection indices in energy cane breeding.

Sugarcane breeding programs have been adapting to a new market demand: aside from high sucrose yield per hectare, the sector needs new cultivars with higher fiber percentages. The selection of sugarcane clones based on phenotype alone is a complex task. The selected clones should display high performance in a series of yield- and quality-related traits. Selection indices can provide information about which clones can best combine the traits of agronomic interest. In this study, different selection indices were evaluated in a population of 220 clones. The following traits were evaluated: weight of 10 stalks with straw, weight of 10 stalks with no straw, tons of cane per hectare with straw, tons of cane per hectare with no straw, sucrose content, fiber percentage, and tons of fiber per hectare. The selection indices of Smith (1936) and Hazel (1943) and Mulamba and Mock (1978), the base index (Williams, 1962), and the index of Pesek and Baker (1969) were used. The selection index of Mulamba and Mock (1978) without economic weight estimates, the index of Mulamba and Mock with economic weights based on heritability, and the index of Pesek and Baker (1969) with the desired gains based on genetic standard deviations were efficient for the selection of energy cane clones with good fiber yield, sucrose content, and tons of cane per hectare.

Selection in sugarcane based on inbreeding depression.

This study aimed to evaluate the gene action associated with yield-related traits, including mean stalk weight (MSW), tons of sugarcane per hectare (TCH), and fiber content (FIB) in sugarcane. Moreover, the viability of individual reciprocal recurrent selection (RRSI-S1) was verified, and the effect of inbreeding depression on progenies was checked. The results were also used to select promising genotypes in S1 progenies. Eight clones (RB925345, RB867515, RB739359, SP80-1816, RB928064, RB865230, RB855536, and RB943365) and their respective progenies, derived from selfing (S1), were evaluated. Several traits, including the number of stalks, MSW, soluble solids content determined in the field, stalk height, stalk diameter, TCH, soluble solids content determined in the laboratory, sucrose content, and FIB were evaluated in a randomized block design with hierarchical classification. The results showed that the traits with predominant gene action associated with the dominance variance of MSW and TCH were most affected by inbreeding depression. The FIB, with predominant additive control, was not affected by selfing of the clones, and the RB867515⊗, RB928064⊗, RB739359⊗ and RB925345⊗ progenies performed best. Therefore, the use of S1 progenies for RRSI-S1 in sugarcane breeding programs is promising, and it should be explored for the future breeding of clones with high FIB levels.