Varieties, plant breeding and release

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://elibrary2.sugarresearch.com.au/handle/11079/13841

Research outcomes: Comprehensive and efficient variety breeding, selection and release programs responding to yield expectations, environmental constraints, resource scarcity and regional preferences. Faster varietal adoption using advanced methods for bulking, distribution and planting.

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 124
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    Exploiting introgression for the development of productive and regionally adapted varieties for NSW : final report 2013/022
    (Sugar Research Australia Limited, 2020) Parfitt, RC; Beattie, RN
    This project aimed to explore sugar cane variety improvement opportunities available through introgression in relation to 2-year cropping, temperate cane growing conditions of NSW and frosting. It provided an opportunity to review the NSW selection program that has been operating since early 2000.
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    Effect of neonicotinoid, pyrethroid and spirotetramat insecticides and a miticide on incidence and severity of Yellow Canopy Syndrome : ASSCT peer-reviewed paper
    (ASSCT, 2019) Olsen, DJ; Ward, AL
    Yellow Canopy Syndrome (YCS) is a condition affecting Australian sugarcane that can lead to yield losses in excess of 30% in severely affected crops. The causal agent of this condition is unknown. Insect pests are well known causal agents of a wide variety of yield-limiting crop conditions, either as vectors of pathogens, directly through their feeding damage, or as transmitters of toxins, but little has been done to evaluate insects as a possible causal agent of YCS. This paper presents the findings of a one-year field trial in which insecticides from different chemical groups and an acaricide were tested to evaluate their effect on YCS incidence and severity. Results showed a delay in the onset of symptoms and a significant reduction in the severity of symptom expression following the application of neonicotinoid and pyrethroid treatments. These treatments also resulted in a significant yield improvement relative to cane in the untreated control. The acaricide treatment was ineffective. These findings suggest further work is warranted to determine which insects are being controlled and to identify the mechanism for the positive yield response.
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    Unknown to known - Sclerotium rolfsii can cause severe germination failure and seedling death in sugarcane : ASSCT poster paper
    (ASSCT, 2019) Bhuiyan, SA; Wickramasinghe, P; Mudge, SR; Adhikari, P; Garlick, K
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    Marker-assisted selection for smut resistance : ASSCT poster paper
    (ASSCT, 2019) Sun, Y; Joyce, P; Deomano, E; Eglinton, J
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    Field evaluation of selected introgression clones for their resistance to root-knot nematodes : ASSCT peer-reviewed paper
    (ASSCT, 2019) Bhuiyan, SA; Piperidis, G; Hu, F; Parfitt, R; Garlick, K; Quinn, B; Jakins, A
    Sugarcane nematodes, root-knot (RKN) and root-lesion (RLN), cause an estimated loss of over $80 million per year to the Australian sugar industry. In particular, RKN is a major problem if sugarcane is planted in sandy soil. No effective control method is available for sugarcane nematodes in Australia. Crop rotation and fallowing provide only short-term control and nematode populations usually bounce back within 12 months after these control methods. The use of nematicides is restricted due to inconsistent results, difficulty in application and the highly toxic nature of the chemicals to humans and the environment. No commercial cultivars are resistant to sugarcane nematodes. Recent glasshouse trials in Australia suggested that clones from introgression populations, originating from crossing between commercial canes and Saccharum spontaneum or Erianthus arundinaceus, possessed good resistance to root knot nematodes. Field trials were established to determine the reliability of glasshouse resistance-screening results. Eight introgression clones that showed resistance to RKN in glasshouse trials were evaluated in a field in Wallaville, north of Childers. Test clones were planted in plots with high and low nematode populations and maintained up to the second ratoon crop. Trial plots were assessed for nematodes each year 6 weeks after planting and ratooning. Three years of results showed that 7 of 8 introgression clones consistently maintained low numbers of RKN until the end of the trial period, and significantly (P
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    Exploiting Erianthus diversity to enhance sugarcane cultivars : ASSCT peer-reviewed paper
    (ASSCT, 2019) Piperidis, N; Tom, C; Aitken, KS; Atkin, FC; Piperidis, G
    Introgression of Erianthus arundinaceus into the SRA sugarcane-breeding program has been a goal for researchers for many years. The Erianthus genome was finally accessible to sugarcane breeders with the identification in 2005 of the first Saccharum/Erianthus fertile hybrids, developed in China. Today, Saccharum/Erianthus BC3 and BC4 clones are available in Australia, and Erianthus-sugarcane hybrids have been characterised by cytogenetics and investigated for their potential resistance against pachymetra root rot, sugarcane smut and nematodes. Some clones have shown potential as new sources of resistance for incorporation into the SRA breeding program. These hybrids were created from Erianthus clones indigenous to China and their reaction to the above diseases is unknown in Australian conditions. In Meringa we also have access to many Erianthus clones of Indonesian origin. Some of these Erianthus clones have previously shown immunity to pachymetra root rot. In the late 1990s, these Indonesian Erianthus clones were used in crossing but no fertile hybrids were ever produced due to an incompatibility between the Saccharum and the Erianthus genomes. We revisited this untapped source of resistance by utilising the fertile Erianthus hybrids derived from China to cross with the Indonesian Erianthus of known resistance to pachymetra root rot. Here we report on the early stage results of introgressing Indonesian Erianthus into the SRA breeding program.
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    Starch accumulation in sugarcane in response to stress
    (ASSCT, 2016) Joyce, P; Don, NH; Sousa, M; Olsen, D
    Yellow Canopy Syndrome (YCS) is a new problem affecting the Australian sugar industry. It was first reported in 2012 and has increased in occurrence and spread from the initial reports in North Queensland to further south in Mackay last year. While the causal agent is still unknown, several physiological studies have been performed. This paper examines the accumulation of starch in sugarcane leaves. This was an initial observation in YCS affected leaf sections of tillers of KQ228A. Subsequently, a method for routine high throughput qualitative analysis of starch has been developed, enabling rapid assessment of this response. Follow up work has compared this phenomenon in affected stalks, both between leaves of different ages within a stalk, as well as within regions of the same leaf. The accumulation of starch in sugarcane plants in response to biotic stress and in naturally senescing leaves has been undertaken to understand this phenomenon better and will be described in this paper. Our results showed that unlike YCS affected leaves, starch did not accumulate in the leaves of diseased plants nor in senescing leaves collected from the field.
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    Seed-based in vitro propagation to accelerate variety development : ASSCT peer-reviewed paper
    (ASSCT, 2021) Zhao, L; Bolton, C; Piperidis, G; Eglinton, J
    To shorten the current lengthy selection process in sugarcane breeding and to accelerate genetic gain, Sugar Research Australia is implementing a range of novel breeding strategies and selection tactics. One strategy is to rapidly evaluate the progeny of elite crosses in replicated trials without passing through the traditional Stage 1 trials. However, insufficient planting material hinders its adoption. A seed-based in vitro propagation system has been developed for sugarcane in which sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and plant preservative mixture (PPMTM) were used in the sterilisation of seeds and seedlings, as well as in the treatment of infected seedlings. The system had been successfully implemented to propagate over 1000 clones of the elite cross Q208A x CP74-2005, for a Stage 2 selection trial. The new system, a first for sugarcane, is more cost efficient, providing three times the number of clones as in the seedling-based micropropagation system with the same input of resources. This innovation will shorten the selection cycle of proven elite crosses by up to 3 years, accelerating the delivery of new varieties.
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    Prospects for a genetic solution to the management of ratoon stunting disease : ASSCT peer-reviewed paper
    (ASSCT, 2021) Bhuiyan, SA; Eglinton, J; Magarey, RC
    Ratoon stunting disease (RSD,) caused by a bacterium (Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli), is one of the most important diseases of sugarcane in Australia. RSD is an inconspicuous and highly infectious disease and can spread unnoticed causing significant yield loss across entire regions and industries. Developing varieties with resistance to RSD has been proposed at different times as a possible solution. This paper provides a review of the resistance status of the sugarcane germplasm, the effective range in reactions to the disease, and the efficacy of current practices used for RSD management. Examination of the Australian germplasm and historical resistance records show that material with effective RSD resistance has never been identified. Published literature has occasionally suggested that there are resistant varieties/clones, but these putative sources of resistance have failed to demonstrate commercially-effective disease control. Currently, there are no validated sources of resistance available to be used as parents in the breeding program. Evidence from overseas and Australia demonstrates that RSD can be successfully managed through disease-free planting material and farm hygiene. A genetic solution for RSD may only be considered if an effective source of resistance can be identified and validated.