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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Canal Point, Florida » Sugarcane Field Station » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #302345
Title: Genetic Diversity and Genome Complexity of Sugarcane

Author
item WANG, JIANPING - University Of Florida
item SONG, JIAN - University Of Florida
item Todd, James
item SPURTHI, NAYAK - University Of Florida
item ZHANG, JISEN - Fujian Agricultural & Forestry University
item VILLA, ANDREA - University Of Florida
item GLAZ, BARRY - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Plant and Animal Genome VX Conference Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/6/2013
Publication Date: 1/11/2014
Citation: Wang, J., Song, J., Todd, J.R., Spurthi, N., Zhang, J., Villa, A., Glaz, B. 2014. Genetic Diversity and Genome Complexity of Sugarcane. Plant and Animal Genome. p. W089.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) as a C4 plant, is one of the most efficient crops in converting solar energy into chemical energy. Sugarcane cultivar improvement programs have not yet systematically utilized the most of the genetic sources of yield potential and resistance to stresses that may exist in the Saccharum germplasm. Phenotypic and genotypic assessment of 1186 accessions in the World Collection of Sugarcane and Related Grasses at the Subtropical Horticulture Research Station in Miami, FL (WCSRG), comprising 16 species collected from 45 different countries, revealed a wide range of phenotypic variance and a total gene diversity of 0.368 over a maximum of 0.5. The highest gene diversity was found in S. sponatneum followed by S. robustum. A representative core collection was selected comprising majority of the WCSRG diversity, which will not only be useful in sugarcane breeding programs after thorough evaluation but also for genetic studies such as association mapping and genomic selection. The high polyploidy level and heterozygosity are additional constrains for genetic, genomic, and biological studies in sugarcane. However, the available reference genome of sorghum, a close relative of sugarcane, and the abundant transcript sequences of sugarcane coupled with the next generation sequencing technologies and flow cytometry facility provide valuable genomic resources and tools for assisting genetic and genomic researches in sugarcane.