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Title: Notice of release of sugarcane variety HoCP 04-838

Author
item WHITE, WILLIAM

Submitted to: Sugar Bulletin
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/13/2011
Publication Date: 7/6/2011
Citation: White, W.H. 2011. Notice of release of sugarcane variety HoCP 04-838. Sugar Bulletin. 89(10):19-21.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The release of high-yielding varieties to growers is important to the sustainability of all commodity industries. To that end, the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station of the LSU Agricultural Center, and the American Sugar Cane League of the U.S.A., Inc., working cooperatively to develop improved sugarcane varieties, have jointly developed and hereby announce the release of a new sugarcane variety, HoCP 04-838, for commercial planting in the summer of 2011. HoCP 04-838 is a product of the cross between HoCP 85-845 and LCP 85-384 made at Canal Point (CP), Florida in 1998 and selected at Houma (Ho), Louisiana in 2001. The variety HoCP 04-838 compares well in yield with the variety HoCP 96-540; the prominent sugarcane variety currently being grown in Louisiana. In comparisons with HoCP 96-540 in 31 plant-cane outfield evaluations, HoCP 04-838 had higher sugar/acre (9612 vs. 9019 lbs.) and cane/acre (35.0 vs. 32.7 tons) yields, and equal in sugar/ton cane (275 vs 275 lbs.). It had a greater number of stalks/acre (30,245 vs. 24,550), but its individual stalk weight was less (2.34 vs. 2.73 lbs.). In 21 first-stubble outfield evaluations, HoCP 04-838 essentially equaled the yields of HoCP 96-540 in sugar/acre (8569 vs. 8059 lbs.), cane/acre (32.0 vs. 30.6 tons), and sugar/ton cane (267 vs. 264 lbs.). The stalk population of HoCP 04-838 was again greater than HoCP 96-540 (32,065 vs. 27,015 stalks per acre), but its stalk weight was less (2.02 vs 2.29 lbs.). In 11 second-stubble outfield evaluations, HoCP 04-838 was comparable to HoCP 96-540 in sugar/acre (6130 vs. 5635 lbs.) and tons cane/acre (24.7 vs 23.6 tons). However, Ho 04-838 had greater sugar/ton cane (255 vs 242 lbs.) and stalks/acre (30,038 vs 26492). Only in stalk weight did HoCP 96-540 exceed HoCP 04-838 (1.67 vs 1.82 lbs.). HoCP 04-838 falls on the high side of acceptable fiber at 13.8%, but it is an erect variety and therefore less prone to lodge. HoCP 04-838 is resistant to the major sugarcane diseases smut, brown rust, ratoon stunting, and leaf scald. HoCP 04-838 is also resistant to the sugarcane borer. An important trait for this variety is its freeze tolerance, ranking as one of the most cold-tolerant varieties to come through the Louisiana variety development program. The release of HoCP 04-838 will help secure the sustainability of the Louisiana sugarcane industry and its positive traits of disease and insect resistance as well as cold tolerance will help off-set other varieties currently being grown that are deficient in these traits.