Location: Sugarcane Field Station
Project Number: 6030-21000-006-022-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2016
End Date: Jul 31, 2021
Objective:
Produce sugarcane seed of recommend crosses of clones from Louisiana, Texas and Florida for the ARS Louisiana sugarcane Breeding Program.
Approach:
Sugarcane clones will be imported from Louisiana, quarantined and tested for pathogens of leaf scald, ratoon stunt, yellow leaf and mosaic. Subsequently, the disease-free clonses will be released and incorporated into the breeing population for crossing. The plants will be grown under conditions to maximize flowering by manipulating light treatments using photoperiod and light delay treatments. Recommend crosses will be made using female tassels pollinated with male tassels by maintaining plants with male tassels on either photoperiod carts or on rail carts that are moved into heated structures at night to prevent emasculation by cold temperatures. After crosses are made, the pollinated tassels will be held for seed set and the mature seed will be harvested and sent to the ARS program in Houma, Lousiana.
