Location: Sugarcane Field Station
Project Number: 6030-21000-006-038-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Apr 1, 2022
End Date: Mar 1, 2023
Objective:
To modify and improve photoperiod houses, delay lights, temperature control in photoperiod houses, drip irrigation systems, and a heated crossing house with a misting moisture control system. Maintaining these systems and ensuring parental plants (1) to make crosses with superior parental clones and diversifying and maximizing the production of high quality and quantity of “true” seed (fuzz); (2) to make efforts for synchronizing the flowering of individual varieties and creating optimal conditions for flower development, pollination, and seed maturation.
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 clones will be released and incorporated into the breeding population for crossing. The plants will be grown under conditions to maximize flowering by manipulating light conditions using photoperiod and light delay treatments with temperature and moisture control systems. Recommended crosses will be made using female tassels pollinated with male tassels by maintaining plants on can lines, on 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, dried, stripped, bagged, weighted, and sent to the ARS sugarcane breeding program in Houma, Louisiana.
