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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Houma, Louisiana » Sugarcane Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #302174
Title: Impacts of the USDA basic breeding program

Author
item Hale, Anna

Submitted to: Sugar Bulletin
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/17/2014
Publication Date: 3/1/2014
Citation: Hale, A.L. 2014. Impacts of the USDA basic breeding program. Sugar Bulletin. 92(6):13-16.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The USDAs basic sugarcane breeding program began in the mid 1950s with the objective of moving genes from wild sugarcane germplasm into commercial cane. Several releases have been made from this program, but it is a very long process. To date, the pedigree of seven commercial Louisiana varieties can be traced to the basic breeding program. With modifications to the program, and additional data collection, varieties are being advanced through the program more quickly than in the past. This is primarily because the number of generations of backcrossing required to recover commercial sucrose has been reduced.