The CP Sugarcane Cultivar Development Program: Research and its transition to two separate programs for organic and sand soils

Authors: DAVIDSON, WAYNE - Florida Sugarcane League; COTO, ORLANDO - University Of Florida; SANDHU, HARDEV - University Of Florida; COMSTOCK, JACK - Retired ARS Employee; Sood, Sushma; Zhao, Duli; LABORDE, CHRIS - Us Sugar Corporation; BALTAZAR, MIGUEL - Florida Sugarcane League; DAVIS, LEE - Us Sugar Corporation; GLAZ, BARRY - Former ARS Employee; GLYNN, NEIL - Former ARS Employee; BLANCO, ALICIA DEL - Former ARS Employee; Edme, Serge; MCCORD, PER - Former ARS Employee; Gordon, Vanessa; SINGH, MANINDER - University Of Florida

Submitted to: American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/22/2020
Publication Date: 6/16/2020
Citation: Davidson, W., Coto, O., Sandhu, H., Comstock, J., Sood, S.G., Zhao, D., Laborde, C., Baltazar, M., Davis, L., Glaz, B., Glynn, N., Blanco, A., Edme, S.J., Mccord, P., Gordon, V.S., Singh, M. 2020. The CP Sugarcane Cultivar Development Program: Research and its transition to two separate programs for organic and sand soils. American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. 83(1):1.

Interpretive Summary: N/A

Technical Abstract: The Canal Point (CP) sugarcane cultivar development program (CP Program), a tripartite program with the USDA-ARS Sugarcane Field Station at Canal Point), the University of Florida EREC at Belle Glade, and the Florida Sugar Cane League at Clewiston, has been very successful and has provided CP sugarcane cultivars that have helped maintain the economic success of the Florida sugarcane industry. However, in 2005 sandland growers’ expressed a concern because the lack of recent new cultivars for sand soils in Florida. Consequently, scientists began a series of tests to evaluate the procedures of the selection process of the CP Program to determine if the early selection stages at Canal Point on a muck soil failed to fully identify all potential clones for sand soils. Experimental results (Del Blanco et. al. J. ASSCT 29:88-89, 2009 and McCord et al. J. ASSCT 34:21-32, 2014) clearly indicated that early stage selection of the CP Program on muck soils only failed to fully identify potential sandland cultivars. This presentation documents the 15-year historical transition to a separate sand cultivar development program and provides experimental data on the identification of cultivars suitable for sand soils that have been released. It also shows initial commercial data of its success in the varieties identified during the transition and the impact of released sandland cultivars on current sugarcane production in Florida.