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Title: Notice of release of high-fiber sugarcane variety Ho 00-961

Author
item Tew, Thomas
item Dufrene, Edwis
item Garrison, Donnie
item White, William
item Grisham, Michael
item Pan, Yong-Bao
item Richard Jr, Edward
item LEGENDRE, BENJAMIN - LSU AG CTR, BATON ROUGE
item Miller, Jimmy

Submitted to: Sugar Bulletin
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/20/2007
Publication Date: 10/20/2007
Citation: Tew, T.L., Dufrene Jr, E.O., Garrison, D.D., White, W.H., Grisham, M.P., Pan, Y.-B., Richard Jr, E.P., Legendre, B.L., Miller, J.D. 2007. Notice of release of high-fiber sugarcane variety Ho 00-961. Sugar Bulletin. 85(10):23-24.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: 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 industries, have jointly evaluated and released a new variety, Ho 00-961, as a feedstock for an emerging biofuels industry. Ho 00-961 is a product of the cross US 94-1 x HoCP 91-552 bred in 1995 and selected in 1997 as part of the ARS’s Sugarcane Research Unit’s basic breeding program at Houma (Ho), Louisiana. Although an early generation progeny of a basic cross in which SES 231 (Saccharum spontaneum) was a grandparent, Ho 00-961 was assigned a permanent commercial (Ho) rather than a breeding-only (US) designation, allowing it to be evaluated as a commercial sugarcane candidate on the strength of its high stalk population, acceptable sucrose content, and excellent stubbling ability. After preliminary yield testing, it was dropped in spring 2002 as its fiber content of 16% was considered to be unacceptably high. Ho 00-961 was re-examined as a candidate for the biofuel’s industry in replicated large plot tests (2002-2006) that were planted at two locations, one in Schriever, LA and the other near Welsh, LA. In these tests, Ho 00-961 produced 10% more cane, 9% more total sugars, 25% more fiber and 16% more total solids (sugar and fiber) than LCP 85-384 when averaged over the plant cane and three ratoon crops. Ho 00-961 is resistant to sugarcane mosaic virus (strains A, B, and D) and sorghum mosaic virus (strains H, I, and M). The cultivar is moderately susceptible to smut (Ustilago scitaminea Sydow) and resistant to rust (Puccinia melanocephala H. and P. Syd.) and leaf scald [Xanthomonas albilineans (Ashby) Dowson] diseases under natural field infection conditions. Similar to essentially all sugarcane varieties released in Louisiana, Ho 00-961 can sustain significant reductions in cane and sugar yields in ratoon crops from ratoon stunting disease (RSD) [Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli (Davis et al.) Evtushenko et al.]. Studies to determine the level of resistance of Ho 00-961 to the sugarcane borer [Diatraea saccharalis (F.)] are underway, but early indications are that this variety has at least moderate resistance to the borer.