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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Houma, Louisiana » Sugarcane Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #255475
Title: Registration of ‘Ho 00-961’ sugarcane

Author
item White, William
item TEW, THOMAS - Retired ARS Employee
item COBILL, R - Ceres, Inc
item Burner, David
item Grisham, Michael
item Dufrene, Edwis
item Pan, Yong-Bao
item Richard Jr, Edward
item LEGENDRE, BENJAMIN - Audubon Sugar Institute

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Registrations
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/31/2011
Publication Date: 9/1/2011
Citation: White, W.H., Cobill, R.M., Tew, T.L., Burner, D.M., Grisham, M.P., Dufrene Jr, E.O., Pan, Y.-B., Richard Jr, E.P., Legendre, B.L. 2011. Registration of ‘Ho 00-961’ Sugarcane. Journal of Plant Registrations. 5(3):332-338.

Interpretive Summary: As the US strives to diversify its energy resources, interest in plant-based energy products has risen exponentially. In response to growing expectations of biofuel companies for energy canes, the Sugarcane Research Laboratory has broadened its breeding program to meet not only the continuing needs of the traditional sugarcane industry, but to also meet the evolving needs of the developing bio-fuels industry. To that end the Sugarcane Research Unit’s breeding program is now identifying and evaluating cane varieties that would have been dropped from its traditional variety program; cane with high in fiber and lower sugar yields. The variety Ho 00-961 is the end product of this expanded breeding program. Ho 00-961 has higher fiber yields than traditional sugarcane varieties grown in Louisiana and only slightly lower sugar yields. Ho 00-961 was 12% higher in fiber and 3% lower for Brix content as compared to the commercial standard LCP 85-384. While Ho 00-961 had overall biomass yields 14% higher than LCP 85-384. Ho 00-961 appears resistant to mosaic, brown rust, smut, and leaf scald. It is also resistant to the sugarcane borer. Ho 00-961 was released to the public in April 2007 for the evolving biofuels industry and registration in the Journal of Plant Registration is now being sought. This new energy cane represents a good choice for an industry requiring more and better energy cane varieties than are currently available.

Technical Abstract: ‘Ho 00-961’ (Reg. No., PI) sugarcane (a complex hybrid of Saccharum officinarum L., S. spontaneum L., S. barberi Jeswiet, and S. sinense Roxb. amend. Jeswiet) was selected by the USDA-ARS Sugarcane Research Unit, and evaluated cooperatively with the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, and the American Sugar Cane League of the U.S.A., Inc. Ho 00-961 is a progeny of the cross ‘US 94-1’ x ‘HoCP 91-552’ made in 1995 and selected in 1997. It is a product of the USDA-ARS Sugarcane Research Unit’s introgression breeding program at Houma, LA. Ho 00-961 meets the criteria for a Type I energy cane. That is, it is a variety with comparable sugar yields to the commercial standard (LCP 85-384), but with somewhat higher fiber yields. Ho 00-961 had an overall mean Brix yield after 12 harvests of 141 g kg-1 versus 146 g kg-1 for the commercial standard LCP 85-384. The mean fiber content was 186 g kg-1 versus 164 g kg-1 for Ho 00-961 and LCP 85-384 respectively. Ho 00-961 had Brix values significantly greater than Type II energy canes (low sugar and high fiber) also being evaluated, but fiber yields comparable to the Type II energy canes. Ho 00-961 had an overall mean Brix yield after 12 harvests of 141 g kg-1 versus 111 g kg-1 for three Type II energy canes. The mean fiber content was 186 g kg-1 versus 213 g kg-1 for Ho 00-961 and the Type II energy canes respectively. Ho 00-961 averaged a total biomass of 93 Mg ha-1 versus 104 Mg ha-1 for three Type II energy canes. Ho 00-961 appears resistant to mosaic, brown rust, smut, and leaf scald. It is also resistant to the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.)(Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Ho 00-961 was released to the public in April 2007 for the evolving biofuels industry.