Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Canal Point, Florida » Sugarcane Field Station » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #328562
Title: Genotype x Harvest Date Analysis Reveals Late Sugar Phenotypes in Stage 2 of the Canal Point Sugarcane Cultivar Development Program

Author
item Gordon, Vanessa
item Zhao, Duli
item DAVIDSON, WAYNE - Florida Sugarcane League
item SHINE, JAMES - Florida Sugarcane League

Submitted to: American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/13/2016
Publication Date: 6/13/2016
Citation: Gordon, V.S., Zhao, D., Davidson, W., Shine, J.W. 2016. Genotype x Harvest Date Analysis Reveals Late Sugar Phenotypes in Stage 2 of the Canal Point Sugarcane Cultivar Development Program. American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. PRESENTATION DATE.

Interpretive Summary: N/A

Technical Abstract: Florida’s sugarcane harvest season ranges from late October through early April. Commercial harvesting schedules can, however, be adversely affected by weather conditions that prevent entry of heavy equipment in the fields. The El Niño rainy season of 2015-2016 was such an example, where record rainfalls had devastating effects on crops in Florida, and significantly disrupted the normal commercial sugarcane harvesting schedule. Delays in harvesting can result in decreases in overall sugar yields as BRIX levels begin to decline in planted cultivars; and, as a result, cause millions of dollars in commodity losses to the industry. Typically, the Stage 2 portion of the Canal Point (CP) cultivar development program is harvested a single time in mid-October. A single harvest is completed for two major reasons: 1) The high number of clones that must be harvested and milled; and, 2) Selections of high-yielding sugarcane clones selected for progression from Stage 2 to Stage 3 must be made so that they are available for review by the Sugarcane Variety Committee by the end of October. The purpose of this study was to determine the number of early high-yielding clones which would continue their performance throughout the season, and to also identify alternate clones with significant increases in sugar over the same period of time. The study was conducted on muck soils at the USDA-ARS Sugarcane Field Station, Canal Point, FL, in parallel with the commercial harvest season. Cane samples of 1624 clones were harvested and milled from the Stage 2 trial in October 2015 (early) and March 2016 (late) for determination of yield components. Results revealed that commercial recoverable sugar (CRS) increased by > 28.5% for 278 clones when compared to CP78-1628 (which had the greatest positive fluctuation in CRS of the three check varieties); total sucrose yield (TSA) increased by > 55.6% for 194 clones when compared to CP00-1101 (the check with the highest shift in TSA); and final CRS values for 45 clones were greater than that of CP00-1101 (250.4). Sixty-eight clones which were not originally selected for progression at the early harvest selection were chosen based upon late CRS and tons of cane per acre (TCA) values, and planted in a new replicated trial. These non-selected clones with high late sugar will be further tested for potential use in the CP program.