Sugarcane Breeding and Varieties in the Sugar Association of Caribbean (SAC) Industries and Prospects for the Future

P. Seshagiri Rao

West Indies Central Sugar Cane Breeding Station, Barbados

WIST,Jamaica,.20080424

Noble Breeding • 1888 discovery of sugarcane seedlings in

Barbados• Noble breeding initiated

(Barbados and Guyana)• Early noble varieties

– BH10(12), Ba11569– D75, Diamond 10

• Followed by inter-specific breeding from early 1920s

75 years (1932-2007) Regional Sugarcane Breeding

• 1932 Establishment of regional British West Indies Central Sugar Cane Breeding Station

• 1962 SAC ownership, expansion & continuous support of the West Indies Central Sugar Cane Breeding Station (CBS)

• Guyana D variety breeding programme

WICSCBS

JamaicaSIRI

St. KittsSSMC

TrinidadRESS

BarbadosARVTU

GuyanaGARC

BelizeBSIL

OtherCountries

West Indies Sugarcane Breeding and Evaluation Network, WISBEN

SACSugar Association

of Caribbean

West Indies Sugarcane Breeding and Evaluation Network Countries

• Guyana, Trinidad, Barbados, St Kitts, Jamaica, Belize

• Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic• Panama, Nicaragua, Cost Rica• CIRAD: Senegal, Cameroon, Chad, Mali+• Sudan, Uganda• Papua New Guinea

Cane Breeding Station, Barbados

• Facilities: – Office, Labs, 16 Ha land

• Staff:– Director/Senior Plant Breeder– Pant Breeder– Geneticist– Scientific and Technical Assistants (4 )– Support staff

Sugarcane Breeding

• Germplasm(3,700): Species, high fibre, high quality and commercial parental varieties

• Crossing, fuzz distribution, variety exchange• Genetic base broadening, breeding for high

sucrose, fibre and biomass yield• Breeding and selection methods research• Assistance to the SAC variety selection and

testing stations, cane breeding workshops

SAC Variety Selection and Testing Stations

• Breeding and selection Unit of Guyana Sugar Corporation

• Agronomy Research and Variety Testing Unit of Barbados Agricultural Management Co.

• Variety Improvement Department of SIRI, SIA, Jamaica

• Belize Sugar Industry Limited, Belize• Caroni Research Station, Trinidad• St Kitts Sugar Manufacturing Company

Breeding Challenges

• Cane yield• Sucrose content• Disease resistance• Ratooning• Mechanisation• Adaptation• Other characteristics

Variety Selection and Testing Stations

• Decentralised selection of 20 to 60K sdlgs• Fuzz germination, raising seedlings• Early stages (1,2 or 1,2,3) of selection• Advanced yield trials-preliminary & final• Variety propagation, extension• Testing for diseases and pests• Variety distribution & monitoring

Varieties with Wider Adaptation

BH10(12)- T, B, SK, J, POJ2878- G, JB34104- G, T, B, SK, J B37161- G, T, B, SK, JB37172- T, J B4098- G, BB41211- B, SK B41227- G, T, JB4362- G, T, J B45151- B, SKB 49119- T, B, SK, J B59136- SK, BLZHJ5741- G, T, SK, J, BLZ B62163- T, B, SKB63118- G, T, B, SK B79474- B, BLZDB7047- G, SK DB7869- G, T

Percent Area Occupied by Varieties in Guyana from 1945-2005

DIAMOND 10

POJ2878

Co419Co421

B 34104

B 37161

B 4098

B 41227

B 4362 B 47258

D141/46

B 51116

D158/41

D38/57

HJ5741

DB414/60

DB66113

B 63118

DB671760

DB7160

DB7869

DB75159

DB7047

DB70172D 89138

D 7661

D 8415D 9017

DB83119 R 570

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

Perc

ent A

rea

Others

Percent Area Occupied by Varieties in Guyana from 1985-2005

DB7869

DB66113

DB75159

DB7047B 41227

DB7160D 15841

D 8415

DB70172

DB671760

B 63118

D 14146 D 4946

D 7661

D 3857

D 89138

DB83119 D 9017 R 570

OTHERS

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%19

85

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Year

Perc

ent A

rea

Percent Area Occupied by Varieties in Barbados from 1945-2005

B 34104B 37187

B 37161

B 4098

B 41211

B 45151

B 4744

B 49119

B 52107

B 54142

B 60267

B 62163

B 63118

B 59162

B 80689

B 77602

B 74541

B 80251

B 82238

B 79474B 71383 B 78436

B 881607B 89132

B 89447

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

Perc

ent

Are

a

Percent Area Occupied by Varieties in Barbados from 1985-2005

B 62163

B 80689

B 77602

B 74541

B 80251

B 82238

B 79474B 63118

B 85764 B 78436B 71383

B 73382

B 84930B 85266

B 85747

B 89132

B 89447

B 881602

B 881607

B 85877

OTHERS

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%19

85

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Year

Perc

ent A

rea

Percent Area Occupied by Varieties in Jamaica from 1945-2005

BH10(12)

POJ2878

B 3439

B 34104

B 37161

B 37172

B 41227

B 42231

B 4362

Co331

B 49119

B 51129

B 51410

B 51415

HJ5741

UCW54/65

BJ7015

BJ7013

BJ7504

BJ7465

BJ7452BJ7627

BJ78100

BJ8226

BJ82119

BJ8252 BJ82156

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

Perc

ent

Are

a

Percent Area Occupied by Varieties in Jamaica from 1985-2005

B 51129B 51415

B 41227

BJ6642

BJ7013 BJ7015BJ7314

BJ7451 BJ7452

BJ7465

BJ7504BJ7627

UCW5465

BJ7262

BJ8226

BJ82119

BJ7938

BJ6732

B 51410 BJ82156BJ78100

BJ8252

OTHERS

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%19

85

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Year

Perc

ent A

rea

Percent Area occupied by Varieties in Belize from 1975-2005

B 52298

POJ2878

MEX5932

B 64278

PR1048B 67128

CP701133

CP721312

Q 90

B 59136

BJ5927

BJ5721

HJ5741

B 79474

BBZ8257

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

Perc

ent

Are

a

Percent Area Occupied by Varieties in Trinidad from 1945-2005

BH10(12)

CO213

B 3337

B 34104

B 37161B 37172

B 41227

B 4362

B 49119

B 50112HJ5741

BT64134

B 63118

B 62163

DB66113

BT74209

BT72842 B 80689

BJ7015 BT871646

DB7869

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

Perc

ent

Are

a

Percent Area Occupied by Varieties in St. Kitts from 1945-2005

BH10(12)

B 2935

B 3439

B 34104

B 37161

B 41211

B 4534

B 45188

B 45151

B 47419

B 49119

B 56102

B 59136

B 5863

B 5970

B 51129

HJ5741

B 67215

B 63371

B 63118B

74125

B 78208

B 69566

B 75466

B 76251

B 62163 B 76621

DB7047

B 83262

B 71191

BJ7504

DB7160

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

Perc

ent A

rea

New Sugar Cane Industries

• Value added products with sugar• Multi-purpose (MPC) varieties with higher

sugar, fibre and biomass yield• Current MPC varieties are not custom made• Possible to breed MPC varieties with the

available parental germplasm but need time• Breeders and variety selectors need to know

very early what kind of varieties are needed by the emerging sugar cane industries

Reasons for CBS Success

• Long history• SAC continuous support • long service of CBS staff • Large germplasm• Efficient breeding systems • Scientific support to the VTSs• Genetic base broadening and breeding for high

sucrose programmes • Genetic variability to breed varieties for emerging

sugar cane industries

Conclusions

• Regional variety testing stations selected much needed productive varieties

• Varietal change in the recent times has been slow in some countries

• Support from SAC and regional industries should continue

• New industries will demand additional support for variety improvement programmes

Thank you