Introduction and evaluation of clones derived from Chinese Saccharum spontaneum and Erianthus spp.

THIS PAPER describes the introduction and initial field evaluation of clones derived from crosses between sugarcane and clones of three wild species, Saccharum spontaneum, Erianthus arundinaceus and E. rockii, collected in China. Seed from crosses made in China was imported to Australia in 2003– 2005 following protocols developed in association with Biosecurity Australia. Progeny were tested to confirm putative parentage using DNA markers. This testing revealed the first confirmed Erianthus backcross clones in Australia, and clones derived from diverse sources of S. spontaneum. These clones represent significant new sources of diverse germplasm for Australian sugarcane breeding programs. Initial evaluation of some clones in small plots is suggestive of many clones being vigorous with high biomass compared with sugarcane cultivars. Future plans are aimed at rapidly taking commercial advantage of this material for future sugar or sugar/energy production systems. Of particular priority is to evaluate selections in multi-row plots to obtain more reliable data on yields. This includes evaluating performance under marginal, dry environments, and for ratooning performance, where it is hoped this material may have particular advantage compared with current sugarcane cultivars. One to two further backcrosses of selected clones to high CCS sugarcane parents will probably be required for production of cultivars suitable for sugar production systems. However, some clones already available in the F1 and BC1 generation may be suited to possible production systems of the future that require low cost biomass feedstock for energy production.