Genotype × environment interactions in sugarcane. II. Use of performance in plant cane as an indirect selection criterion for performance in ratoon crops

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether sugar yield of sugarcane genotypes in the plant crop could be used to predict relative yield in subsequent ratoon crops. Results from two series of trials, planted in 1985 and 1986, were examined. Within each series genotypes were planted at four locations and evaluated in plant, first ratoon and second ratoon crops. The genotypes used had not been selected previously in the test environments. Genetic correlations between sugar yield in plant and ratoon crop-years were moderate to high (greater than 0.65) for most locations. The relative efficiency of selection for yield in ratoon crop-years via indirect selection in the plant crop-year averaged 0.67. Realized gains from selection were compared for selection based on only plant crop results and selection based on average performance across all crop-years (the latter being the method routinely used in sugarcane breeding programs at present). In most cases the increases in realized gains in yield across independent environments brought about by considering results from more than the plant crop-year were small or non-existent. In the two series of trials, 11 and 12 of the top ranking 15 genotypes, respectively, based on mean performance across all crop-years, were also in the top 15 genotypes based on only the plant crop results. It is suggested that the testing of genotypes in only the plant crop may be appropriate in the early stages of selection in sugarcane breeding programs. Resources otherwise allocated to testing early stage material in ratoon crops may be more usefully employed elsewhere such as testing in more sites, with more replicates or more genotypes. It is emphasized, however, that this strategy may not be appropriate for highly selected populations, such as those in the final stages of selection, where genetic variance and genetic correlations between crop-years would be expected to be smaller than those obtained in this study.