Optimised descriptors recommended for Australian sugarcane germplasm (Saccharum spp. hybrid)

Abstract

No internationally accepted system of describing sugarcane cultivars has ever emerged, despite repeated attempts. An internationally adopted descriptor set would enable cultivar label maintenance both within and among research stations, and enable an international measure of genetic distance. An optimum morphological descriptor set was formulated after an exhaustive study of characters. Characters were selected using both a monothetic and a polythetic discriminant analysis, and from a study of character variance components. Twenty-nine vegetative characters are recommended for adoption and general use. A further 22 reproductive characters are recommended for secondary use. The latter are descriptive, but less practical as flowering rate is often low. These morphological characters are compared with molecular marker studies in the crop.