sugarcane

Sugarcane:

sugarcane

Sugarcane: A Crop that Revolutionized the Market

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp) is a perennial crop that is adaptable, persistent, and widely cultivated in over 105 countries. While Pakistan ranks fifth in terms of sugarcane crop area, it ranks fifteenth in manufacture and 60th in yield, producing only 67.5 million metric tons (MMT) in the year 2014-15. Despite being a low producer, the sugar industry still remains the second-largest agricultural-based industry in Pakistan after textiles.

The Impact of Sugarcane Breeding on the Market

Modern sugarcane industries were developed due to the introduction of breeding and biotechnology, resulting in more remarkable advancements and increased production. Energy production is now one of the main interests of sugarcane, with ethanol fermentation from sucrose being a helpful byproduct. In Brazil, for instance, 40% of transport fuel in 2006 came from ethanol produced from sugarcane.

New techniques are being introduced in countries like the United States and Brazil, with sugarcane sucrose and corn starch being produced industrially to generate bioethanol. Today, these two states are the leading producers of biofuel (produced by sugarcane in the world sugar). Ethanol production from sugarcane in MY 2016/17 is reported at 43% and 57%, respectively, reflecting a significant increase from previous years.

Moreover, advanced techniques from biotechnology are being used to increase the quantity of sugarcane production. One of the most effective products is genetically modified (GM) sugarcane, which includes artificially inserted genes to produce more sugar and positive results in ecological issues like biotic and abiotic stresses. GM sugarcane is also being developed for the production of biofuel.

The History and Evolution of Sugarcane

Sugarcane belongs to the Poaceae family, much like rice. The species Saccharum officinarum, commonly known as noble cane, was usually cloned by making a backcross hybridization method between S. spontaneum (2n = 40–128), and its wild comparative S. officinarum (2n = 80) with disease resistance and high sugar content domesticated from the S. robustum species. This process of introgression is called mobilization and has led to a significant revolution in the improvement of sugarcane. Mobilization has helped with disease problems and future benefits toward the development of increasing adaptability to abiotic stress and ratooning capability.

Molecular markers techniques are essential tools for breeders to improve the effectiveness of indirect and primary assortment that would apply great impression on breeding for selection precision for high sugar content in sugarcane. Linkage maps have been established for restriction fragment length polymorphisms for RFLPs and SO with RAPDs for Sr. robust with RFLPs, and SS with random amplified polymorphic DNAs RAPDs based on simple markers.

The biological naming system explained the Species of Plantarum genus Saccharum, with the generic name taken from the Greek word saccharin, meaning sugar. The author accordingly Latinized it. Two species, S. spicatum Linnaeus and Saccharum officinarum Linnaeus, are now classified in the genus Perotis (P. spicata (L.) H. Durand and T. Durand). Six species are contained in the genus Saccharum, specifically S. spontaneum Linnaeus (2n = 40-128), S. edule Hassk. (2n = 60, 70, 80), and Jeswiet ex Grassl (2n = 60-80), classified as wild species; S. officinarum Linnaeus (2n = 80), known as the noble cane; and S. Barberi Jeswiet (2n = 81-124), S. robust Brandes, and S. sinense Roxb, classified as ancient hybrids (2n = 111-120). Together, these Saccharum species, combined with strongly interbreeding linked genera [e.g., Miscanthus (sect. Diandra Keng), Erianthus (sect. Ripidium), and Narenga, Sclerostachya], have been designated as the Saccharum complex. Advanced sugarcane and Saccharum complex are postulated and have originated from hybridization events and a series of polyploidization, representing the shared gene pool.

In conclusion, sugarcane has revolutionized the market with its adaptable, persistent, and widely cultivated nature. GM sugarcane has shown promising results in increasing sugar and biofuel production, and molecular markers techniques have proved to be essential tools for breeders. The Saccharum complex, with its various species and hybrids, shows the shared gene pool and evolution of sugarcane.