Association Analysis of Rind Hardness and Fibre Content in Sugarcane

An experiment was conducted with seventy-nine sugarcane varieties laid out in an augumented design, to study the relationship between rind hardness and fibre content. Highly significant estimates for correlations and repeatability were obtained for the two characters in plant and ratoon crop. Regression analysis also brought out the usefulness of rind hardness as an index for screening a large number of genotypes for fibre content. Unlike fibre estimation, rind hardness measurement is a simple, quick and nondestructive field technique aimed at increasing breeders* efficiency.