Characterization of Exotic Commercial Hybrid Clones of Sugarcane

Fifteen exotic commercial hybrids were characterized for their morphological, agronomic and quality traits. The study showed wide morphological variation among the clones, though they are commercial canes developed for improved traits, including yield. For the agronomic data, the difference was significant only for the number of millable canes, HR brix, cane length and yield. Five clones had HR Brix value at 7^th month (> 21%) indicating it's potential as a source for early high sucrose accumulation. One clone showed sucrose above 20% (SP 83–5073) at maturity and it may be a potential parent for improving the juice quality. Only one clone (SP 80–1816) was found yield on par with the best check Co 62175 for CCS yield/plot, indicating that most of the clones were not adapted to the local environment.