Hybridity tests to identify true hybrids in sugarcane

Sugarcane inflorescences are hermaphrodite panicles, where both pollen quantity and fertility are influenced by genotype and environmental conditions. Emasculation technique allows employing male parents as female parents and extending the range and direction of clones that can be used in breeding programs. A major problem in transferring superior traits is the spontaneous self fertilization during the crossing process with added problem of lack of observable morphological characters to differentiate among the parents, making it difficult to distinguish true hybrids from the self pollinated ones. Consequently, plants are sometimes discarded because they are not identified as true hybrids and do not perform as hybrids. Such inaccurate identification of hybrids adversely affect sugarcane breeding programme. Methods using morphological characteristics for genetic purity evaluation are slow and inefficient. Use of biochemical markers is rapid, less expensive, largely unaffected by the environment and does not require growing plants to maturity. However, DNA- based technologies provide more discriminative power and faster identification of varieties and their hybrids. Several investigations have proved that DNA marker technology can be a powerful tool in sugarcane improvement programme in the country. The existing 8–10 years breeding cycle for sugarcane can be reduced by 1–2 years.