Improvement of Yield per se in Sugarcane - Translational Genomics for Crop Breeding: Abiotic Stress, Yield and Quality - page 216

Bandjarmasin
Hitan ( S. officinarum )
2n=80,
n=40

Loethers
( S. officinarum )
2n=99
n=99/2

Black Cheribon
( S. officinarum )
2n=80
n=40

Glagah
( S. spontaneum )
2n=112
n=56

× ×

POJ100
2n=89, n=89/2

× Kassoer

2n=136=(2×40+56), n=68

*(GI) 2n+n

POJ2364
2n=148=2×89/2+136/2
n=148/2

× EK28 (Clon: S. officinarum )

2n=80
n=40

(GII) 2n+n

POJ2714
POJ2722
POJ2725

2n=114
2n=108
2n=107

POJ2875
POJ2878
POJ2883

2n=110
2n=119
2n=115

(GIII) n+n

*G = Generation

Fig. 13.4. 'Nobilization' breeding scheme that led to the few typical Javanese POJ interspecific founder
cultivars obtained after three generations following ancestral species and used in most breeding programs
worldwide in the 20 th century. After a first interspecific (F1) hybridization (Kassoer) and a backross (BC)
with a 'noble' cane (POJ 100) in which the somatic number (2 n ) of the two female genitors is transmitted, a
second BC with a 'noble cane' (EK28) gave rise to outstanding 'nobilized' products (from Campo Zabala,
2010, with kind permission from the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists).

ability and high tillering. Hybrids were produced
from these two complementary species through
an introgression process called “nobilization”
(Figure

breeding station created the famous 'nobilized'
cane, POJ 2878. Its yield was 35% higher than
the other varieties used at that time (Jeswiet
1930). The Sugarcane Breeding Institute at
Coimbatore (India) used S. sinense and S.
barberi as the male parent in their nobilization
schemes and created famous cultivars such as Co
213, Co 281 and Co 290. Most of the superior
'nobilized' canes that were created between
1920 and 1930 spread throughout the world
during the course of the 20 th century. Since
then, in all countries, improvement of sugarcane
has been based on the recurrent intercrossing
of elite cultivars derived from these few initial
interspecific 'nobilized' founders, followed by
mass selection among progenies. One of the
main consequences of these breeding schemes
is a relatively narrow genetic basis of modern

13.4). 'Nobilization' consists of an

initial interspecific (F1) cross ( ♀ S. officinarum x

♂ S. spontaneum ) followed by a few backcrosses

(BC) with different 'noble' clones ( S. offici-
narum ). In F1 and BC1 crosses, S. officinarum
used as female genitor has the particularity
of transmitting its somatic (2 n ) chromosome
number (Bremer 1922; Piperidis et al. 2010).
The resulting products of introgression (BC2,
BC3, etc.) thus rapidly recovered the high
sugar-content phenotype characteristic of the
'noble' species ( S. officinarum ) along with
sustainable yield due to newly acquired disease
resistance. 'Nobilization' was first exploited at
the Proefstation Ost Java (Java). In 1921, this