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Breeding and Genetics of Sugarcane and Other Sugar Crops

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Breeding and Genetics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2018) | Viewed by 25254

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Karen S. Aitken

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Guest Editor

CSIRO Agriculture, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
Interests: sugarcane genetics; quantitative trait loci; RNAseq analysis; polyploid genome structure

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The two most important sugar crops are sugarcane (Saccharum spp.), grown in the tropical and subtropical regions; and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris), a temperate crop. Sugarcane produces approximately 70% of global sugar production, is one of the world’s most efficient crops at converting solar energy into chemical energy, and contributes up to 40% of ethanol production worldwide. With the recent renewed interest in biofuels, sugarcane breeders have started new programs to increase fiber and biomass to provide the material for biofuel production. Sugarcane has one of the most complex genomes, which combines high polyploidy with interspecific hybridization. Despite these complexities, researchers are starting to unravel the genetics of sugarcane and provide tools for breeders to use to improve and accelerate the selection of elite material.

This Special Issue will focus on sugar crops, genetics, and breeding. Novel research, reviews, and opinion pieces covering all topics including genetics, breeding, genomics, biotechnology, host–microbe interactions, phenotyping, and genetic diversity are welcome.

Dr. Karen S. Aitken
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Sugarcane Genetics
Polyploid genomics
Diversity
Crop improvement
Sucrose accumulation

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2270 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Allergenicity and Toxicity Assessment Methods for Evaluating Transgenic Sugarcane Overexpressing Sucrose–Phosphate Synthase

by Intan Ria Neliana, Widhi Dyah Sawitri, Netty Ermawati, Tri Handoyo and Bambang Sugiharto

Agronomy 2019, 9(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9010023 - 08 Jan 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5101

Abstract

Sugarcane is considered as an industrial crop that produces sugar. The number of transgenic sugarcane on the market is currently increasing. Therefore, investigation of the potential allergens and toxics in transgenic sugarcane is necessary, since there is less information regarding food safety for human consumption. Bioinformatics and experimental analysis were used for the validation of the allergenic potential of transgenic sugarcane overexpressing sucrose–phosphate synthase (SPS). Bioinformatics analysis showed that SPS has no homology with any known allergenic proteins. However, eight-residues identical contiguous sequence was detected, and further specific assessment is required to confirm the potential of allergenicity. The results of protein stability evaluation showed that SPS gradually decreased at 28 °C and rapidly inactivated at 60 °C and 90 °C by heat treatment. In addition, total protein was degraded by simulated gastric fluids (SGF), and simulated intestine fluid (SIF) assays for one-minute incubation. The level of specific IgE in the transgenic sugarcane and controls also showed no potential risk of allergy. An acute oral toxicity assay was performed by oral gavage of transgenic sugarcane juice in mice. The LD₅₀ for transgenic sugarcane juice was >25 gr/kg body weight. We propose a development method for allergenicity and toxicity assessment in transgenic sugarcane. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breeding and Genetics of Sugarcane and Other Sugar Crops)

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11 pages, 1651 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seed Germination in Relation to Total Sugar and Starch in Endosperm Mutant of Sweet Corn Genotypes

by Potchanee Pairochteerakul, Darunee Jothityangkoon, Danupol Ketthaisong, Sakunkan Simla, Kamol Lertrat and Bhalang Suriharn

Agronomy 2018, 8(12), 299; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8120299 - 09 Dec 2018

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 7429

Abstract

The use of combinations of two or more genes controlling carbohydrate characters of corn is an attractive way to improve table quality of sweet corn. Poor seed quality of the inbred lines hinders the progress of this strategy for hybrid seed production. The objective of this study was to evaluate sweet corn inbred lines with combinations of double and triple recessive genes for germination percentage, seed vigor, total sugar content, and starch content. Eleven sweet corn genotypes including seven inbred lines (F₆ generation) with different combinations of genes controlling carbohydrate characters and four F₁ hybrids were used. The germination experiment was conducted under standard test between papers (BP) and accelerated aging (AA) test. The data were recorded for germination percentage, germination speed, normal and abnormal seedling, seedling length, and seedling dry weight. The seeds were analyzed for total sugar and starch content in endosperm at maturity stage. The results showed that single recessive genotype (sh2sh2) had high germination percentage and seedling vigor. The combinations of bt or sh2 gene with wx gene resulted in low germination percentage and poor seedling vigor. However, combinations of triple recessive genes (btbt sh2sh2 wxwx) had good germination in BP test but they performed poorly in AA test. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breeding and Genetics of Sugarcane and Other Sugar Crops)

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6 pages, 542 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantification of Oil Content in Intact Sugar Beet Seed by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

by Rosa Martínez-Arias, María Gabriela Ronquillo-López and Axel Schechert

Agronomy 2018, 8(11), 254; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8110254 - 08 Nov 2018

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3660

Abstract

Sugar beet seed oil reserves play an important role in successful germination and seedling development. The purpose of this study was to establish a non-destructive near-infrared (NIR) methodology with good predictive accuracy to quantify stored seed oil in sugar beet seed. Reflectance NIR spectra were acquired from viable monogerm seeds. Calibration equations were developed using partial least squares. The optimized calibration model reached a Pearson correlation of 0.946; an independent prediction test reached a correlation of 0.919 and a Root Mean Square Error of Prediction of 0.388. The possible role of the outer pericarp in the prediction of oil content was additionally considered. The results indicate that the model is suitable for a rapid and accurate determination of the oil content in both polished and unpolished sugar beet seeds. This NIR application might help to understand the role of seed energy reservoirs in sugar beet germination and further plant growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breeding and Genetics of Sugarcane and Other Sugar Crops)

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Review

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19 pages, 849 KiB

Open AccessReview

Development and Use of Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) Markers for Sugarcane Breeding and Genetic Studies

by Ali Ahmad, Jin-Da Wang, Yong-Bao Pan, Rahat Sharif and San-Ji Gao

Agronomy 2018, 8(11), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy8110260 - 12 Nov 2018

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 8326

Abstract

Recently-developed molecular markers are becoming powerful tools, with applications in crop genetics and improvement. Microsatellites, or simple sequence repeats (SSRs), are widely used in genetic fingerprinting, kinship analysis, and population genetics, because of the advantages of high variability from co-dominant and multi-allelic polymorphisms, and accurate and rapid detection. However, more recent evidence suggests they may play an important role in genome evolution and provide hotspots of recombination. This review describes the development of SSR markers through different techniques, and the detection of SSR markers and applications for sugarcane genetic research and breeding, such as cultivar identification, genetic diversity, genome mapping, quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, paternity analysis, cross-species transferability, segregation analysis, phylogenetic relationships, and identification of wild cross hybrids. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of SSR markers and highlight some future perspectives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breeding and Genetics of Sugarcane and Other Sugar Crops)

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