Pa. Jackson et Bt. Roach, PERFORMANCE OF SUGARCANE PROGENY FROM CROSSES BETWEEN CLONES DERIVED FROM DIVERSE S-SPONTANEUM SOURCES, Tropical agriculture, 71(1), 1994, pp. 57-61
Progeny from 32 biparental crosses between F-1 clones (i.e. Saccharum
officinarum or commercial hybrid x S. spontaneum derived from S. spont
aneum clones of different geographic origin), together with the parent
F-1 clones, were evaluated for sugar yield and its components. Previo
us studies suggested that progeny derived from different S. spontaneum
sources may exhibit heterosis for sugar content and yield. Both proge
ny and parent populations exhibited high genetic variation for all att
ributes measured. No significant differences between the parent popula
tion and populations of progeny for either mean performance or varianc
e were found. It is suggested that little or no immediate gain from fa
vourable gene interactions may be achieved by crossing F-1 clones of d
iverse genetic backgrounds.