2018 ASHS Annual Conference

The Canal Point Cultivar Development Program incorporates five phases through which clones of sugarcane (complex hybrids of Saccharum spp.) are progressed. Each stage (i.e. seedlings, Stages 1, 2, 3, and 4) offers an added level of selection stringency designed to focus on the ultimate release of superior cultivars with both agronomically desirable traits (e.g. tonnage and/or sucrose, etc.) and abiotic/biotic tolerances to growth pressures experienced in the Everglades Agricultural Area. The sampling and trialing of these stages, however, is tied directly to the harvesting season of the commercial processes occurring concurrently in the October through March timeframe. Trial clones are typically sampled earlier (i.e. September) than what would occur in production, and subsequent selection for advancement to the next developmental stage based upon this premature data. A study was conducted over a 3-year span to investigate the ramifications of this early sampling on the Stage 2 developmental trial stage of the muck-soil program. The study included annual sugar sampling at both early (i.e. normal trial sampling; September) and late (i.e. optimal harvest sampling; late February – early March) harvesting dates; and comparing these BRIX and sugar data against those taken for the clones in the previous Stage 1 and succeeding Stage 3 stages. The results indicate: (a) That the majority of elite clones are continually overlooked for advancement based on this premature data; (b) Only ~ 12% of the clones selected in the autumn maintain their performance over the harvest season; and, (c) That a maximum return on investment for the costs of trialing throughout the Canal Point Cultivar Development Program could be achieved by sampling the clones at a later date during the harvest season.