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Potentials, Challenges, and Genetic and Genomic Resources for Sugarcane Biomass Improvement
Ramkrishna Kandel1,2, Xiping Yang1, Jian Song1,3
1Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
Frontiers in Plant Science
|March 6, 2018
Summary
Sugarcane is a promising feedstock for bioethanol. This review explores its biomass potential, genetic challenges, and resources for improving biofuel production.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Biotechnology
- Bioenergy
Background:
- Lignocellulosic biomass is crucial for second-generation bioethanol.
- Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) is a highly efficient C4 plant for biomass production.
- Energy cane is a specialized sugarcane variety bred for biomass.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review sugarcane's biomass potential and genetic underpinnings.
- To identify challenges in sugarcane biomass improvement.
- To highlight genetic resources and databases for enhancing sugarcane for bioenergy.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of sugarcane genetics and biomass traits.
- Analysis of challenges in sugarcane breeding for biomass.
- Survey of available germplasm, genomic, and cell wall databases.
- Exploration of candidate gene mining strategies in genomic databases.
Main Results:
- Sugarcane possesses significant biomass potential due to its growth rate and physiological traits.
- Challenges include its complex genome, narrow gene pool, long breeding cycles, and flowering issues.
- Numerous genetic resources and databases are available to aid biomass improvement.
- Candidate genes controlling biomass traits can be identified using genomic databases.
Conclusions:
- Sugarcane is a viable feedstock for bioethanol production.
- Overcoming genetic and breeding challenges is key to unlocking its full biomass potential.
- Leveraging genetic resources and databases is essential for advancing sugarcane bioenergy research.
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