6.2. Gains from clonal selection
A number of studies have indicated that selection for sugar content and its components in small plot sugarcane trials may be reasonably effective, and often more effective than selection for cane yield. Skinner et al. (1987) reviewed studies showing broad sense heritabilities for sugar yield and cane yield of 0.17 or less, while for brix (usually strongly related to sugar content), estimates cited ranged from 0.27 to 0.65.Jackson and McRae (2001) showed CCS had better properties for selection purposes than cane yield. In this study, broad sense heritability was similar for both CCS and cane yield in single-row plots (about 0.5–0.6 for one replicate), but CCS was much less affected by competition effects in small plots than cane yield. The genetic correlation between CCS measured in small plots and large plots was about 0.90, but for cane yield,it was only about 0.5. This observation, combined with the greater economic value of CCS, indicated CCS should be weighted considerably higher than cane yield in an optimal selection index for selection of clones in small plots. Relative sugar content of different varieties may vary over time of the year. However, the relative importance of genotype time of year interactions may differ depending on whether clones representing early or advanced stages of selection are being considered. Jackson and Morgan (2003) showed, in unselected populations of clones, that relatively high and low CCS clones could be distinguished when the cane was quite immature (Fig. 5). This has somepractical implications for selection because sometimes there may be operational advantages in measuring and selecting for high CCS very early in the year. From a physiological perspective, such results also indicate that the major factors controlling genetic differences act very early in the crop maturity cycle. Among more selected clones and cultivars, the relative importance of genotype time interactions may be more significant, leading to cultivars specifically suited to particular times (e.g. early,mid-season) of harvest. For example, Cox et al. (1990) showed some clones with relatively very high early(April–June) CCS which had only average CCS later in the season.