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Sugarcane Breeding InstituteIndian Council of Agricultural Research

Coimbatore

SUGARCANE BREEDING INSTITUTECoimbatore - 641 007, Tamil Nadu, Indian Tel. No. : 91 - 422 - 2472621Fax. No. : 91 - 422 - 2472923E-mail : [email protected] : http://sugarcane-breeding.tn.nic.in

CORRECT CITATION :

SBI - Annual Report 2009 - 2010 Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Editorial Committee

Dr. T. Rajula Shanthy

Dr. M.N. Premachandran

Dr. D. Mohanraj

Dr. J. Srikanth

Dr. P. Gopalasundaram

Dr. N. Vijayan Nair

Published by :

Dr. N. Vijayan Nair

Director

Sugarcane Breeding Institute

Coimbatore - 641 007.

Printed by

Shri Garuda Graphics

79A DB Road, RS Puram, Cbe - 02 Ph : 0422-2542555 e-mail : [email protected]

ISSN

ContentsContents1. Preface 01

2. The Organization 03

3. dk;Zdkjh lkjka'k 06

4. Executive Summary 11

5. Research Achievements

5.1 Division of Crop Improvement 16

5.2 Division of Crop Production 44

5.3 Division of Crop Protection 55

5.4 Statistics Section 67

5.5 Extension Section 69

5.6 SBI Regional Centre, Karnal 77

5.7 SBI Research Centre, Kannur 84

5.8 SBI Research Centre, Agali 87

6. Education and Training 88

7. Awards and Recognitions 90

8. Linkages and Collaborations 90

9. All India Coordinated Research Project on Sugarcane 91

10. Publications 91

11. Research Programmes 99

12. Consultancy, Patents and Commercialization of Technology 100

13. Meetings and Workshops Organized by the Institute 100

14. Committees 101

15. Participation in Conferences, Meetings, Workshops, Symposia and Seminars 103

16. Distinguished Visitors 107

17. Personnel 108

1

Sugar production in the country showed marginal improvement during the year and is estimated to be 18.5 million tons as against 14.5 m tons in the previous year. Nevertheless, the present production is inadequate to meet the domestic requirement of sugar pegged at about 23 m tons. The support price announced for the crop during the year had been substantially high and it is expected to bring back those farmers who opted for more remunerative crops in the previous years. In view of the fluctuating trend in cane area over the years, it has become imperative to improve cane productivity and sugar recovery to meet the growing demand for sugar in the country.

The Institute has the mandate to develop improved, well adapted varieties for the different agroclimatic regions of the country. The varieties released by the Institute had been performing well in different parts of the country. In the tropical region, Co 86032, released during 2000, is still the ruling variety in most of the states. Among the later varieties, Co 99004 shows promise in view of its high yield, juice quality and tolerance to drought and salinity. Co 94012 released for Maharashtra and Karnataka recently has been performing well in terms of high sugar recovery. Co 92005 released for cultivation in Maharashtra in 2009 has been rated as the best jaggery variety in the state fetching a premium price for its jaggery and the variety has spread to over 20,000 ha in a short time. In subtropical India, the recently released varieties Co 0238 and Co 0118 were reported to be performing well.

During the year, four new varieties developed by the Institute had been indentified for release by the Varietal Identification Committee of ICAR. This includes two varieties Co 0314 and Co 0218 for the Peninsular Zone and Co 0124 and Co 0239 for the North West Zone. They were identified based on their relative performance in the AICRP trials across locations in the respective Zones. All these varieties combined high yield, juice quality and resistance to red rot and are expected to perform well in the respective zones.

The National Hybridization Facility was further strengthened with the addition of new parents as per the suggestions of the breeders from the participating centres. This facility which is being utilized by 23 state sugarcane research stations to make crosses of their choice had been the mainstay of the sugarcane varietal improvement programmes in the country. During the year, 586 biparental crosses and a large number of polycrosses were made by the 23 centres to produce nearly 35 kg of fluff.

Explorations conducted in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand resulted in the collection of 53 clones of S. spontaneum, Erianthus fulvus and Miscanthus nepalensis. These accessions from high altitude regions are potential sources for cold tolerance. The maintenance of the world collection of sugarcane germplasm at the Kannur Centre was further strengthened with a tissue culture facility as a backup to field maintenance. Intergeneric hybrids involving Saccharum and Erianthus and their back crosses were characterized at molecular level and also for agronomic traits. The progenies from Saccharum x Sorghum crosses were characterized morphologically and also using Sorghum specific SSR markers. Of the 27 progenies screened, nine showed Sorghum-specific markers confirming their hybridity. Morphologically the hybrids resembled the Saccharum parent and showed very few Sorghum characteristics. The potential of the hybrids for early build up of sucrose is being assessed.

Preface

N.V. NAIRDirector

SUGARCANE BREEDING INSTITUTE Indian Council of Agricultural Research

Coimbatore

2 SBI Annual Report 2009-10

Biotechnology programmes showed significant progress during the year. Three sugarcane specific drought responsive candidate genes were identified and further studies are in progress. The ubiquitin promoters isolated from sugarcane related species earlier were cloned in pCAMBIA vector substituting the CaMV35s promoter so as to get a gus-promoter fusion for expression studies in sugarcane. Transformation studies in different species showed the monocot-specific nature of the new regulatory sequence. A number of transgenics are now available with cry1Ab and aprotinin genes and are ready for field evaluation. Application for confined field trial of selected transgenic events expressing cry1Ab gene was submitted to the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM).

Various crop production technologies to optimize the resource utilization and to reduce the cost of production were evaluated. Drip irrigation resulted in a saving of 37% irrigation water compared to surface irrigation in the second ratoon. There was also a saving of 25% of N and K fertilizers by adopting drip fertigation. The experiment on organic sugarcane production system showed significant yield improvement over the conventional system in the plant crop of the third cycle and also improvement in the activity of the rhizosphere microflora, indicating the sustainability of the organic production system.

The emergence and spread of Yellow Leaf Disease had been alarming in the tropical states. Surveys were undertaken to monitor the disease and advisories were issued to the sugar factories on the management of the disease. Crops raised from tissue culture plants were found to be relatively free of the disease. The Institute had been offering the virus indexing services to commercial tissue culture laboratories, to enable them to supply virus-free plants to the factories and farmers. Red rot was reported from areas where susceptible varieties were grown. Some of the new systemic fungicides like Nativo and Cabrio showed promise against the primary sources of red rot pathogen in the soil.

A number of outreach programmes were organized to expose the various technologies developed by the Institute to the farmers and development personnel. The Kisan Mela organized during September 2009 attracted a large number of farmers from all the southern states. Front line demonstrations, National and State level training programmes and awareness campaigns on various technologies were organized during the year. The Sugarcane Research and Development Workers Meet organized by the Institute in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu and Belgaum, North Karnataka discussed the current status of technology adoption and major issues in cane agriculture in the respective regions. These meetings were helpful in developing strategic approaches to improve sugarcane productivity in the region.

On the academic front, four of our students received their Ph.D. degree from the Bharathiar University, Coimbatore during the year. We also conducted the M.Sc. Sugarcane Technology course in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli granted recognition to the Institute as a centre for doctoral programme in Biotechnology.

I have great pleasure in presenting the Annual Report of the Institute for 2009-10, summarizing the major activities of the Institute in research, education and extension. I thank all the Scientists and staff who contributed to the successful conduct of the research and extension programmes. My thanks are also due to Dr T. Rajula Shanthy and the editorial team for compiling and editing this report in the present form. The support and encouragement received from Dr S. Ayyappan, Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR, Dr S.K. Datta, Deputy Director General, Crop Science and Dr K.C. Jain, Assistant Director General (CC) are duly acknowledged.

N.V. NAIRDirector

3

2. THE ORGANIZATION

Background

Location

Centres

Mandate of the Institute

l

l

Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI), Coimbatore has been conducting researches on various aspects of sugarcane agriculture and varietal improvement since its inception in 1912. The Institute has developed over 2800 ‘Co’ selections many of them becoming popular as commercial varieties in different parts of the country. Co canes bred at SBI along with the varieties identified from the crosses made at the institute by the State Sugarcane Research Stations occupy nearly 95% of the cane area in the country at present. Thus the sugarcane varieties cultivated in the country today are directly or indirectly derived from this institute. Co canes were successful as commercial varieties in over 30 countries at one time and are being extensively used as parents in breeding programmes even today. The Institute maintains one of the largest collections of sugarcane genetic resources in the world.

The Institute is located 8 km from the Coimbatore Railway Station and 19 km from the Coimbatore

oAirport. Geographically it is at 77 E longitude and o11 N latitude at an altitude of 427 m above mean

sea level.

The Institute has one Regional Centre at Karnal (Haryana) and two Research Centres at Kannur and Agali (Kerala).

To breed superior sugarcane varieties / genotypes having high sugar productivity as well as sustainability and to assist State sugarcane breeding programs.

To conduct basic and strategic researches on crop improvement, production and protection aspects of sugarcane cultivation.

l

l

Staff Position

To collect, maintain, evaluate, document and conserve sugarcane genetic resources.

To effect technology transfer, consultancy and human resource development in the areas of sugarcane agricultural research.

Table 1. Staff position as on 31.03.2010

Organizational set up

The research activities of the Institute are being carried out in three divisions and two sections at the main Institute and its Regional / Research Centres under the administrative control of the Director.

The Research Coordination and Monitoring Unit (RCMU) and the Technical Cell support the research management functions like coordination, planning and review of research programs to ensure that the system functions with the requisite accountability in terms of efficiency and optimal utilization of resources. An administrative wing comprising Establishment, Audit and Accounts, Cash and Bills, and Stores effectively provides the

Category Sanctioned Filled VacantDirector 1 1 -Scientific 79 58 21Technical 73 67 6Administrative 38 33 5Supporting 82 65 17Total 273 224 49

Financial StatementTable 2. Abstract of expenditure during 2009-10

Amount in Lakhs (Rs.)Head

Non-Plan 1714.53Plan 349.89Other Schemes 73.39Total 2137.91

4

required administrative support. The Estate section, besides maintenance of buildings, takes care of the vehicle management and security arrangements.

The Institute has a total area of around 81 ha including farm, laboratory and office buildings.The farm area is around 55 ha and is situated in three campuses viz., Main (24.4 ha), ECC (28.5 ha) and VPT (2.0 ha). Out of this, roughly 65% is used for raising sugarcane and the rest is used for raising other crops like fodder, pulses and green manure. The Institute farm is managed by the Farm section.

The library provides information support to the

Farm

Library and documentation services

Research and Development activities of the Institute. It has a collection of 11,718 books including bound volumes of journals, besides free publications such as Annual Reports, Newsletters, Scientific and Technical publications etc. received from Indian and foreign organizations.

Subscription was renewed for 54 journals and one Online Database on Indian Agricultural Statistics and 190 books (Indian and foreign) were procured incurring an expenditure of Rs.17,00,000/-. An income of Rs.27,023/- was generated by sale of the Institute’s publications (128 Nos.). A book exhibition was organized on 10 February 2010 with the participation of three publishers for the benefit of users.

RESEARCHADVISORY

COMMITTEE

MANAGEMENTCOMMITTEE

HEAD QUARTERS SUB STATIONS

DIVISIONS SECTIONS

Crop Improvement Extension

Crop Production Statistics

Crop Protection

REGIONAL CENTRE RESEARCH CENTRES

Karnal(Haryana)

Kannur(Kerala)

Agali(Kerala)

CENTRALISED SERVICES

Library Technical Cell RCMU Administration Finance & Accounts Farm Estate

DIRECTOR

SBI Annual Report 2009-10

Weather data

Table 3. Weather data for the year 2009-10

April 2009 37.3 23.4 81.5 38.7 6.9 - -

May 36.9 23.4 82.0 37.2 6.3 94.4 4

June 33.7 22.3 82.2 44.8 5.2 10.0 1

July 30.4 21.4 83.0 60.2 3.6 110.6 11

August 32.7 21.9 83.7 50.2 5.1 27.7 2

September 32.9 21.8 84.5 51.9 4.7 53.2 4

October 32.9 20.7 85.5 48.5 5.0 44.4 6

November 29.6 20.1 90.5 63.2 3.1 247.8 11

December 29.4 18.7 87.6 56.2 3.9 - -

January 2010 31.2 18.4 85.5 52.2 5.1 - -

February 33.8 19.6 83.9 43.5 6.0 - -

March 36.5 20.8 78.8 33.4 7.4 - -

Mean / Total 33.1 21.0 84.1 48.3 5.2 588.1 39

Month 0Temperature C

Maximum Minimum

RH (%)

Forenoon AfternoonEvaporation (mm/day)

Rainfall (mm)

No. of rainy days

The mean rainfall during the year (588.1 mm) was lower than the average rainfall of 674.2 mm.

5

6

3- dk;Zdkjh lkjka'k

Qly lq/kkj

vf[ky Hkkjrh; xUuk leUo;d vuqla/kku ifj;kstuk ds vUrZxr gq, vfxze iztkrh; ifj{k.k esa vk'kktud urhtksa ds vk/kkj ij xUus dh pkj ubZ iztkfr;ksa dks tkjh djus ds fy, igpku lfefr }kjk igpku dh xbZA buesa izk;}hih; {ks= ds fy, dks- 0314 vxsrh rFkk dks- 0218 e/;e nsj ls idus okyh vkSj mÙkj if'peh {ks= ds fy, dks- 0124 e/;e nsj ls idus okyh rFkk dks- 0239 vxsrh iztkrh;ka 'kkfey gSaA nks ubZ iztkrh;ksa] dks- 0118 ,aoe~ dks- 0238] dh iathdj.k ds fy, izkFkZuk i= ikS/kk fdLe vkSj d`"kd vf/kdkj laj{k.k izkf/kdj.k] ubZ fnYyh esa tek djok, x,A dks;EcÙkwj] djuky ,oe~ mxkj ¼mÙkjh dukZVd½ esa fd, x, ifj{k.kksa ds vk/kkj ij 39 gksugkj Dyksu dks dks- xUuk ds :i esa tkjh fd;k x;kA

laLFkku ds iztuu dk;ZØe ds fy, 124 izk;ksfxd Øk'k] 13 izekf.kr Øk'k rFkk 10 cgqØk'k cuk, x,A lajf{kr cht ls ikS/k rS;kj djds dks;EcÙkwj esa [ksr ulZjh esa jksikbZ dh xbZA ,d cMh l[;ka esa dÙrdksa dk eqY;kadku fd;k x;k rFkk gksugkj dÙrdksa dks iwoZ&ikj.k {ks=h; ifj{k.k esa 'kkfey fd;k x;kA xq.ku fd, x, 171 dÙrdksa esa ls 107 dÙrdksa dks dks;EcÙkwj esa ifj{k.k ds fy, pquk x;kA

N% lkS rsjg iSr`d dÙrdksa okys jk"Vªh; o.kZladjhdj.k cxhpk (NHG) dk mi;ksx 23 lfEefyr dsUnzksa }kjk fd;k x;k rFkk 586 f}iSr`d Øk'k cuk, x;sA lHkh dsUnzksa ds fy, ikj.k {ks= pqus gq, Øk'k cuk, x,A m".k dfVca/kh; rFkk miks".k&dfVca/kh; {ks=ksa ds fy, vyx&vyx cgqØk'k ulZjh yxkbZ xbZ rFkk QYQ dks bZDëk djds lfEefyr dsUnzksa dks Hkstk x;kA blds vykok 258 iSr`dksa ls [kqyk&ijkx.k }kjk QYQ dks bDëk djds lEcaf/kr dsUnzksa dks ckaVk x;kA dqy feykdj NHG dks;EcÙkwj ls 32-54 fdyksxzke QYQ rFkk xUuk iztuu laLFkku vuqla/kku dsUnz] vxyh ls 2-176 fdyksxzke QYQ dk teko l{kerk ds ifj{k.k ds ckn 23 lfEefyr dsUnzksa dks Hkstk x;kA

vf[ky Hkkjrh; leUo;d ifj;kstuk ds ifj{k.k dks;EcÙkwj ,oe~ djuky esa fd, x,A dks- 06002] dks- 06010] dks- 06022 rFkk dks- 06021 IVT vxsrh esa rFkk dks- 06012 ,oe~ dks- 06027 IVT e/;e nsj {ks.kh esa csgrj FkhA nks ikS/kk ,oe~ ,d isM+h Qly dh IVT iz;ksx ds lfEefyr fu"iknu ls irk pyk fd dks- 0403 vxsrh Js.kh esa rFkk dks- 0409 e/;e nsj Js.kh esa jl xq.koÙkk ,oe~ mRiknu esa lcls csgrj FkhA

dks- 99004] dks- 86032] dks- 94008] dks- 2001&13 rFkk dks- 2001&15 iztkrh;ksa dk 71 Vu iztud cht dk mRiknu dks;EcÙkwj esa fd;k x;k rFkk vkU/kz izns'k] dukZVd] xqtjkr] egkjk"Vª rFkk rfeyukMq dh phuh feyksa ,oe~ fdlkuksa dks ckaVk x;kA djuky esa] dks- 89003] dks- 98014] dks- 0118] dks- 0124] dks- 0237] dks- 0238] dks- 0239 rFkk dks- 0241 iztkrh;ksa dk 314 Vu iztud cht dk mRiknu fd;k x;k rFkk phuh feyksa ,oe~ izxfr'khy fdlkuksa dks cspk x;kA dks- 99004] dks- 86032 rFkk dks- 2001&13 ds 13]600 ls vf/kd fV';w dYpj ikS/ks rS;kj djds ckaVs x,A

gky gh esa igpku fd, x, dks- xUus dk ouLifrd uke fu/kkZj.k fd;k x;k rFkk ikap mRd`"V dks- iztkrh;ksa ¼dks- 0209] dks- 0314] dks- 0212] dks- 0218 rFkk dks- 0403½ dh STMS fpUgd dk mi;ksx djds DNA fQUxjfizUVhax dh xbZA T;knk 'kdZjk okys dÙrdksa ds mRiknu gsrq iqujko`Ùk pquko tkjh jgkA rhljs pØ ls 15 dÙrd] dkslh- 671 ls lkFkZd :i ls T;knk fczDl okys] dh igpku vkxs iztuu esa mi;ksx ds fy, dhA T;knk ck;ksekl rFkk dqy 'kdZjk dh ek=k okyh fof'k"V iztkrh;ksa ds iztuu ds fy, rFkk ,l- LikuVsfu;e ;k bfj;sUFkl v:ufMusfl;l ds dksf'kdknzO;h xUus dh iztkrh;k¡ fodflr djus ds fy, ubZ ifj;kstuk;sa 'kq: dh xbZA rfeyukMq dh fofHkUu d`f"k ifjfLFkdh {ks=ksa ds fy, 13 phuh feyksa esa xUus dh iztkfr;ksa ds eqY;kadu gsrq rfeyukMq d`f"k fo'ofo|ky; ds lkFk feydj ,d vUrj&laLFkku ifj;kstuk dh 'kq:vkr dh xbZA bl laLFkku ij fodflr e/;e nsj dh Js.kh dh rhu fdLeksa dks-


7

99006] dks- 99008 rFkk dks- 2000&12 dks bl ifj{k.k esa 'kkfey fd;k x;kA iwohZ rVorhZ {ks= fo'ks"k ds fy, iztkrh;k¡ fodflr djus gsrq 1080 dÙrdksa dk igys ifj{k.k esa ruqdq] vkU/kz izns'k esa eqY;kadu fd;k x;k rFkk 383 mRd`"V dÙrdksa dks fQj ls eqY;kadu ds fy, pquk x;kA lnhZ ds ekSle esa vPNh isM+h dh Qly okyh iztkrh;ksa ds pquko gsrq djuky esa 14 dÙrdksa dk eqY;kadu fd;k x;k] ijUrq de lnhZ ds dkj.k dks- 1148 lfgr T;knkrj dÙrdksa esa xUus dh iSnkokj esa T;knk deh ugha feyhA

lu~ 1960 ls igys rFkk 2000 AD rd m".k&dfVcfU/k; Hkkjr esa fodflr fdLeksa esa vuqokaf'kd lq/kkj dh tkap gsrq ,d ikS/kk rFkk ,d isM+h dh Qly esa eqY;kadu fd;k x;kA xUuk o phuh dh iSnkokj lcls T;knk 1981&90 ds chp fodflr iztkrh;ksa esa feyh rFkk blds ckn 1991&2000 ds n'kd esa jgha tcfd 1960 ls igys dh iztkrh;ksa esa lcls de iSnkokj feyhA blls ;g Hkh irk pyk fd gky ds n'kdksa esa xUuk dh iSnkokj dks nsgyh eki ij j[krs gq, 'kdZjk dh vf/kd ek=k ds fy, iztkrh;ksa dk p;u fd;k x;kA

jk"Vªh; Msjh vuqla/kku laLFkku ds lkFk ,d vUrj&laLFkku ifj;kstuk ds rgr djuky esa 27 dÙrdksa ds vxksyk pkjk iks"k.k eqY; tkuus ds fy, v/;;u fd;k x;kA vxksyk esa ØwM izksVhu dh ek=k Qly vk;q ds lkFk de gqbZ tcfd MzkbZ eSVj] bFkj lkj rFkk ØwM Qkbcj dh ek=k Qly vk;q ds lkFk c<+hA vxksyk pkjk dks f[kykus ij i'kq dh c<okj rFkk otu esa o`f) ds v/;;u ls irk pyk fd xUuk vxksyk ds lkFk 30 ;k 40 izfr'kr lkUnz.k feyk dj f[kykus ij ØwM izksVhu ikpu ,oe~ 'kkjhfjd otu esa vdsys xUuk vxksyk pkjk dh rqyuk esa T;knk o`f) gqbZA

dks;EcÙkwj] djuky rFkk vxyh ij xUus dh iztkrh;ksa dk [ksr esa ,d lanHkZ laxzg.k dk DUS o.kZu fd, x,A xUus ds fy, ifj'kksf/kr DUS ifj{k.k ekxZn'khZ fl)kar ikS/kk fdLe vkSj d`"kd vf/kdkj laj{k.k izkf/kdj.k esa tek djok;s x, rFkk xUuk esa DUS ifj{k.k gsrq jk"Vªh; ifj{k.k ekxZn'khZ fl)krksa dks vf/klwfpr dj fn;k x;k gSA DUS o.kZu ds vk/kkj ij fdLeksa ds lanHkZ laxzg.k ij dks;EcÙkwj] djuky ,oe~ vxyh esa fjdkMZ fd, x, vkadMs&vk/kkj dks IINDUS ij viyksM ds fy, izkf/kdj.k esa tek djok, x,A

,d thu fu;af=r region-gus fusion dk irk yxkus gsrq CaMV 35s izorZd dks cny dj ;wfcD;wfVu thu dks fo;qDÙk djds pCAMBIA oSDVj esa Dyksu fd;k x;kA fu;af=r {ks= I ds fuekZ.k dks xUuk] /kku] rEckdw ,oe~ vjschMksifll ds :ikraj.k esa bLrseky ls bl fu;af=r ØecU/k dks ,d chti=d fof'k"V izd`fr ds :i esa LFkkfir fd;k x;kA STMS izkbej ds lkFk Cry1Ab thu ds vfHkO;Dr y{k.k ds ijkthud n'kk ij izek.kq lEca/kh v/;;u us fn[kk;k fd ,xzkscSDVªh;e e/;Lr :ikUrj dh n'kkvksa esa lcls de fofo/krk feyh] blds ckn ck;ksfyfLVd fof/k esa rFkk lcls T;knk fofo/krk Cry1Ab thu }kjk ,izksfVfuu thu ds :ikarfjr ijkthud vfHkO;Dr y{k.k esa feyhA xUuk ds thofoKku izys[k ds lkFk Cry1Ab thu vfHkO;Dr yf{kr p;fur ijkthudksa ds lhfer [ksr ifj{k.k gsrq ,d izkFkZuk i= fjfoO;q deSVh vku tsusfVd eSfuiqys'ku (RCGM) dks tek djk nh FkhA

bfj;sUFkl v:UMhusfl;l] ,l- vkfQflusje ,oe~ ,l- jkscLVe ds fof'k"V ekbØkslSVsykbV izkbej dks mifLFkr lEHkkfod ladj dh o.kZladjrk dh iqf"V ds fy, igpku djds bLrseky fd, x,A bfj;sUFkl ds dksf'kdk nzO; okyh ladj dks xUuk ds lkFk Øk'k rFkk cSdØk'k fd;k rFkk larfr esa fczDl dh ek=k c<kus gsrq xUuk ds lkFk fQj ls cSdØk'k fd;k x;kA ekbVksdksafMª;y DNA fof'k"V izkbej ds ifj{k.k esa ls nad4 thu ds izkbej tksM+k ds lkFk ,l- vkfQflusje rFkk ,l- LikuVsfu;e ds chp PCR mRikn esa lkFk fHkUurk feyh ftls dksf'kdk nzO; vk/kkj esa fofo/krk v/;;u ds fy, bLrseky fd;k tk ldrk gSA ldSje X eDdk ,oe~ Tokj X ldSje ds vUrj&tkrh; ladj lao/kZu ls lksekDyksu dk mRiknu gqvkA fcuk iq"i.k ds Tokj X ldSje ladj ds iq"i.k okys lksekDyksu dk okf.kfT;d xUuk fdLeksa ds lkFk Øk'k cukus esa bLrseky fd;k tk ldrk gSA

lw[kk izfrjks/kh ds fy, vH;kFkhZ thu dh igpku ds fy, ij tkjh v/;;u ls rhu xUuk fof'k"V lw[kk izR;qÙkj vH;kFkhZ thu tSls fd DREB , LEA ,oe~ CALMOD 360 385 400

lw[kk lgu'khy iSr`d esa mifLFkfr rFkk lw[kk xzkgh iSr`d ,oe~ larfr esa vuqifLFkr ds vk/kkj ij RTPCR ds }kjk igpku dh xbZA fdLe dkslh- 671 rFkk blds lksekDyksu dks- 94012 esa fofo/krk eas foLrkj dk irk

8

yxkus ds fy, bUgsa ekbØkslsVSykbZV ds 592 izkbej tksMs] RAPD ;k ISSR izkbej ds lkFk Nku&chu dh rFkk 188 izkbej bu fdLeksa esa fofo/krk dk irk yxk ldsA xUuk iztkrh;ksa ls izfrjks/kh thu vuq#i Øeca/k dks vyx fd;k x;kA jksx izfrjks/kh izksVhu tSls fd /kku dk RPM1 rFkk /kku] th;k est] lksjxe ckbdksyj] xykblhu eSDl vkfn ds jksxjks/kh ØecU/k esa izcy ltkrh;rk dk irk pykA

fgekpy izns'k ,oe~ mÙkjk[k.M esa vUos"k.k ds }kjk ,l- LikuVsfu;e] bfj;sUFkl Qyol rFkk feldSUFkl ds taxyh tuu nzO;ksa dks ÅWapkbZ okys rFkk BUMs bykdksa ls ,df=r fd;k x;kA [ksrh ;ksX; ,oe~ taxyh tuu nzO;ksa dk laj{k.k ,oe~ eqY;kadu dks;EcÙkwj rFkk dUuwj esa fd;k x;kA laLFkku dks xUuk ds jk"Vªh; fØ;k'khy tuu nzO; laj{k.k dsUnz ds #i esa ukeksn~fn"V fd;k x;k ftlesa 131 vf/klwfpr fdLesa rFkk iathd`r tuu nzO; dk laj{k.k fd;k tk jgk gSA ,l- LikuVsfu;e rFkk NAG fdLeksa ds [kqyk ijkx.k okys 'kq) cht dks ikji= lwpuk ds lkFk NBPGR ds thu cSad esa yEcsa le; rd lap;u ds fy, fn;k x;kA dks- 97016 (INGR 09052) rFkk dks- 0120 (INGR 09130)] dks NBPGR

ubZ fnYyh ds lkFk vuqoakf'kd LVkWd ds #i esa iathd`r fd;k x;kA

bfj;sUFkl v:UMhusfl;l dh larfr esa xUuk ,oe~ js'kk ds y{k.kksa dk v/;;u fd;k x;k rFkk T;knk js'ks okys dÙradks dh igpku dh xbZA fofHkUu dzksekstkse la[;k okys ,l- LikuVsfu;e ds dàUrdksa dks okf.kfT;d fdLeksa ds lkFk Øk'k fd;k x;k rFkk budh larfr dk iSnkokj ,oe~ xq.koÙkk ds y{k.kksa dk v/;;u fd;k x;kA ,slk irk pyk fd ,l- LikuVsfu;e xUuk ds dqN la;qDrksa esa f}xq.kh ;qXed Hkh izHkkoh gksrs gSA

,dhd`r iks"kd izca/ku ds }kjk xUuk mRiknu iz.kkyh esa u=tu ferO;;rk ds v/;;uksa esa xUus dh isM+h dk lcls vf/kd mRiknu ¼146-7 Vu@gS-½ laLrqr u=tu

(280 fd-xzk-@gS) ds lkFk 12.5 Vu@gS- xkscj dh [kkn nsus ls izkIr gqvkA u=tu dh ek=k de djus ij xUus dk mRiknu Hkh de gqvkA pkSM+h ifDr;ksa (150 ls-eh-) esa xUus dh jksikbZ ds vUrxZr 286@03] 260@17] 251@19 ,oa 251@17 izHksn mi;qDr ik, x,A xUus

Qly mRiknu

dh 10 fofHkUu iztkfr;ksa dk ewY;kadu] u=tu ds fofHkUu ek=kvksa dks ¼larqfyr ek=k dk 25] 50] 75 ,oa 100 izfr'kr½ Mkydj vuqfØ;k ns[kh xbZ] ,oa dks- 94019, dks- 95020 dks- 99012 ,oa dks- 86249 dk fu"iknu de u=tu ek=k nsus ij Hkh vPNk ik;k x;kA nwljh eks<+h Qly esa Vidk fof/k ls flpkabZ djus ij ikjEifjd dwaM ,oa ukyh fof/k ls 37 izfr'kr flpkabZ ds ikuh esa cpr gqbZA blds vykok Vidk fof/k ds lkFk moZjd nsus ls 25 izfr'kr u=tu ,oa iksVkl dks Hkh cpk;k tk ldkA

xUus dk mRiknu dkcZfud fof/k ls rS;kj djus ij (124 Vu@gS-), ikjEifjd fof/k (108 Vu@gS-) dh rqyuk esa vf/kd gqvkA dkcZfud [ksrh ds vUrZxr okys {ks= esa jkbtksLQh;j fMgkMªksftust dh fØ;k'khyrk vf/kd ikbZ xbZ rFkk ikS/k ijthoh lw= d`fe dh la[;k Hkh ikjEifjd [ksrh dh rqyuk esa de ikbZ xbZA [kehj ds pkj dYpj tks dh Xyqdkst] lqØkst ,oa tkbZykst ls ,Fkuksy cukus dh {kerk j[krs gS igpku dh xbZA

dYyksa dh e`R;q nj ij vUos"k.k ls irk pyk fd dYykas dh e`R;q nj iafDr;ksa dh nwjh de djus ls (38%),

iafDr;ksa dh lkekU; nwjh ij ¼33%½ ,oa pkSM+h iafDr;ksa dh rqyuk esa vf/kd ikbZ xbZA iafDr;ksa dh nwjh ds vykok] dYyksa dh vf/kdre e`R;q nj dks- 98013 esa rFkk lcls de e`R;q nj dks- 91010 esa ntZ dh xbZA o`f) fu;ked tSls fd bZFkjy ,oa dk;usfVu ds iz;ksx ls fey ;ksX; xUuksa dh la[;k ij dksbZ lkFkZd izHkko ugha iMk] ijUrq xUus dk mRiknu lHkh mipkjksa esa ¼bZFkjy 200 ih-ih-,e- dks NksM dj½ vf/kd gqvkA izFke eks<+h Qly esa] fey ;ksX; xUuksa dh la[;k] izfr xUus dk otu] xUus dh yEckbZ] iksfj;ksa dh la[;k ,oa xUus ds mRiknu esa vkSlru 34-9] 29-2] 13-8] 20-1 ,oa 21-1 izfr'kr ikS/k Qly dh rqyuk esa deh gqbZA xUus dks idkus okys jlk;u tSls fd bZFkjy ¼0-7 ;qfuV½ vkSj xykbQkslsV ¼0-67 ;qfuV½ us xUus ds jl esa lqØkst dh ek=k esa o`f) dh ijUrq xUus ds mRiknu esa deh vk;hA xUuk mRiknu {ks= bjksM ,oa dks;EcÙkwj ftyksa dh feêh esa lYQj dh ek=k 212 ih-ih-,e- ikbZ xbZA

izfer d`f"k (precision farming) rduhd ds }kjk xUus dh [ksrh tks fd HkkSxksfyd lwpuk iz.kkyh (GIS) ,oa lqnwj losanu iz.kkyh (remote sensing) ij vk/kkfjr gS ,oa xUus

,


9

esa lYQj iks"k.k ij ubZ vuqla/kku ifj;kstuk,a bl o"kZ 'kq: dh xbZA

djuky ¼miks".k dfVca/kh; {ks=½ esa fd, x, iz;ksx ls irk pyk fd xUus dh isM+h ds le; ftad lYQsV 25 fd-xzk- $ izsleM Vu@gS- nsus ls xUus ,oa phuh dk lcls vf/kd mRiknu gqvk tks fd 20 Vu@gS- izsleM vkSj 60 fd-xkz- iksVkl $ 25 fd-xzk- ftad lYQsV ds nsus ls gksus okys xUus ds mRiknu ds fudV ikbZ xbZA 'kjn~dkyhu xUus esa f}iafDr fof/k ls jksikbZ djus ij xUus dh iksfj;ka cSM ds nka, ¼ftu ij csaM dh Nk;k vkrh gS½ vkSj j[kh iksfj;ksa esa ckbZ vksj j[kh iksfj;ksa ¼ftu ij lw;Z dh jks'kuh lh/kh vkrh gS½ esa vf/kd teko ik;k x;kA

xUuk iztuu dk;ZØe ds vUrZxr xUus dh nks izeq[k chekfj;ksa tSls yky lM+u rFkk daMqok jksxksa ds izfr vojks/kh rFkk e/;e vojks/kh dbZ mRd`"B dÙrdksa dks buds izca/ku dh izkFkfed fof/k ds :i esa igpku fd;k x;kA xUus ds tuu nzO; dàrdksa dh NaVuh yky lM+u jksx ds vojks/ku gsrq dh x;h ftlesa laHkkO; vojks/ku nkrk dh igpku ladjhdj.k dk;ZØe esa fd;k x;kA yky lM+u vkSj daMqok jksxksa ds izHksnksa dh igpku] fofHkUu iks"kd v/;;u vkSj Ikjek.kq lEca/kh tSfod rduhd ds vk/kkj ij nSfgd izkIr vojks/ku ds lanHkZ esa dh x;hA yky lM+u chekjh ds izca/ku esa u;s varZizokgh doduk'kh ds fofHkUu iz;ksx fof/k;ksa ds v/;;u ds mRlkgo/kZd ifj.kke ik;s x;sA

xUus dh ihyh Ikrh jksx ls lEcaf/kr u;h tkudkfj;ka tSls mudk izknqHkkZo] fofHkUu dàrd Qlyksa esa {kfr ¼mit ,oa xq.k ij izHkko½] chekjh pØ vkSj izca/ku vkfn izkIr dh x;hA ih-lh-vkj- vk/kkfjr rduhdksa dk izHkko'kkyh iz;ksx djrs gq, fofHkUu L=ksrksa ls izkIr xUuk ihyh Ikrh jksx fo"kk.kq ds fy, mRrd lao/kZu fof/k ls mxk;s x;s xUuk ds ikS/kksa dks vuqØfer fd;k x;k rFkk buds iquZla;ksftr vfHkO;fDr ij foLr`r v/;;u fd;k x;kA

xUus ds fons'kh dàrdks dh NaVuh esa lQsn xzc] dYyk fNnzd ,oa iksjh fNnzd ds izfr 14] 41 ,oa 10 dàrdks dks Øe'k% lQsn xzc] dYyk fNnzd ,oa iksjh fNnzd ds izfr vojks/kh ik;k x;kA bfj;sUFkl vkSj ldSaje iztkfr ds LoLFk xUuksa ls izkIr uewuksa dh tkapksijkUr vojks/kh

Qly lqj{kk

fdLeksa dh iksfj;ksa esa Qs:fyd ,flM] dkSesfju] dsVsdksy ,oa QyksjksXywfluky rFkk vkxzkgh fdLeksa esa dsoy dkSesfju dh mifLFkfr ik;h x;h] tc xUus ds ikS/kksa dks mRizsjd ekfyD;wy] feFkkbZy tSleksusV ls mipkfjr fd;k x;k rks vkl ikl ds vuqipkfjr ikS/kksa dh ruksa ,oa ifRr;ksa esa vpkud QqVko ik;k x;kA

Vªk;dksxzkek fdyksful ijthoh dks vkdf"kZr djus esa iksjh rFkk dYyk fNnzd ds v.Mksa dks iz;ksx'kyk esa leku:i ls izHkko'kkyh ik;k x;kA dYyk fNnzd ds ijthoh xzSuqyksfll ok;jl ds HkkSxksfyd izHksnksa esa pkSFkh ih<+h ds fNnzdksa ds izfr vUrj ik;k x;kA dhV ijthoh QQawn rFkk lokZgkjh QQawnksa us dkyksuh ds fodkl esa dYpj ek/;e ds Liksjksa ds teko esa c<+ko rFkk ?kVko iznf'kZr dhA dhV ijthoh lw=d`fe gsrq izsleM Vkd ikmMj dh rqyuk esa Vkd ikmMj dks vPNk ik;k x;kA bZ-ih-,u- dks vYVªkok;ysV ls cpkus esa iSjk vehuksa ,flM us dkaxksa jsM ls vPNh Hkwfedk vnk dhA

xUuk lw=d`fe ds tSfod izcU/ku esa dqy ukS ,-,e-,Q dYpjksa dks eDdk] Tokj ,oa xUus ds ikS/kksa ij cjdjkj j[kk x;kA xeyksa esa yxk, x;s iz;ksx es ,-,e-,Q ds lkFk ck;ksa ,tsUVksa us fytu rFkk :V ukV lw=d`fe dh la[;k dks ?kVk;k rFkk ikS/kksa dh o`f) dks c<+k;kA

rfeyukMq esa ,e-,l- 'kfDr lqxj ¼vIikdqMy½] bZ-vkbZ-Mh- iSjh] ¼fr:fpjkiYyh½ rFkk cUukjh vEeu lqxj esa] xUuksa dh ubZ fdLeksa ds izHkko rFkk xUuk QkeZ dh rduhdh dk;Z{kerk dh tkap fofHkUu Hkkxksa ds buiqV dher ds lkFk v/;;u fd;k x;kA xUus ds vkuqoa'khd L=ksr rFkk xUus ds iwoZtksa dh oa'kkoyh rFkk vU; fdLeksa ds tuu lkexzh ds MkVkcsl dks vk/kqfud fd;k x;kA laHkkx }kjk rS;kj fd;s x;s izkFkZuki= lks¶Vos;j dks vk/kqfud fd;k x;k rFkk dk;e j[kk tk jgk gSA

laaLFkku dh osclkbZV lwpuk cSad dks le;≤ ij dEIk;qVj laHkkx rFkk ,jhl lsy (ARIS CELL) }kjk vk/kqfud ,oa fuokZgu dj] laLFkku ds deZpkfj;ksa dks baVjusV dh lqfo/kk iznku dh tk jgha gSaA ,-,e-,e-vkbZ (AMMI) rFkk ckbZIyksV (BIPLOT) rduhdksa ds iz;ksx }kjk vf[ky Hkkjrh; xUuk leUo;d vuqla/kku ifj;kstuk ds ifj{k.kksa ds MkVkcsl dk ladyu xgu fo'ys"k.k ds fy, fd;k tk jgk gSA

lkaf[;dh vkSj vFkZ'kkL=

10

izlkj

xUuk vuqla/kku rFkk fodkl dk;ZdrkZvksa dh nks cSBdsa% & 41oha cSBd] fr:fpjkiYyh rFkk 14oha cSBd mÙkjh dukZVd ds csyxkao esa vk;ksftr dh xbZA blesa cwan&cwan flpkabZ rFkk xUus dh [ksrh esa ;a=hdj.k fo"k; ij ppkZ dh xbZA xUuk mRiknu rduhdksa ds dqy vkB QzUV ykbZu ¼vfxze iafDr ifj{k.k½ dk iznZ'ku fdlkuksa ds [ksrksa ij fd;k x;kA xUus dh iztkfr dks- 99004 ¼109 rFkk 135-0 Vu@gS-& nks izfj{k.kksa esa½ us dks- 86032 ¼104-0 rFkk 129-5 Vu@gS- nks ifj{k.kksa esa ½ ls vf/kd iSnkokj nhA

tSo moZjdks ds iz;ksx ls nksuksa ifj{k.kksa esa xUus dk mRiknu 146-5 ,oa 137-5 Vu@gS- gqvk blds foifjr mipkj jfgr Hkw[kaM ls 136-5 ,oa 132-5 Vu@gS- xUus dk mRiknu gqvkA f}&iafDr; i}fr cqvkbZ ds lkFk cwan&cwan [kkn&flpkabZ djus ls dks 86032 us 178-0 ,oa 137-5 Vu@gS- xUus dh mit nksuksa ifj{k.kksa esa nh] tcfd 90 lsa-eh- dh nwjh ls daqM ,oa esM+ fof/k ls 154-5 ,oa 127-5 Vu@gS- mit feyhA pkSM+h iafDr ls cqvkbZ ls dks- 86032 dh iSnkokj nks ifj{k.kksa esa 132-5 ,oa 98-0 Vu@gS- gqbZ tks fd daVªksy ¼123-5 ,oa 77-0 Vu@gS-½ ls vf/kd ikbZ xbZA

laLFkku }kjk vk;ksftr ] ,d jk"Vª Lrjh; lsehukj] ,d&nks fnolh; izf'k{k.k dk;ZØe] pkj ,d fnolh; izf'k{k.k dk;ZØe ,d izf'k{k.k dk;ZØe fdlkuksa ds fy, flpkabZ fuokZgu ifj{k.k laLFkku }kjk] fr:fpjkiYyh esa rFkk ,d tkx:drk vfHk;ku rFkk LVMh Hkze.k fdlkuksa ds fy, xUuk vuqla/kku LFkku fl:xeuh (TNAU) esa vk;ksftr fd;k x;kA

laLFkku esa 16&18 flrEcj 2009 dks fdlku esys dk vk;kstu fd;k x;k ftlesa vk/zk izns'k] NÙkhl~x<] dukZVd] dsjy] egkjk"Vª rFkk rfeyukMq ds 1200 ls vf/kd fdlkuksa us Hkkx fy;kA

laLFkku us jk"Vªh; dsyk vuqla/kku {ks=] f=ph }kjk vk;ksftr ^QkeZ fnol* esa 21 vxLr] 2009 dks rFkk rfeyukMq d`f"k fo|kihB }kjk vk;ksftr d`f"k foKku dsUnzksa ds p©Fkh jk"Vªh; lEesyu ,oa izn'kZuh esa Hkkx fy;kA nwjn'kZu dsUnz] dks;EcÙkwj }kjk lkr fofM;ksa fQYeksa dk izn'kZu] iksnhxbZ esa fd;k x;kA ,d vkn'kZ miHkksxrk&dsfUnzr osclkbV ̂^dsu buQks** fodflr dh xbZ ftlds pkyq gksus ls igys y{; óksrkvksa }kjk tkap djok;ha x;hA

dk;ZØe


11

4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Crop Improvement

Based on the superior performance in the Advanced Varietal Trials conducted under AICRP, four new sugarcane varieties were identified for release by the Varietal Identification Committee which include the mid - late maturing variety and the Co 0124 early maturing variety Co 0218 for Peninsular zone and the mid-late variety Co 0124 and early variety Co 0239 for North West zone. Application for registration of the new varieties Co 0118 and Co 0238 was submitted to PPV & FR Authority, New Delhi. Thirty nine promising hybrid clones were designated as ‘Co’ canes based on trials conducted at Coimbatore, Karnal and Ugar (North Karnataka).

One hundred and twenty four experimental crosses, 13 proven crosses and 10 poly crosses were made for the Institute breeding programme. Seedlings raised from stored fluff of previous year’s crosses were transferred to ground nursery at Coimbatore. A large number of clones were tested in the clonal evaluation trials and promising clones were advanced to pre-zonal varietal trial. Out of the 171 clones multiplied, 107 clones were selected for the trial at Coimbatore.

The National Hybridization Garden with 613 parental clones was utilized by 23 participating centers and 586 biparental crosses were made. Selected zonal crosses were also made for all the centres. The polycross nursery was planted separately for tropical and subtropical regions and the fluff collected was provided to the centres concerned. Besides, open pollinated fluff from 258 parents was also collected for distribution to participating centres. The total quantity of 32.54 kg fluff from NHG, Coimbatore and 2.176 kg fluff from SBIRC, Agali, was despatched to 23 participating centres after testing their germination potential.

The AICRP trials were conducted at Coimbatore and Karnal. In the IVT early varieties Co 06002, Co 06010, Co 06022 and Co 06021 were promising and in mid-late, Co 06012 and Co 06027 were good. The combined performance in two plant and one ratoon crops at Coimbatore in AVT early trials indicated that Co 0403 performed well for juice quality and cane yield. In AVT mid-late, Co 0409 was the best entry in two plant and one ratoon crops at Coimbatore.

The breeder seed of varieties Co 99004, Co 86032, Co 94008, Co 2001-13 and Co 2001-15 was produced at Coimbatore and 71 tonnes of seed material was distributed to sugar factories and farmers from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. At Karnal, breeder seed of Co 89003, Co 98014, Co 0118, Co 0124, Co 0237, Co 0238, Co 0239 and Co 0241 was produced and 314 tonnes seed material was distributed to factories and progressive farmers. More than 13,600 tissue culture plants of Co 99004, Co 86032 and Co 2001-13 were also produced and distributed.

Botanical characterization of recently identified ‘Co’ canes was done and DNA fingerprinting using the STMS markers was carried out in the five elite Co varieties Co 0209, Co 0314, Co 0212, Co 0218 and Co 0403. Recurrent selection for developing clones with high sucrose was continued and 15 clones from cycle III which had significantly high Brix levels compared to CoC 671 were identified for further intermating. New projects were initiated for breeding specific varieties for high biomass and total sugars and for developing sugarcane varieties with Saccharum spontaneum or Erianthus arundinaceus cytoplasm. An inter-institutional project in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, was initiated to identify superior sugarcane varieties suitable for different agro-eco climatic regions of Tamil Nadu

12

by conducting trials in 13 sugar factory areas. Three mid-late clones viz., Co 99006, Co 99008 and Co 2000-12 bred at the Institute were included in the trial. For the development of location specific varieties for East Coast Zone, 1080 clones were evaluated in first clonal trial at Tanuku, Andhra Pradesh, and 383 elite clones were selected for further testing. The winter ratoonability of 14 elite clones was tested at Karnal and due to less severity of winter this year, many test clones including the standard Co 1148 did not show much reduction in yield when ratooned during winter.

Genetic improvement of varieties under cultivation in tropical India developed prior to 1960 and till 2000 AD was assessed in a study based on one plant and one ratoon crop performance. Cane yield and CCS were the highest in the varieties bred during 1981-90 followed by the decade 1991-2000, while the varieties prior to 1960 showed the lowest values. It was also inferred that there was deliberate selection for sucrose, keeping cane yield at threshold levels in the recent decades.

Nutritive value of sugarcane tops as fodder was studied in 27 clones at Karnal in a collaborative project with NDRI. The crude protein (CP) content in leaf tops decreased with age of the crop whereas dry matter content, ether extract and crude fibre content increased with age of the leaf tops. The study on the extent of benefit gained in terms of animal growth and digestibility upon feeding sugarcane tops showed that mixing sugarcane tops with 30 or 40% concentrates was better in terms of CP digestibility and body weight gain than feeding sugarcane tops alone.

A reference collection comprising sugarcane varieties was maintained in the field and observations on the DUS descriptors were made at Coimbatore, Karnal and Agali. The revised DUS test guidelines for sugarcane were submitted to the PPV & FR Authority and National Test Guidelines for conduct of DUS test in sugarcane have been notified. The digitized database on reference varieties as per DUS descriptors, recorded at

Coimbatore and Agali, was submitted to the authority for uploading in IINDUS database.

The ubiquitin genes isolated were cloned in pCAMBIA vector replacing the CaMV35s promoter, so as to get a gene regulatory region-gus fusion. Constructs with regulatory region I were used for transforming sugarcane, rice, tobacco and Arabidopsis and the monocot specific nature of this regulatory sequence was established. The molecular variability studies carried out on transgenic events expressing cry1Ab gene with STMS primers showed that events obtained through Agrobacterium mediated transformation had least variability followed by biolistic method and the maximum variability was in transgenics expressing aprotinin gene retransformed with cry1Ab gene. An application for confined field trial of selected transgenic events expressing cry1Ab gene was submitted to the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM), along with the biology document of sugarcane.

Microsatellite primers specific to Erianthus arundinaceus, Saccharum officinarum and S. robustum were identified and used to confirm hybridity of available putative hybrids. The hybrids with Erianthus cytoplasm were crossed, backcrossed with sugarcane and were further backcrossed to sugarcane for improving the Brix in the progeny. Among the mitochondrial DNA specific primers tested, the primer pair for nad4 gene had difference in PCR product size between S. officinarum and S. spontaneum which could be used for differentiating the cytoplasmic base. Callus cultures of intergeneric hybrids like Saccharum x Zea and Sorghum x Saccharum produced somaclones. The flowered somaclones of non-flowering Sorghum x Saccharum hybrid could be used in crosses with commercial sugarcane varieties.

In ongoing studies on the identification of candidate genes for drought resistance, three new sugarcane specific drought responsive candidate genes viz. DREB , LEA and CALMOD were 360 385 400


13

identified based on their presence in drought tolerant parent and progeny and absence in drought susceptible parent and progeny through RTPCR. To find the extent of variability between the variety CoC 671 and its somaclone Co 94012, these were screened with 592 primer pairs of microsatellite, RAPD or ISSR primers and 188 primers could detect variations between these varieties. Resistance gene analogue sequences were isolated from sugarcane varieties. Strong homology to disease resistance proteins like RPM1 of rice and to the disease resistance sequences of rice, Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor, Glycine max, etc., was found.

Exploration in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for the collection of wild germplasm could assemble 53 clones of S. spontaneum, Erianthus fulvus and Miscanthus from high altitude and colder regions. The germplasm of cultivated sugarcane and wild species was maintained and evaluated at Coimbatore and Kannur. The institute is the designated National Active Germplasm maintenance centre for sugarcane in which 131 notified varieties and registered germplasm were maintained. True seeds of open pollinated S. spontaneum clones and NAG varieties were provided to NBPGR along with passport information for long term storage in the gene bank. Co 97016 (INGR 09052) and Co 0120 (INGR 09130) have been registered as genetic stocks with NBPGR, New Delhi.

The variability in cane and fibre characters of E. arundinaceus progeny was studied and high fibre clones were identified. S. spontaneum clones with different chromosome numbers were crossed with commercial varieties to study the progeny performance with respect to yield and quality characters. It was found that diploid gametes also function in certain combinations of S. spontaneum x sugarcane.

In studies on the nitrogen economy in sugarcane production system through integrated nutrient

Crop production

management, the highest cane yield (146.7 t/ha) in the ratoon crop was recorded with the application of the recommended dose of 280 kg N/ha along with 12.5 t/ha of farm yard manure. Reducing the nitrogen dose resulted in lower cane yield. For wide row (150 cm) planting of sugarcane, the clones 286/03, 260/17, 251/19 and 251/17 were found suitable. Among the 10 sugarcane varieties evaluated for their response to graded levels of nitrogen application (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 percent of the recommended dose), Co 94019, Co 95020, Co 99012 and Co 86249 performed well under low nitrogen application rates.

Drip irrigation helped to save about 37% irrigation water compared to the conventional furrow irrigation system in the second ratoon crop. Besides, by adopting drip fertigation, 25% of N and K could be saved. Cane yield under the organic sugarcane production system (124 t/ha) was higher than that of conventional system (108 t/ha). The organic farming plot also recorded higher activity of rhizosphere dehydrogenase and reduction in plant parasitic nematode population than the conventional system. Four yeast cultures capable of producing ethanol from glucose, sucrose and xylose were identified.

Investigations on tiller mortality under different row spacings indicated that the mortality was high in narrow spacing (38%) compared to normal (33%) and wide row (28%) spacings. Irrespective of the row spacing, Co 98013 recorded the highest tiller mortality and Co 91010 recorded the lowest mortality. Application of growth regulators like ethrel and kinetin did not show any significant improvement in the number of millable canes, but improved cane yield in all the treatments except ethrel 200 ppm. The first ratoon crop showed 34.9, 29.2, 13.8, 20.1 and 21.1% mean reduction in NMC, single cane weight, cane length, number of internodes and cane yield respectively over the plant crop. Cane ripeners like ethrel (0.7 units) and glyphosate (0.67 units) improved the juice sucrose but reduced cane yield.

14

The mean water soluble sulphur content in the sugarcane growing soils of Erode and Coimbatore districts was 212 ppm.

New research projects on precision farming technology in sugarcane agriculture using Geographical Information System and remote sensing and sulphur nutrition of sugarcane were initiated during the year.

In the trial conducted at Karnal (subtropical region), application of ZnSO @ 25 kg/ha + 4

sulphitation pressmud cake (SPMC) @ 10 t/ha at ratooning recorded the highest cane and sugar yield, closely followed by application of SPMC @ 20 t/ha at ratooning and application of K O @ 60 kg/ha 2

+ ZnSO (25 kg/ha). In autumn planted sugarcane, 4

setts planted on the right side of paired row, which received direct sunlight had higher percentage of germination than the setts planted on the left side, which was having the shade of the furrow.

Several superior sugarcane clones in the advanced stages of selection from the breeding programmes with resistance or moderate resistance to the two major diseases viz. red rot and smut were identified as a primary strategy to manage them. Sugarcane germplasm clones were screened for red rot reaction and those with resistance were identified as potential resistance donors in the hybridization programmes. Further, progress has been achieved in the characterization of isolates of red rot and smut pathogens based on differential host studies and molecular biological techniques. More insights have been gained on red rot resistance mechanism including its molecular basis and systemic acquired resistance. Encouraging results have been obtained in the studies on the management of red rot disease with new systemic fungicides using different application methods.

New information has been generated on the incidence, occurrence on different clones, crop loss (effect on yield and quality), epidemiology and management of yellow leaf disease of sugarcane.

Crop protection

PCR based techniques were effectively used to index tissue culture grown sugarcane plants from different sources for the sugarcane yellow leaf virus. Recombination expression of sugarcane streak mosaic virus coat protein gene has been studied in detail.

In screening tests with exotic clones, 14 clones were tolerant to white grub, 41 clones were resistant to shoot borer and 10 clones were resistant to internode borer. Phenolic profile of healthy stem samples of Erianthus spp. and Saccharum spp. indicated predominance of ferulic acid, coumarin, catechol and phloroglucinol in the internode of resistant genotypes whereas only coumarin was present in the susceptible types. When sugarcane plants were treated with the inducer molecule methyl jasmonate, leaf and stem tissues of neighboring untreated plants showed a spurt in catechol with leaf tissue showing greater response.

Internode borer and shoot borer egg washings were equally attractive to the parasitoid Trichogramma chilonis in the laboratory. Geographical isolates of shoot borer granulosis virus showed differences in virulence against fourth instar of the borer. Entomogenous fungi and saprophytic fungi showed synergistic and antagonistic colony growth and sporulation in culture media. In studies with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN), talc powder formulation ensured better survival of EPN than press mud-talc combination. Para amino benzoic acid acted as a better UV protectant of EPN than Congo red.

In studies on biological management of nematodes of sugarcane, nine cultures of arbuscular mychorrhizal fungi (AMF) were maintained on maize, sorghum and sugarcane seedlings. In pot experiments, AMF in combination with bioagents reduced populations of lesion and root knot nematodes and enhanced plant growth.

Surveys were conducted in M/s Sakthi Sugars (Appakudal), EID Parry (Tiruchirapalli) and

Statistics, ARIS and Economics


15

Bannari Amman Sugars in Tamil Nadu to study the impact of new cane varieties and the technical efficiency of sugarcane farms with respect to cost of inputs for various components.

Update on sugarcane genetic resources and pedigree databases with respect to parentage of ‘Co’ canes and other varieties / genetic stocks was taken up. Maintenance and update of application software developed by the Section was carried out. The Computer Section and ARIS cell maintained the Institute’s web-site and Information Bank through periodical updates and provided internet facilities to the staff of the Institute. Database on AICRP-Sugarcane trials is being compiled for in-depth analysis using AMMI and Biplot techniques.

Two sugarcane R&D workers meetings were st organized: 41 meeting of Tamil Nadu at

thTiruchirappalli and 14 meeting of Northern Karnataka at Belgaum. The topics discussed were mechanization of sugarcane farming and micro irrigation.

Eight frontline demonstrations on sugarcane production technologies were conducted in farmers’ fields. The variety Co 99004 performed better with a cane yield of 109.0 and 135.0 t/ha than Co 86032 with 104.0 and 129.5 t/ha respectively in two demonstrations. Bio-fertilizer application gave 146.5 and 137.5 t/ha cane yield compared to 136.5 and 132.5 t/ha in control. Paired row planting with

Extension

drip fertigation in Co 86032 gave a cane yield of 178.0 and 137.5 t/ha compared to 154.5 and 127.5 t/ha in 90 cm spacing in ridges and furrows. Wide row spacing in Co 86032 gave a cane yield of 132.5 and 98.0 t/ha compared to 123.5 and 77.0 in the control plot.

The outreach programs organized included one model training course, one national level seminar, one two-days training program, four one-day training programs, one training program for farmers at Irrigation Management Training Institute, Tiruchirappalli, one study tour for farmers to Sugarcane Research Station (TNAU), Sirugamani, and an awareness campaign.

Kisan Mela 2009 was organized in the institute during 16-18 September 2009. Over 1200 farmers from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu participated in the mela.

The institute participated in the Field Day organized at National Research Centre for Banana, Trichy on 21 August 2009 and the Exhibition organized at TNAU during 6-8 November 2009 as a

thpart of the 4 National Conference of KVKs.

Seven video films were produced and telecast in Podhigai TV through Doordarshan Kendra, Coimbatore. A prototype of the user-centred website, named ‘CaneInfo’ was developed and got evaluated by the target audience before its hosting.

16

5.1 DIVISION OF CROP IMPROVEMENT

5.1.1. BREEDING

Identification of varieties for release

The early maturing sugarcane clone Co 0314 and the mid-late clone Co 0218 found promising through the Advanced Varietal Trials conducted under AICRP were identified for release in the Peninsular zone by the Varietal Identification Committee (Fig. 2 & 3). Co 0314 (Co 7201 x Co 86011) is a high yielding and good quality clone which is moderately resistant to red rot and resistant to smut. Its mean sugar yield, cane yield and sucrose % juice across the locations (two plant and ratoon crops) were 13.97 t/ha, 103.8 t/ha and 18.99%, respectively. The mid-late maturing variety Co 0218 (Co 8353 x Co 86011) had mean sucrose % juice of 19.64, cane yield of 119.6 t/ha, and sugar yield of 16.85 t/ha. This clone is also moderately resistant to red rot and resistant to smut with good ratoonability and it is also tolerant to drought and salinity. The release proposals for these varieties were submitted.

02040 were selected as new entries for the AICRP trials in the Group Meeting of AICRP (S) held at Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa, in November 2009.

Based on the Pre-Zonal Varietal trials conducted at Coimbatore, seven early maturing clones (Co 2010-01 to Co 2010-07) and 10 mid-late clones (Co 2010-08 to Co 2010-17) were assigned Co numbers as given in tables 4 and 5. In addition to these, five clones with fast growth, high cane yield and moderate juice sucrose content were identified as biomass types and are maintained as Co 2010-18 to Co 2010-22 (Table 6). From the trials conducted at Ugar, five early clones and seven mid-late clones were assigned Co numbers as Co 2010-28 to Co 2010-34 (Tables 7 and 8). One early clone Co 2010-35 and four mid-late clones (Co 2010-36 to Co 2010-39) were selected as ‘Co’ canes for the sub-tropical region from the trials conducted at Karnal (Tables 9 and 10).

‘Co’ cane selections

5. RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS

Fig. 2. Co 0314

Fig. 3. Co 0218

Selection of ‘Co’ canes for AICRP trials

Six early maturing clones viz., Co 09002, Co 09003, Co 09004, Co 090005, Co 09006 and Co 09007 and six mid-late maturing clones viz., Co 09009, Co 09010, Co 09012, Co 090013, Co 09014 and Co


17

Table 4. Performance of Co selections (Early) 2010 at Coimbatore

Co 2010-01 Co 86002 x Co 775 115.42 17.35 13.17 21.50 19.12 S HS

Co 2010-02 Co 86002 x Co 775 118.02 16.73 14.60 20.25 21.09 R HS

Co 2010-03 Co 86002 x Co 775 112.97 15.84 13.68 20.05 21.59 S MS

Co 2010-04 Co 85002 x CoT 8201 158.96 21.16 13.34 19.21 19.23 R MS

Co 2010-05 Co 85002 x Co 86011 119.54 17.02 15.22 21.17 21.86 R R

Co 2010-06 Co 85002 x Co 86011 121.11 17.32 14.56 20.51 20.59 R S

Co 2010-07 Co 7201 x CoC 671 128.50 18.36 14.54 20.69 20.62 S HS

Standards

CoC 671 116.91 15.87 15.68 19.23 22.14

Co 94008 130.78 15.51 12.67 17.22 18.37

CD 29.90 4.22 0.94 1.25 1.05

CV 8.64 9.68 2.34 2.18 1.83

Co’ Number Parentage Caneyield (t/ha)

CCS(t/ha) Smut

Disease reactionCCS(%) 300

days360

daysRed rot (Nodal)

Sucrose (%)

Table 5. Performance of Co selections (Mid-late) 2010 at Coimbatore


CCS(t/ha) Smut


days360

daysRed rot (Nodal)

Sucrose (%)

Co 2010-08 Co 86002 x Co 775 131.20 19.46 14.82 19.28 20.90 S HSCo 2010- 09 Co 86002 x Co 775 146.34 20.79 14.15 19.18 20.22 S SCo 2010-10 Co 740 x Co 775 141.20 18.71 13.77 18.16 19.51 S SCo 2010-11 1148-S4-255 x Co 775 137.04 18.87 13.77 17.93 19.62 S MRCo 2010-12 Q 68 X Co 94019 149.25 20.19 13.99 18.31 20.04 S RCo 2010-13 (CoC 671 x SES 90) 141.30 19.84 14.13 18.51 20.25 R

x Co 62387Co 2010-14 CoC 671 x [ISH100 x 143.82 19.61 13.64 16.53 19.53 S MS

(Co 7201 x Erianthus arundinaceus)]

Co 2010- 15 CoC 671 x [Co 86002 151.30 21.94 14.82 17.08 21.18 R HSx (Pathri x Co 87268)]

Co 2010-16 Co 7201 x CoC 671 133.73 19.11 14.29 18.04 20.29 S HSCo 2010-17 CoC 671 x IG 91-1100 169.05 23.13 13.90 18.38 20.02 S HS

(CoC 772 x Erianthusarundinaceus)

StandardsCo 86032 134.25 17.97 13.41 18.32 19.37Co 99004 177.52 24.83 13.91 17.68 19.86CD 29.90 4.14 0.94 1.25 1.05CV 8.64 8.59 2.34 2.18 1.83

18

Table 6. Performance of Co selections 2010 with high biomass at Coimbatore


CCS(t/ha) Smut


days360

daysRed rot (Nodal)

Sucrose (%)

Co 2010-18 NS 83-247 GC 186.53 21.54 11.39 15.44 16.66

Co 2010-19 Co 86002x ID 99-026 171.57 22.46 13.09 16.53 18.72 S HS

Co 2010-20 1148-S4-255 x Co 775 184.40 22.46 12.30 15.08 17.61 R HS

Co 2010-21 Co 8371 x Co 93009 161.20 16.10 10.61 13.96 15.67 S R

Co 2010-22 CoC 671 x IG 91-1100 191.76 22.62 11.79 15.54 17.05 S HS(CoC 772 x Erianthus arundinaceus)

Standards

CoC 671 116.91 15.87 15.68 19.23 22.14

Co 94008 130.78 15.51 12.67 17.22 18.37

Co 86032 134.25 17.97 13.41 18.32 19.37

Co 99004 177.52 24.83 13.91 17.68 19.86

CD 29.90 4.14 0.94 1.25 1.05

CV 8.64 8.59 2.34 2.18 1.83

*N – Not infected at Coimbatore and no natural incidence of smut observed at Ugar

Table 7. Performance of Co selections (Early) 2010 at Ugar Khurd, North Karnataka

Co’ Number ParentageCaneyield(t/ha)

Disease reactionCCS (%)

300 days

360 days

Red rot

(Nodal)

Sucrose (%)

Co 2010-23 81V48 x Co 97015 116.50 15.87 13.62 13.44 19.78 19.68 HS N

Co 2010-24 Co 92024 GC 110.48 14.80 13.40 13.61 19.49 19.92 - N

Co 2010–25 Co 86010 xCo 86011 119.62 14.87 13.09 13.45 19.01 19.60 S N

Co 2010–26 Co 86010 xCo 86011 111.50 14.88 13.35 13.08 19.42 19.02 MR N

Co 2010-27 Co 92024 GC 134.35 17.62 13.12 12.99 19.17 19.08 - N

Standard

CoC 671 90.50 11.65 12.87 13.62 18.81 19.78

CD 11.21 1.67 1.29 0.71 1.92 0.59

CV 3.74 7.80 2.13 2.18 3.68 2.36

300 days

CCS (t/ha at

300 days)360

days Smut*


19


Disease reactionCCS (%)

300 days

360 days

Red rot

(Nodal)

Sucrose (%)

300 days

CCS (t/ha at

360 days)360

days

Table 8. Performance of Co selections (Mid-late) 2010 at Ugar Khurd, North Karnataka

Smut*

Co 2010–28 ISH 1 x CoV 92102 131.89 17.34 10.75 13.15 16.19 19.24 S N

Co 2010–29 ISH 1 x CoV 92102 130.16 17.11 12.86 13.15 18.78 19.11 - N

Co 2010–30 Co 8371 x Co 86011 129.30 17.25 12.31 13.34 17.96 19.11 S N

Co 2010–31 Co 92024 GC 128.10 17.20 12.35 13.43 18.07 19.47 - I, N

Co 2010–32 Co 92024 GC 118.81 15.24 12.48 12.99 18.24 19.13 MS N

Co 2010–33 Co 98008 x CoA 7602 131.20 17.98 10.11 14.14 15.18 20.70 MS N

Co 2010–34 Co 92024 GC 125.70 17.06 12.50 13.57 18.24 19.78 S N

Standard

Co 86032 112.84 14.57 11.69 12.98 17.17 18.66

CD 11.21 1.99 1.29 0.71 1.92 0.59

CV 3.74 6.52 2.13 2.18 3.68 2.36

*N – Not infected at Coimbatore and no natural incidence of smut observed at Ugar, I - infected at Coimbatore

Table 9. Performance of Co selections (Early) 2010 at Karnal


CCS (%)

300 days

Sucrose (%)

300 days

CCS (t/ha)

Co 2010-35 CoSe 95423 GC 86.42 11.02 11.61 12.75 16.72 18.13 MR

Standards

CoJ 64 72.22 8.97 11.27 12.43 16.32 17.85

CoPant 84211 71.92 8.05 10.58 11.21 15.39 16.28

SE 5.78 0.66 0.56 0.47 0.70 0.59

CD 16.24 1.85 1.57 1.31 1.97 1.65

Red rot

reaction240

days240

days

20

Table 10. Performance of Co selections (Mid-late) 2010 at Karnal

Co’ Number ParentageCaneYield(t/ha)

CCS (%)

360 days

Sucrose (%)

360 days

CCS (t/ha)

Red rot

reaction300

days300

days

Co 2010-36 CoS 92263 GC 87.66 11.68 10.65 13.32 15.49 18.99 MR

Co 2010-37 CoSe 95423 GC 86.11 11.76 10.61 13.66 15.44 19.43 MR

Standards

Co 1148 86.73 9.71 8.33 11.20 12.68 16.27

CoS 767 66.67 8.45 10.12 12.72 14.83 18.28

SE 5.78 0.66 0.47 0.37 0.59 0.51

CD 16.24 1.85 1.31 1.04 1.65 1.43

Table 11. Performance of Co selections (Mid-late) 2010 (interspecific hybrids) at Karnal

Co’ Number ParentageCaneYield(t/ha)

CCS (%)

360 days

Sucrose (%)

360 days

CCS (t/ha)

Red rot

reaction300

days300

days

Co 2010-38 Pathri x Co 87268 82.61 10.13 10.15 12.39 15.02 17.85 MR

Co 2010-39 (Pathri x BO 91) x 85.87 11.99 9.99 13.95 14.64 19.70 MRCo 775

Standards

CoS 8436 47.74 5.98 10.90 12.60 15.85 18.13

CoS 767 66.03 8.30 11.32 12.58 16.35 17.96

SE 5.74 0.46 0.59 0.39 0.74 0.49

CD 16.38 1.30 1.69 1.12 2.14 1.42

Hybridization

(P. Govindaraj, S. Alarmelu, A. Anna Durai and C. Appunu)

The flowering intensity was very high during the season. One hundred and twenty four experimental crosses, 13 proven crosses and 10 poly crosses were attempted based on the synchrony among the parental clones during the 2009 flowering season. Among the clones utilized for hybridization, 38 were commercial hybrids (including the recent releases) combining high quality and drought, smut and red rot resistance, seven Co allied clones, three foreign hybrids, five interspecific hybrids and six genetic stocks.

Ground nursery

(R.M. Shanthi, G. Hemaprabha, K. Mohanraj, Ravinder Kumar and R. Nagarajan)

Stored fluff from seven proven crosses, nine polycrosses, 12 zonal crosses and 75 experimental crosses was sown in the mist chamber during the first week of September 2009. Germination was good in four proven crosses, three poly crosses, eight zonal crosses and 33 experimental crosses (Table 12). Twenty two thousand seedlings were planted in polycups during the first week of November, 2009. From this, 19,280 seedlings were transplanted in paired rows of 100 feet length for stage I evaluation in ground nursery. Survival and


21

establishment of seedlings was good. Observations at 90 days after transplanting indicated potential crosses such as Co 8353 x CP 96-1252, Co 8371 x Co 0241, Co 8371 x Co 85002, Co 86032 x Co 86011, KMS 2095 x CoT 8201 and CoSnk 05103x Co 86011 exhibiting early high vigour, high shoot population and better establishment.

Table 12. Crosses with good seed set and high seedling survival rate

Percent survival

Type of crossTotal no.

of seedlings planted

Proven crossesCo 86011 x CoT 8201 1049 78Co 8371 x Co 86011 1073 75Co 8371 x Co 85002 829 70Co 8371 x CoT 8201 831 68Experimental crossesCo 86002 x Co 0320 1011 90Co 86002 x Co 94008 1024 92Co 8371 x Co 0241 1095 85Co 92007 x Co 86011 862 65Co 86002 x Co 0218 867 60Co 0218 x Co 07004 693 75Co 8353 x Co 62198 813 72ISH 41 x Co 94008 689 75PolycrossesCoM 0265 PC 656 84Co 8371 PC 646 80Co 85002 PC 673 88

Clonal trials

First clonal trial (Ratoon)

(P. Govindaraj, S. Alarmelu, A. Anna Durai and C. Appunu)

Out of 672 clones evaluated for NMC, HR Brix and cane diameter, 232 selections were made in the clonal trial ratoon crop. The families viz., 9861113 x 986179 (13 selections), Co 7201 x Co 775 (10 selections) and Co 85002 x Co 86002 (9 selections) produced more number of selections. All the selected clones were planted in second clonal trial in Augmented RBD with four standards.

First clonal trial

(G. Hemaprabha, R.M. Shanthi, Ravinder Kumar, K. Mohanraj and R. Nagarajan)

In the first clonal trial, 2619 clones from 42 crosses were evaluated for NMC, cane diameter and HR Brix at 300 days of planting. NMC ranged from 3 to 25 canes/clump, cane diameter from 1.9 to 4.2 cm and HR Brix from 13.2 to 25.2. Five hundred and twenty three clones recorded Brix > 20 at 300 days, cane diameter > 2.4 cm and NMC above five canes/clump. The crosses that gave higher proportion of high quality progeny were Co 94021 x Co 97015, Q 63 x Co 86250, Co 85019 x Co 88025, Co 86002 x Co 775, Co 85002 x Co 94008, Co 86032 x Co 92008, Co 94012 x Co 92008 and CoSnk 03-44 x Co 86002.

Based on Brix, yield parameters and crop stand, 625 clones (23.9%) were selected. The crosses that gave high proportion (>40%) of selections were Co 8371 x Co 775, Q 63 x Co 86250, CoSnk 03-44 x Co 86002 and Co 94012 x Co 97015. Co 1148 x Co 62198, CoC 671 x Co 92008, Co 97007 x Co 775 and Co 85002 x Co 62174 gave below 12% selection. Selected types were planted in second clonal trial in single row of 6 m in augmented RBD with four standards.

First clonal trial (2009)

(S. Alarmelu, P. Govindaraj, A. Anna Durai and C. Appunu)

In the first clonal trial, 2500 clones from 38 crosses were evaluated for NMC, cane diameter and HR Brix at 240 days of planting. NMC ranged from 3 - 18 canes/clump, cane diameter from 2.3 - 2.8 cm and HR Brix from 13.2 - 19.0. The crosses involving Co 8347, Co 94008, Co 86011, Co 86032, Co 94012, Co 98010, Co 99008, Co 99006 and CoG 93076 as parents contributed to more number of selections.

Second clonal trial

(G. Hemaprabha)

Out of 169 entries under evaluation along with five standards (CoC 671, Co 94008, Co 99004, Co 7219

22

sucrose (>20.61%). From this trial, 29 entries were promoted to PZVT 2010 series. The performance of six clones combining better quality and yield parameters coupled with impressive field stand is presented in Table 13.

08 to Co 2010-17) as given in Table 7. The best entry for sugar yield was 2008-196 (Co 2010-17) with 23.13 t/ha CCS and 169.05 t/ha of cane yield. The entries viz., 2008-189 (Co 2010-15) and 2008-20 (Co 2010-08) were superior to Co 86032 for CCS% and sucrose %.

In addition, five entries characterized by fast growth, high cane yield and moderate juice sucrose content were identified as biomass types and are maintained as Co 2010-18 to Co 2010-22 (Table 8).

Pre - Z on a l Var i e t a l Tr i a l ( 2 0 1 0 - 1 1 ) - Multiplication

(A. Anna Durai)

One hundred and seventy one clones of PZVT 09 thseries being multiplied were observed for 8 and

th10 month HR Brix. The same clones were also tested for red rot rating except one (PZVT 09-155). The genotypes were classified according to their range of Brix value and red rot disease reaction as in Table 14.

and Co 86032), 36 clones recorded >18% sucrose at 300 days. The best standard was CoC 671 with a mean sucrose of 19.16%. At 360 days, 80 clones with > 20% sucrose were identified, of which 20 entries were better than the standard Co 86032 for

Table 13. Performance of the best entries in II Clonal Trial

Clone No. CCS (%)

Sucrose (%)

360 days

300 days

2006-15 19.22 20.78 14.61 3.0 210 1.33 38 Co 86002 PC2003-345 17.41 21.37 15.04 2.7 260 1.68 30 985040 x 9870362003-563 17.58 21.67 15.32 2.9 245 1.10 30 Co 86249 x Co 910042003-53 19.63 20.62 14.40 3.4 270 2.08 30 984784 x 9718622003-192 20.78 20.86 14.54 3.0 260 1.33 45 9861113 x 9870802003-134 19.29 21.25 14.97 3.0 240 1.48 30 986046 x Co 94008StandardsCoC 671 19.16 21.30 14.94 3.0 234 1.52 28Co 99004 18.01 20.42 14.31 3.0 283 1.79 35Co 86032 17.12 19.15 13.34 3.0 230 1.42 43CD 1.89 1.46 0.99 0.21 27.1 0.43 4.5CV 3.08 2.21 2.15 2.16 3.30 8.31 10.4

Cane diameter

(cm)

Cane length

(cm)

Singlecane

weight (kg)

NMC/ plot Parentage

Pre-Zonal Varietal Trial (2009-10)(G. Hemaprabha)

In this final clonal trial aimed at identifying ‘Co’ canes, 119 promising clones were evaluated with four standards in an augmented RBD. Based on juice analysis at 300 days, seven early maturing clones (Co 2010-01 to Co 2010-07) were identified and assigned Co numbers as given in Table 6. The entry 2008-104 (Co 2010-04) was the best for early high sugar yield of 21.16 t/ha compared to the best standard CoC 671 (15.51 t/ha) by virtue of its significantly high cane yield (158.92 t/ha). For sucrose %, four clones viz. 2008-2 (Co 2010-01), 2008-85 (Co 2010-05), 2008-169 (Co 2010-07) and 2008-84 (Co 2010-06) were superior to the best quality standard CoC 671. All the selections combined cane yield above 100 t/ha and CCS% above 13.0, thus giving higher sugar yield at 300 days. At 360 days, 10 clones that exhibited better performance in comparison with the standards were selected and assigned Co numbers (Co 2010-


23

Table 14. Summary data on clones under multiplication for PZVT 2010-11

1 17.01-18.00 5 1 R 13

2 18.01-19.00 10 2 MR 43

3 19.01-20.00 37 3 MS 41

4 20.01-21.00 37 4 S 49

5 21.01-22.00 36 5 HS 24

6 22.01-23.00 24 Total 170

7 23.01-24.00 19

8 ≥24.01 3

Total 171

Classification based on HR Brix Classification based on red rot resistance

Red rot reaction No. of clones

S. No. Range of HR BrixNo. of clones

S. No.

(7,461) was on par. Among the test clones, the ethanol production (l/ha) in CoSnk 05104 (8,968), CoVSI 05121 (8,570) and Co 05007 (7,873) was on par with the standards but significantly higher than the other clones.

AICRP Trials - at Coimbatore (Peninsular zone)

Initial Varietal Trials

Early

(S. Alarmelu)

Out of 12 entries and three standards evaluated for yield and quality parameters, Co 06002 was the best with 19.49% sucrose at 240 days and 19.90% sucrose at 300 days. Co 06022 and Co 06021 were the other good clones for quality. Seven entries were significantly superior for cane yield compared to CoC 671 (74.54 t/ha). Co 06010 was the best entry with 128.86 t/ha cane yield followed by Co 06022 (112.50 t/ha), MS 06081 (109.41 t/ha), Co 06021 (108.49 t/ha), Co 06023 (100.62 t/ha) and Co 06002 (97.07 t/ha).

All India Coordinated Research Project (Sugarcane)

Based on juice quality, red rot reaction and crop stand, 109 clones were selected for the trial. These clones and five clones from PZVT–08 series were planted along with five standards viz., Co 86032, CoM 0265, CoC 671, Co 99004 and Co 94008 in augmented design.

Ethanol

(R. Nagarajan and P. Rakkiyappan)

Among the 23 PZVT clones evaluated for ethanol production potential (ml/100 ml juice), the highest ethanol production of 15.66 was recorded in 2008-25 and the lowest in 2007-05 (10.51) with an average of 13.15. In AVT early plant I experiment, among the standards, Co 85004 recorded the highest ethanol production of 10,069 litres/ha and among the test clones, the ethanol production in CoSnk 05103 (12,654 l/ha) and CoN 05071 (11,795 l/ha) was on par but significantly higher than Co 85004. The ethanol yield (l/ha) in Co 05001 (10,033) and CoSnk 05101 (10,531) was on par with the best standard (Co 85004). In AVT mid-late Plant I experiment, the ethanol production (l/ha) in the standards Co 86032 (7,713) and Co 7219

24

Mid-late

(A. Anna Durai and R. Nagarajan)

Among the 13 mid-late clones under evaluation along with the two standards, Co 7219 and Co 86032, the test clone Co 06020 recorded significantly higher juice sucrose per cent (19.6%) at 300 days than the best standard. With respect to CCS%, the clones Co 06012, Co 06026 and CoSnk 06104 performed well at 360 days. CoVc 06061, Co 06011, Co 06012, Co 06014 and Co 06013 had better cane diameter while Co 06012 (1.88 kg) and Co 06011 (1.77 kg) exhibited higher single cane weight. With respect to cane yield, Co 06027, CoM 06086 and Co 06015 were significantly superior to the best standard Co 7219.

AVT Early: I Plant

(R.M. Shanthi)

First plant crop with six early clones and three standards (Co 85004, Co 94008 and CoC 671) was evaluated. Among the entries, two clones viz., CoSnk 05101 (119.03 t/ha) and CoSnk 05103 (132.95 t/ha) were significantly superior for cane yield over the best check Co 85004. For CCS yield, CoSnk 05103 (16.30 t/ha) was significantly superior to the best check Co 85004 while the other entry CoSnk 05101 with 13.13 t/ha CCS yield was on par with the check Co 85004. For juice quality CoSnk 05103 was the best with 19.18 Brix and 17.48% sucrose. For cane parameters at 300 days, CoM 05082 was the best with 1.57 kg single cane weight and 3.45 cm cane diameter.

AVT Early: II Plant

(G. Hemaprabha and C. Appunu)

In AVT II Plant with six entries and three standards, the test entries Co 0403 and CoSnk 03632 were on par with Co 85004 and were superior to CoC 671 (standard) for both cane yield and CCS t/ha. For juice quality traits at 300 days, Co 0403 and CoM 0316 were statistically on par with CoC 671. The clone Co 0403 was promising with

Advanced Varietal Trials

high yield, high sucrose, good field stand, high cane population and red rot resistance.

AVT Early: Ratoon

(G. Hemaprabha)

For cane yield, the entries Co 0403 and CoSnk 03632 performed well with over 100 t/ha. The clones Co 0403 and CoM 0326 gave > 19% sucrose which was lower than that of CoC 671. Co 0403 emerged as the best ratooner in the trial by exhibiting high cane yield and juice quality.

AVT Early (2008-2010): Mean of two plant + one ratoon

(G. Hemaprabha)

Based on the mean of two plant and one ratoon crops, the best entry for sugar yield was Co 0403, with 15.81 t/ha (Table 15). The highest cane yield was for CoSnk 03632 (127.20 t/ha) and Co 0403 (116.41 t/ha). The sucrose % juice and CCS % of Co 0403 were 19.67 and 13.56 respectively. Co 0403 was the best in the trial with a combination of high yield and juice quality at 300 days with an improvement of 29.49% in cane yield, 23.01% in sugar yield over the standard CoC 671 and with a marginal drop of 2.53% for sucrose content (Fig. 4). More NMC, impressive stand and resistance to stresses are added advantages of this clone, while the defects are slightly thinner canes with high intensity of flowering (50% at Coimbatore).

Fig 4. Percent improvement of Co 0403 over zonal standards


25

Table 15. Performance of entries in AVT Early in two plant and one ratoon crops at Coimbatore (2008-2010)

300 daysVariety CCS Cane yield

(t/ha) (t/ha) CCS (%) Sucrose (%)

Co 0403 15.81 116.41 13.56 19.67

CoM0326 11.90 91.85 12.91 18.75

CoN 03131 11.25 94.82 11.87 17.02

CoSnk 03632 12.69 127.20 9.95 14.75

CoSnk 03754 10.49 89.74 11.79 17.21

Standards

CoC 671 12.85 89.90 14.21 20.18

Co 85004 14.72 119.54 12.32 17.70

Co 94008 13.12 110.24 11.96 17.32

AVT Mid-late: I Plant

(K. Mohanraj)

Six test clones and two standards (Co 7219 and Co 86032) were evaluated for cane yield and juice quality traits at 360 days. For CCS t/ha, the entry CoVSI 05121 recorded the highest sugar yield of 12.51 t/ha followed by CoSnk 05104 (12.43 t/ha). For cane yield only two entries viz., CoSnk 05104 (106.4 t/ha) and Co 05007 (98.50 t/ha) were numerically superior to the best standard Co 86032 (92.2 t/ha). Only one entry, CoVSI 05121, was superior for both Brix and sucrose % compared to the standards at 300 and 360 days. It recorded 22.35 Brix and 19.45% sucrose at 360 days. It also recorded 13.36% CCS compared to the best standard Co 86032 (12.98%).

AVT Mid-late: II plant

(G. Hemaprabha and Ravinder Kumar)

In this trial with six entries and two standards, the standard Co 86032 had the highest sugar yield (14.96 t/ha) and cane yield (117.07 t/ha) followed by the entries Co 0409 (14.67 t/ha and 105.37 t/ha) and CoSnk 03822 (14.20 t/ha and 119.77 t/ha). For

juice quality, Co 0409 was the best (19.95% sucrose and 13.92% CCS) and was superior to Co 86032 (18.47% sucrose and 12.81% CCS) followed by CoM 0316 (19.40% sucrose and Co 13.37% CCS). Co 0409 thus combined high cane yield and better juice quality and was found promising.

AVT Mid-late: Ratoon

At 330 days after ratooning, two entries viz., Co 0409 and MS 0301 were better for CCS yield, while cane yield was > 100 t/ha in three entries viz., Co 0409, MS 0301 and CoSnk 08222. CoM 0316 with 20.12% sucrose was the best and barring the inferior CoSnk 08222, all the entries were on par with the standards.

AVT Mid-late (2008-2010): Mean of two plant + one ratoon

(G. Hemaprabha)

Co 0409 was the best entry in the trial combining numerically higher values for sugar yield, cane yield, CCS % and sucrose % than both the standards with an improvement of 6.06%, 4.60%, 1.04% and 1.02% respectively (Table 16).

26

Table 16. Performance of entries in AVT mid-late in two plant and one ratoon crops at Coimbatore (2008-2010)

Interzonal Varietal Trial

(P. Govindaraj and Ravinder Kumar)

Sixty entries included in IZVT early and mid-late were multiplied as per AICRP(S) technical programme.

Salinity

(S. Vasantha)

Six each of early (Co 05001, Co 05002, CoN 05071, CoN 05082, CoSnk 05101 and CoSnk 05103) and mid-late (Co 05007, CoSnk 05104, CoSnk 05105, CoVSI 05121, CoVSI 05122 and CoVSI 05123) clones of AVT were screened for salinity tolerance

-1in microplots at EC of 8d Sm . Among the early clones, Co 05001, CoSnk 05101 and CoSnk 05103 were found to be tolerant to salinity, while from the mid-late types Co 05007, CoSnk 05104 and CoVSI 05123 were rated as tolerant to salinity.

Drought

(R. Gomathi)

Five early and six mid-late AVT entries including resistant standards Co 86032 and Co 99004 were planted in strip plot design. Drought treatment was applied by withholding irrigation during the

Physiological parameters

formative phase of the crop (60-150 days after planting). Rating for drought tolerance was recorded based on relative performance of the genotypes in terms of sugar yield and cane yield as tolerant (T), moderately tolerant (MT) and susceptible (S) (Table 17).

Table 17. Rating of AVT entries for drought tolerance

360 daysVariety CCS Cane yield

(t/ha) (t/ha) CCS (%) Sucrose (%)

Co 0409 16.30 113.76 13.47 19.31

Co 0415 14.20 102.42 13.12 18.90

Co 0416 13.94 101.41 12.93 18.61

CoM 0316 11.49 80.49 13.57 19.45

MS 0301 15.21 111.15 12.89 18.48

CoSnk 08322 15.07 112.28 12.60 18.12

Standards

Co 86032 15.37 108.86 13.34 19.12


S. No. AVT clones Rating

Early

1. CoM 0326 MT

2. Co 0403 MT

3. CoN 03131 S

4. CoSnk 03632 T

5. CoSnk 03754 S

Mid-late

1. Co 0416 T

2. MS 0301 T

3. Co 0409 MT

4. CoSnk 03822 MT

5. Co 0415 S

6. CoM 0316 S

27

Jaggery characters and fodder value

(P. Rakkiyappan)

Nine clones of AVT I Plant (early) including standards were evaluated for jaggery quality. The standard CoC 671 recorded A1 grade (excellent) jaggery with NR value 67.1. Clones viz., Co 05001, CoSnk 05101, CoM 05082 and CoN 05071 had A2 (Good) quality jaggery with NR values between 60 and 65. In the mid-late Plant I AVT clones Co 05007, CoSnk 05104 and CoVSI 05121 recorded A1 quality jaggery with NR values more than 65.

The crude protein content of green tops of AVT early clones ranged from 5.11% in Co 05002 to 6.10% in Co 05071with a mean of 5.51%. In the case of AVT mid-late clones, it varied from 4.89% in CoVSI 05121 to 6.08% in CoVSI 05123 with a mean of 5.50%.

Fibre and nutrient uptake

(P. Rakkiyappan)

In AVT early plant I, the highest fibre content was recorded in the standard Co 94008 (16.29%) and the clone CoSnk 05103 (14.78%) was on par with the standard Co 94008. In AVT mid-late plant I, the highest fibre content was recorded in the clones CoVSI 05121 (14.50%) and Co 05007 (14.42%) which were comparable with the standard Co 7219 (15.62%).

Nine clones of AVT early plant I including standards CoC 671 and Co 85004 were evaluated for nutrient uptake. The nitrogen content ranged from 0.82 to 0.98%, 0.31 to 0.36% and 0.41 to 0.49% in green tops, dry leaves and stem, respectively. The

-1N uptake ranged from 105 kg N ha (CoC 671) to -1203 kg N ha (Co 85004).

Eight clones of AVT mid-late plant I including two standards Co 86032 and Co 7219 were evaluated for nutrient uptake. The nitrogen content in the green top, dry leaves and stem did not vary significantly among the tested clones. The nitrogen content ranged from 0.78 to 0.97%, 0.35 to 0.40% and 0.27 to 0.39% in green tops, dry leaf and stem,

respectively. The N uptake ranged from 106 kg N -1 -1ha (CoVSI 05123) to 183 kg N ha (Co 7219).

(P. Govindaraj and A. Anna Durai)In the National Hybridization Garden (NHG), 613 parental clones were maintained of which 547 parents flowered which amounted to a flowering percentage of 89.23. The crossing programme was started on 20.10.2009 and concluded on 09.01.2010. A total of 586 bi-parental experimental crosses were made for 23 participating centers. Maximum number of crosses were made by North West Zone (239), followed by Peninsular Zone (172) and East Coast Zone (85). The North Central and North East Zones together made 102 crosses.

Zonal crosses were made for all the zones viz., Peninsular Zone (15), East Coast Zone (15), North West Zone (11), and North Central and North East Zones (14). A polycross nursery was planted separately for tropical region with 13 female and eight male parents and for subtropical region with nine female and eight male parents. Open pollinated fluff (general collection or GC) from 258 parents was also collected for distribution to the participating centres. A total quantity of 32.54 kg fluff from NHG, Coimbatore and 2.176 kg fluff from SBIRC, Agali, was despatched to the 23 participating centres (Table 18).

(N. Rajendra Prasad)The germination potential of fluff from crosses made at Coimbatore as well as Agali was determined in the laboratory. The cross Co 8371 x Co 94005 recorded the highest number of germinates of 440 per gram of fluff sown. Other crosses with higher germinability were: CoM 0265 x CoN 85134, MS 6847 x CoS 510, CoS 91230 x Co 86249, 81 V 48 x 97 R 129, 81 V 48 x CoSe 92423, Co 740 x Co 775, CoS 8436 x CoS 510, 81 V 48 x CoSe 92423, KMS 2095 x CoV 92102, Co 8371 x CoS 90265, 81 V 48 x 97 R 129, CoSi 6 x Co 62198, Co 88039 x CoS 510 and 81 V 48 x CoSe 92423.

National Hybridization Garden and Fluff Supply Programme

Seed germination testing

28

Peninsular Zone

Mandya 15 266.51 22 395.37 15 116.68 12 92.79 871.35

Navasari 26 516.67 39 1118.36 15 115.79 12 85.63 1836.45

Padegaon 24 528.94 32 737.74 15 109.52 12 84.73 1460.93

Perumalapalle 14 181.45 19 317.98 15 114.12 12 79.02 692.57

Powerkheda 6 70.41 31 761.87 15 115.6 12 89.06 1036.94

Pune 28 553.5 13 184.85 15 128.61 12 81.26 948.22

Rudrur 30 699.77 29 795.64 15 112.78 12 86.86 1695.05

Sankeshwar 18 238.22 21 415.08 15 113.9 12 83.07 850.27

Thiruvalla 11 208.23 31 691.41 15 112.37 12 85.74 1097.75

Total 172 3263.7 5418.3 15 1039.37 12 768.16 10489.53

East Coast Zone

Anakapalle 26 519.76 35 947.72 14 199.69 12 81.6 1748.77

Cuddalore 34 549.85 29 557.83 14 202.45 12 87.24 1397.37

Nayagargh 9 192.08 27 557.13 14 198.21 12 84.71 1032.13

Vuyyuru 16 217.21 37 1019.76 14 206.62 12 86.05 1529.64

Total 85 1478.9 3082.44 15 806.97 12 339.6 5707.91

North West Zone

Faridkot 32 642.61 29 762.99 11 95.1 8 66.69 1567.39

Karnal 33 681.71 22 511.73 11 98.24 8 68.35 1360.03

Lucknow 67 1539.91 37 750.81 11 102.37 8 68.91 2462.00

Ludhiana 20 426.97 32 765.44 11 92.45 8 67.16 1352.02

Pant nagar 21 458.47 31 607.03 11 101.51 8 66.8 1233.81

Shajahanpur 47 902.21 28 785.53 11 96.87 8 73.65 1858.26

Uchani 19 468.05 39 812.42 11 96.56 8 71.09 1448.12

Total 239 5119.93 4995.95 11 683.1 8 482.65 11281.63

North Central Zone

Motipur 16 324.57 32 568.11 14 187.14 8 70 1149.82

Pusa 33 593.05 26 412.27 14 205.2 8 70.05 1280.57

Seorahi 37 714.72 31 703.48 14 195.62 8 71.97 1685.79

Total 86 1632.34 1683.86 14 587.96 8 212.02 4116.18

North East Zone

Buralikson 16 309.16 20 368.52 14 207.46 8 64.01 949.15

Grand total 598 11804.03 15549.07 55 3324.86 20 1866.44 32544.40

Agali 87 1827.68 21 349 2176.68

Coimbatore and Agali 34721.08

Table 18. Number of crosses made and quantity of fluff dispatched to participating centres of the Fluff Supply Programme during 2009-10

Centres

Station crosses

No.Quantity of fluff (g)

GC


Zonal crosses


Polycrosses Total quantity

of fluff (g)No.Quantity

of fluff (g)


29

Among the open pollinated fluff (general collections), the highest germination was in CoH 99 (488) followed by BO 128 (460). The fluff from the clones CoN 03132, 2000 V 59, C 79180, Co 775, CoPant 94213, Co 8343, Thirumadhuram, CoS 92263, CoSe 01268, LG 9917, SP 80-3250, Co 312, CoPant 90223, Co 7704 and CoH 12 also had high germination percentage.

(N. Rajendra Prasad)

The germination potential of fluff from crosses made in the Institute breeding programme was determined. The fluff from crosses made by breeders during 2008-09 was stored, evaluated for germination and distributed to breeders for raising seedlings. The fluff provided from crosses made in

02009-10 season was stored at -20 C.

Pollen of Co 62198, Co 1148, Co 775, Co 0236, Co S 8436, Co 99006, Co 94008, BO 91 and CoC 671, was

0stored at -20 C and utilized for making crosses. Good seed germination was recorded when Co 99004 was used as mother parent and stored pollen of Co 1148 and Co 94008 was utilized in crosses.

In a field experiment with 12 varieties and five treatments to study the effect of mother crop nutrition on seed set, soil application of boron @ 1.0 kg /ha+ foliar boron 0.5% was found to perform better with high seed set.

(R. Nagarajan and N. Rajendra Prasad)

Seed multiplication of varieties viz., Co 99004, Co 86032, Co 94008, Co 2001-13 and Co 2001-15 was undertaken in one ha during February 2009 - December 2009 and 90 t of quality seed was produced. About 71 t of seed was distributed to sugar factories and farmers from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. A seed crop was raised during October 2009 with varieties Co 99004, Co 86032,

Studies on sugarcane seed and pollen

Sugarcane breeder seed production - Under Mega Seed Project

Breeder seed production

Co 94008, Co 94012, Co 2001-13 and Co 2001-15. During March 2010, the varieties Co 99004, Co 86032, Co 94008, Co 94012, Co 2001-13 and Co 2001-15 were planted in another one ha. The seed is to be distributed from November 2010.

Seedling nursery was raised by planting bud chips of the varieties Co 99004 and Co 86032 in seedling trays. About 6050 seedlings were distributed to sugar factories and progressive farmers.

(D. Neelamathi, V.P. Sobhakumari and A. Suganya)

About 13600 tissue culture plants of Co 99004, Co 86032 and Co 2001-13 were produced, hardened and distributed to sugar factories and progressive farmers.

(D. Neelamathi, R. Viswanathan and K. Hari)

B a c t e r i z a t i o n o f s u g a r c a n e w i t h t w o Methylobacterium isolates namely SBI MET -1 and SBI MET -3 in culture medium (hormone free MS medium) supplemented with coconut water at multiplication stage resulted in increased shoot length and biomass. The propagation factor of bacterized shoots was 2 - 3 times more and with rapid root development compared to the control. Highest shoot number was noticed in bacterized medium containing Benzyl amino purine in the absence of kinetin, naphthalene acetic acid and coconut water. The Methylobacterium strain MET -3 was comparatively better than MET-1 in terms of shoot number, shoot length and shoot weight. Irrespective of treatments, all the inoculated bottles recorded a mean Methylobacterium population of

6 631 x 10 and 35 x 10 colony forming units with MET-1 and MET -3 respectively. The bacterial population was relatively high in the culture medium than on the leaf surface. The results indicated a stable association of Methylobacterium with sugarcane under in vitro conditions. All the bacterized shoots were dark green coloured, with

Micropropagation

Bacterization with Methylobacterium under in vitro propagation

30

larger leaves and roots and total chlorophyll content compared to control.

(G. Hemaprabha and P. Govindaraj)

Seventeen Co canes of 2009 series were described based on 34 morphological descriptors. STMS analysis with nine primers was carried out in five elite Co varieties viz. Co 0209, Co 0314, Co 0212, Co 0218, and Co 0403 and 10 Co canes of 2006 in order to generate their fingerprints (Fig. 5).

B ot a n i c a l c h a r a c te r i z at i on a n d DNA fingerprinting

Fig. 5. Molecular profiles of recent commercial clones generated by the primer NKSCSSR 57

Institute-Industry Interface programme

(R. Nagarajan, P. Gopalasundaram, J. Srikanth, Chandra Gupta and D. Puthira Prathap)

Thirteen clones were evaluated in replicated trials for yield and quality at Bannari Amman Sugars, Sathyamangalam; Davengere Sugars, Karnataka; Jeypore Sugars, Andha Pradesh and Sanjivani Sugars, Maharashtra. At Bannari Amman Sugars, the highest mean cane yield of of 185.53 t/ha in two plant and one ratoon crops was recorded in Co 94019 followed by Co 98010 (183 t/ha) and 94-704 (180 t/ha). The highest sucrose of 17.58% was recorded in Co 0323 followed by Co 95012 (17.49%) and 986046 (17.30%). At Davengere Sugars, highest cane yield of 254.49 t/ha was recorded in Co 98010 followed by Co 0323 (225.67

t/ha). Co 62175 recorded yield of 215.9 t/ha and sucrose of 17.96%. The highest sucrose of 20.60% was recorded by Co 92024 followed by Co 95012 (19.90%), 987006 (19.95%) and Co 95020 (19.64%) compared to Co 86032 which recorded a sucrose of 19.06%. The cane yield ranged from 40.92 t/ha in Co 95012 to 101.06 t/ha in Co 94019 at Jeypore Sugars. For sucrose % juice at harvest none of the clones was superior to standards Co 7805 and 86V96. But clones Co 95012, Co 92024, Co 0307, Co 95020, Co 94019 and 987006 recorded sucrose above 18%. When the mean of two plant and one ratoon at Sanjivani Sugars was compared, the highest cane yield was in Co 98010 (170.78 t/ha). The other test clones 94-764, 986046, Co 0409 and Co 0323 recorded yields above 150 t/ha. Sucrose % juice at 12 months was the highest in 987006 (18.13%) followed by 9851105, Co 0307, Co 94019 and Co 0409 with 17.3% or more, compared to16.35% of Co 86032.

(R. Nagarajan, S. Alarmelu and R.M. Shanthi)

Out of 211 clones evaluated in ARBD in plots of four rows of 6 m length against four standards viz., CoC 671, Co 85004, Co 94008 and Co 86032, 24 entries recorded sucrose above 19.0% at 300 days and were numerically superior to CoC 671. Five clones were superior for cane and sugar yield in comparison to CoC 671 and were assigned Co numbers Co 2010-23 to Co 2010-27 ( ).The entry U09018 (Co 2010-23) recorded the highest sucrose of 19.78% with sugar yield of 15.87 t/ha and cane yield of 116.50 t/ha. Among the early maturing clones the highest sugar yield was in U 09075 (Co 2010-27) with 17.62 t/ha and its cane yield was 134.35 t/ha.

At 360 days three clones U 09208 (20.77%), U 09198 (20.75%) and U 09006 (20.70%) were superior for quality in comparison to Co 86032 (18.66%). For cane yield the superior clones were U 09054 (161.30 t/ha), U 09004 (142.10 t/ha) and U 09108 (139.50 t/ha). Based on combined

Evaluation of sugarcane clones in North Karnataka

Table 7


31

performance for yield, quality and disease resistance, seven clones were selected and assigned Co numbers Co 2010-28 to Co 2010-34 ( The best clone for sugar yield and sucrose % juice was U 09006 (Co 2010-33) with 17.98 t/ha and 20.70%, respectively. In addition, 14 promising clones and 28 non-flowering types combining yield and quality comparable with Co 86032 were selected and planted for further evaluation.

(P. Govindaraj, A. Anna Durai and Ravinder Kumar)

To select high biomass producing clones with high total sugars suitable for cogeneration and ethanol production, 20 biparental crosses were made utilizing ‘Co’ canes (12), Erianthus introgressed clones (4), ISH hybrids (7) and IA clones (2). A total of 1556 seedlings obtained from the 23 crosses made during 2008 were transplanted in the field. Two replicated trials with 98 and 32 test clones, which were selected from ‘Co’ canes, ISH, IGH, IA clones and genetic stocks, were planted.

(C. Appunu, A.Anna Durai and Ravinder Kumar)

This inter-institute project in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore was initiated during 2009-10 to identify superior sugarcane varieties suitable for different agro-eco climatic regions of Tamil Nadu. Three mid-late clones viz., Co 99006, Co 99008 and Co 2000-12 from SBI were identified and distributed to 13 sugar factories for multiplication during April-May 2009. Trial planting was completed under RBD with three replications. Seven clones, three (Co 99006, Co 99008 and Co 2000-12) from SBI and three (CDL 2008-04, Si 2000-12, Si 2000-133) from TNAU along with the standard Co 86032 were included in the trials at Bannari Amman Sugars Ltd., Sathyamangalam and Sakthi Sugars Ltd., Apakoodal, Bhavani, during

Table 8).

Breeding special varieties for high biomass and total sugars

Identification of superior sugarcane varieties for Tamil Nadu by CAE trials

December 2009-January 2010. Special season trial planting was taken up at Amaravathi Co-operative Sugar Mills Ltd. by including three clones from SBI and two clones (CDL 2008-04, GYM 2008-01) from TNAU along with two standards (Co 86032 and CoC 24).

Two early (Co 0310 and Co 0312) and three mid-late (Co 0211, Co 0212, Co 0213) elite sugarcane clones were identified for trials next year and planted each in 12 rows of 6 m length for multiplication at SBI, Coimbatore.

(P. Govindaraj)

In the first clonal trial, 1080 clones were evaluated for yield and quality parameters along with two standards at Tanuku, Andhra Pradesh. Based on HR Brix, NMC, cane diameter, cane height, presence or absence of spines/splits, incidence of pests, red rot resistance and freedom from smut and wilt diseases under natural conditions, 383 elite clones were selected. The selected clones were planted in augmented RBD with two early standards CoA 92081 and Co 8368 and two mid-late standards Co 7805 and CoV 94102.

(Ravinder Kumar, M.N. Premachandran and A. Anna Durai)

Commercial sugarcane varieties all over the world contain cytoplasm of limited Saccharum officinarum clones and this project is an effort to develop alien/diverse cytoplasm - containing sugarcane varieties. The available hybrids with Erianthus arundinaceus and Saccharum spontaneum cytoplasm were used as base material. Fifty five crosses were made using clones with E. arundinaceus cytoplasm and 29 crosses were made using clones with S. spontaneum cytoplasm as female parents and sugarcane varieties as pollen parents.

Development of location specific varieties for East Coast Zone

Development of sugarcane varieties with S. spontaneum or E. arundinaceus cytoplasm

32

DUS testing

Genetic transformation

(V.A. Amalraj)

A reference collection comprising 170 tropical sugarcane varieties was maintained in the field and observations on the DUS descriptors were made. The final revision of the DUS test guidelines for sugarcane was made and submitted to the PPV & FR Authority. The National Test Guidelines for conduct of DUS test in sugarcane have been notified and registration of extant and new varieties commenced. The digitized database on reference varieties as per DUS descriptors was submitted to the authority in June for uploading in the IINDUS database. A total of 179 reference varieties were planted in January 2010 for maintenance.

(N. Subramonian, M.N. Premachandran, P. Padmanaban, N. Mukunthan, J. Srikanth and P.S. Divya)

Molecular variability studies were carried out in 44 transgenic events expressing cry1Ab gene (nine Agrobacterium mediated, 26 biolistic and nine biolistic with cry1Ab + aprotinin) using eight STMS primers along with untransformed control plant. Events obtained through Agrobacterium mediated transformation showed least variability (91 to 95%) followed by the biolistic method. Maximum variability was observed in transgenics expressing aprotinin gene retransformed with cry1Ab gene, from that of the untransformed control plant (Fig. 6).

An application for a confined field trial of the 10 selected transgenic events expressing cry1Ab gene was prepared and submitted to the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) with the approval of the Institute Bio-safety Committee, along with the biology document of sugarcane, for event selection in further trials.

5.1.2 BASIC AND STRATEGIC RESEARCHES FOR VARIETAL IMPROVEMENT

Identification and cloning of sugarcane specific promoters

(N. Subramonian and P.S. Divya)

Out of three 5’ upstream sequences of the three different ubiquitin genes isolated, two were cloned in pCAMBIA vector in place of the CaMV35s promoter so as to get a gene regulatory region - gus fusion. Constructs with regulatory region I were used for transforming sugarcane, rice, tobacco and Arabidopsis through Agrobacterium / biolistics with appropriate controls for validation studies. This regulatory region could drive the gus gene expression in rice and sugarcane tissues (Fig. 7) but not in tobacco and Arabidopsis, indicating the monocot specific nature of the regulatory sequence. To understand the role of different

Coefficient0.68 0.76 0.84 0.92 1.00

Control Co86032-16 AprBt8 Agr1 Agr2 Agr3 Agr5 Agr4 Agr6 Agr7 Agr8 Agr9 Co86032-26 AprBt1 AprBt4 Co86032-23 Co86032-24 Co86032-25 Co86032-1 Co86032-2 Co86032-3 Co86032-19 Co86032-8 Co86032-14 Co86032-13 Co86032-17 Co86032-4 Co86032-5 Co86032-7 Co86032-9 Co86032-6 Co86032-20 Co86032-15 Co86032-18 Co86032-10 Co86032-11 Co86032-12 Co86032-21 Co86032-22 AprBt2 AprBt5 AprBt6 AprBt7 AprBt9 AprBt3

Fig. 6. Similarity based clustering of transgenic events using STMS primers


Fig. 7. Expression of GUS gene driven by the regulatory sequence 1 in transgenic rice callus

33

domains of 5’ upstream region in gene expression, six deletions of this region were cloned in pCAMBIA vector for transformation studies.

(R.M. Shanthi and S. Alarmelu)

Out of 25 cycle III hybrid clones assessed for their HR Brix at 240 days, 14 clones recorded significantly higher Brix levels compared to the check variety CoC 671. At 240 days, four clones recorded more than 8% improvement in juice brix compared to the check CoC 671 which recorded 19.60 Brix. In the clone 09-0905 which recorded the highest Brix of 23.33 at 240 days, a marginal decline in Brix was observed at 300 days (23.10). Fifteen high Brix selections from cycle III with good flowering intensity have been identified for use in further intermatings.

The clone 02-0288 which recorded 20.70% improvement over CoC 671 for juice sucrose content at 240 days indicated its potential to generate early high sugared progeny when used as a male parent. An early high sugared clone from cycle II, 05-0002 with 5.46% improvement in sucrose content over the check was found to be male sterile and can be used as a safe female parent. This clone which flowered during mid November showed high flowering intensity.

(N. Vijayan Nair and A. Selvi)

The different species of Saccharum and related genera were screened using SSR primers to identify species and genus-specific markers that can be used for the identification of genuine hybrids among the progenies of interspecific and intergeneric crosses and a total of 625 Erianthus-specific, 50 S. officinarum-specific and 94 S. robustum-specific SSR markers were identified. Erianthus-specific markers could be developed from 5s rDNA and ITS regions also. A marker of size 370 bp was amplified using 5s rDNA and another marker of 400 bp was

Development of high sucrose genetic stocks

Genome characterization of Saccharum using molecular markers

identified using primers that amplified the ITS regions.

Five putative hybrids involving Erianthus, one Sclerostachya hybrid and a hybrid involving S. officinarum x S. robustum were screened with primers that amplify species and genus-specific markers. One of the hybrids involving Erianthus showed the presence of both Erianthus and Saccharum-specific markers, thus confirming its hybridity. Markers specific to both Sclerostachya and Saccharum parents were amplified in the Sclerostachya hybrid. Similarly, markers specific to both the parents were present in the S. officinarum x S. robustum hybrid, thus confirming its hybridity.

The hybrid identification services using molecular markers were availed by M/S EID Parry, Bangalore for identification of their interspecific and intergeneric hybrids.

(M.N. Premachandran, K. Chandran and N. Prakasam)

The red rot reaction of 315 clones from 22 crosses was tested by controlled condition testing (CCT) with CoC 671 isolate. The crosses 07-649 x Co 89029, 07-502 x 07-678 and 07-49 x 07-678 had very high frequency of R and MR clones in the progeny. The clones 07-678 and 07-649 selected from [(S. spontaneum x Erianthus bengalense) x Co 89029] x CoJ 64 cross were found to be good as pollen parent and as female parent respectively, giving high frequency of red rot resistant progeny.

(M.N. Premachandran)

The chromosome number of the [(Erianthus arundinaceus x S. spontaneum) x sugarcane] x sugarcane hybrids with Erianthus cytoplasm ranged from 2n = 102 to 120 indicating that only n + n gametes functioned in the backcross progeny, whereas in parental (E. arundinaceus x S. spontaneum) x sugarcane hybrids there was

Inheritance of red rot resistance in sugarcane

Genome relationship between Saccharum and Erianthus species

34

increase in chromosome number compared to that expected from n + n transmission. The range in chromosome number in the backcross progeny is as that observed in commercial sugarcane varieties and hence in further backcross generations with sugarcane, the level of chromosome number is expected to be as that of sugarcane commercial varieties.

By backcrossing the (E. arundinaceus x S. spontaneum) x sugarcane with sugarcane commercial varieties, the Brix was improved in the progeny. In (E. arundinaceus x S. spontaneum) x sugarcane hybrids the mean HR Brix was 12.6 and 13.9 in CYM 04-420 x Co 775 and CYM 04-420 x CoC 671, respectively whereas in backcross hybrids the progeny mean varied between 11.52 and 16.77 with a grand mean of 15.2 in 563 seedlings from 16 crosses evaluated. Nearly 70% of the [(E. arundinaceus x S. spontaneum) x sugarcane] x sugarcane hybrids were male sterile and in the remaining hybrids the pollen fertility was less than 20%. The female fertility of the hybrids was not affected and seed set was found to be good in all the backcross hybrids studied. The backcross hybrids were further backcrossed with sugarcane and seedlings were transplanted to field.

Mitochondrial DNA polymorphism: Out of five mitochondrial DNA specific primers tested, nad 1/2-3, nad 7/1-2, and rps 12 / nad 3 had PCR amplification products similar in size for Saccharum and Erianthus material studied with approximate product size of 1600 bp, 1200 bp and 400 bp, respectively. The nad3-orf156 primer pairs had no amplification. With nad4 there was difference in PCR product size between S. officinarum (~1950 bp) and S. spontaneum (~ 1800 bp).

(A. Suganya, D. Neelamathi, V.P. Sobhakumari and A. Selvi)

Anthers numbering 26,740 from 24 clones belonging to S. spontaneum, Co varieties and

Anther culture of sugarcane

hybrids were inoculated after pretreatment with 0glutamine, mannitol, kinetin and 2, 4-D at 22 C for

3 - 5 days. They were given nurse culture treatment in liquid media for 5 - 7 days and transferred to solid media. In order to macerate the anther walls for easy absorption and to reduce the phenolic exudation, anthers of SES 274, SES 85E, SES106A, IND 82-321 and Co 62198 were treated with 1.0 N

0HCL for five minutes at 60 C and pectinase for 15 minutes. It was observed that there were no phenolic exudations in the treated anthers and the anther colour remained same.

Microspores were isolated from SES 85D, SES 85E, SES 137, and Co 62198. The microspores in suspension when cultured under aerobic condition lost their viability within a short period. The osmoticum has to be further standardized. The morphological characters (quantitative) of the anther derived plants of R133 and SES 274 and their mother were not very distinct. These plants were further subjected to molecular characterization using the microsatellite markers viz., SOMS- 135, 26, 127, 116,149, 150, 88, 126, 111,114, 156, 103 and 134, SEGMS- 66, 69, 70, 102, and 92. The anther derived plants were not different from the mother plants. Selfs of SES 274 and R133 were made for further studies. Wide crosses were made by using the pollen of sorghum and maize with commercial sugarcane varieties.

(V.P. Sobhakumari)

Callus culture was generated in intergeneric hybrids like Saccharum x Zea and Sorghum x Saccharum. Fifteen somaclones of non-flowering Sorghum x Saccharum, which flowered during October 2009 were used in crosses with Co canes. ‘Syncyte’ formation by fusion of pollen mother cells was observed in the somaclones of Sorghum x Saccharum. Anther sacs of the Sorghum x Saccharum hybrids were with degenerated tissues and that led to male sterility in these clones.

Tissue culture of interspecific and intergeneric hybrids


35

Three hundred somaclones from three smut susceptible clones viz., PZVT 2006-100, 2006-88 and 2006-03, produced through callus culture, were multiplied and evaluated for smut resistance after artificial inoculation. The somaclones produced from virus infected Co 86010 were subjected to PCR analysis and all the clones were positive to virus infection.

The developmental and hormonal regulation of direct and indirect embryogenesis was studied in Co 86032, Co 99004, Co 94012, CoJ 64 and Co 1148. Response of different explants like leaf bits, leaf rolls and inflorescence bits was also studied. The cultures of Co 86032 incubated in light and dark conditions showed good response for direct embryogenesis from all types of explants. Explants in MS medium with NAA, kinetin and glutamine have given maximum direct embryogenesis. The explants, in general responded better in light than in darkness.

Recurrent selection for yield and quality

(S. Alarmelu, G. Hemaprabha, R.M. Shanthi and R. Nagarajan)

Combining ability for five characters viz., NMC, stalk diameter, stalk height, single cane weight and Brix was studied in seven clones which were used as females (lines) and three as males (testers). Among the males, Co 99006 and among the females Co 740, Co 86032 and Co 98010 were identified as best combiners for agronomic characters. High specific combining ability effects were exhibited by the crosses Co 86002 x Co 94008, Co 86032 x Co 99006, Co 98010 x Co 775 and Co 93020 x Co 99006. Estimates of variance due to general combining ability and specific combining ability and their ratio (<1) revealed predominantly non-additive gene action for these characters. The crosses viz., Co 740 x Co 99006, Co 93020 x Co 94008, Co 8371 x Co 775, Co 86002 x Co 94008, Co 86032 x Co

Table 19. Progeny mean of NMC, cane diameter and HR Brix in promising families for recurrent selection

Co 740 x Co 775 7.09 2.70 19.52Co 8371 x Co 99006 8.05 2.63 19.66Co 740 x Co 2000 01 6.19 2.27 19.24Co 86032 x Co 99006 8.33 2.66 18.49CoC 671 x MS 6847 8.00 2.92 20.26Co 0209 x ISH 69 7.14 2.87 19.43Co 740 x CoC 671 7.65 2.58 19.22Co 0203 x Co 775 8.04 2.69 19.98Co 740 x Co 86011 8.41 2.81 18.63CoC 671 x Co 86011 7.24 2.69 20.84Co 95021 x Co 97015 7.24 2.97 19.2481 V 48 x Co 86011 7.47 2.99 19.69CoC 671 x Co 99006 8.54 2.69 17.47ISH 100 X Co 99006 7.45 2.78 19.53Co 86002 x Co 99006 9.12 2.77 19.46Co 93020 x Co 94008 9.38 2.53 19.45Co 94005 x Co 98006 7.39 2.74 19.69Grand Mean 7.08 2.64 18.62SD 1.56 0.20 1.07

Crosses NMC Cane diameter (cm) HR Brix (300 days)

36

99006 and Co 98010 x Co 99006 showed significant heterotic response. The cross Co 86032 x Co 99006 showed the highest and significant relative heterosis and heterobeltiosis for the traits NMC, cane diameter and HR Brix. Positive and significant relative heterosis and heterobeltiosis were observed for NMC in crosses Co 8371 x Co 99006, Co 8371 x Co 94008 and Co 98010 x Co 94008.

Clonal evaluation: Out of 1800 clones screened in stage I for HR brix at 360 days, 450 clones were selected for further evaluation in the second clonal trial (Table 19). In the stage II evaluation with 350 clones, 06-187 was a good quality type with 22.61% sucrose followed by 06-204 with 22.12% sucrose at 10 months. At 360 days, 50 clones recorded juice sucrose above 20.0% and 100 clones had higher sucrose than that of Co 86032 (20.72%). Among them, the clone 06-62 with good field stand recorded a maximum of 22.92% sucrose followed by 06-138 and 06-222 (22.37%). Forty five clones recorded cane diameter above 3.0 cm and five clones had single cane weight of 1.68 kg. One hundred clones were selected and planted in single row trial for evaluation of yield parameters.

Hybridization: Thirty three inter-se crosses were effected among 12 female and five male hybrids from II clonal trials to generate Cycle I progenies, which form the first selection cycle for yield and quality. Germination was good in all the crosses made.


Identification of candidate genes for drought resistance

(G. Hemaprabha and S. Venkataramana)

Ninety four clones from 21 genetically diverse crosses were evaluated in the second clonal trial involving progeny from genetically diverse drought resistant parents of which 21 clones recorded more than 20% sucrose at 360 days. One entry viz. 2006-118, from the cross CoC 671 x Co 86011, performed remarkably well with a high sucrose %

juice of 24.06 at 360 days and 21.29 at 300 days. It had 1.73 kg single cane weight with impressive field stand. From this trial, 26 selections were promoted to PZVT, with maximum selections from the cross CoC 671 x Co 94005. Performance of the top 12 clones combining high sucrose and better cane yield is presented in Table 20.

Identification of new candidate genes for drought: Three new sugarcane specific drought responsive candidate genes viz. DREB , LEA and3 6 0 3 8 5

CALMOD were identified based on their 400

presence in drought tolerant parents and progeny and absence in drought susceptible parent and progeny through RTPCR (Fig. 8).

CALMOD gene profile400

LEA gene profile385

M: 100bp DNA Ladder 1- Drought tolerant parent (Co 740)2-3 Drought toleraant progenies4- Drought susceptible parent Co 775M- Marker

M-100 bp DNA ladder

1- Drought tolerant parent (Co 740)2. Drought tolerant progeny3- Drought susceptible parent (Co 775)

DREB gene profile360

M-100 bp DNA ladder

1- Drought tolerant parent (Co 740)

2- 4 Drought susceptible parent (Co 775)

6-8 Drought susceptible progeny

Fig . 8. Identification of candidate genes for drought resistance

37

Genetic fidelity testing of tissue culture sugarcane plantlets

(A. Selvi and D. Neelamathi)

The variety CoC 671 and its somaclone Co 94012 were screened with 592 sugarcane microsatellite primers to identify the primers that detect polymorphisms between these two varieties. Six ISSR primers that were recommended by the Department of Biotechnology as well as 21 other ISSR primers that are available in the public domain were also used for this purpose. The varieties were screened with 50 sugarcane microsatellite primer pairs that were developed from genomic libraries, 176 primer pairs developed from EST databases and 275 primer pairs that were developed from enriched genomic libraries and 64 RAPD primers. Of the 592 primers screened, 188 primers could detect variations between the varieties (Fig. 9). Among primers that detected

Table 20. Performance of elite clones with high sucrose and high yield (progeny from genetically diverse drought resistant parents)

Clone No. CCS (%)

Sucrose (%)

360 days

300 days

Cane diameter

(cm)

Cane length

(cm)

Singlecane

weight (kg)

NMC Parentage

2006-118 21.29 24.06 16.91 2.9 230 1.73 45 CoC 671 x Co 860112006-140 18.40 21.23 14.80 3.0 235 1.35 35 CoC 671 x Co 940052006-142 20.32 21.90 15.38 2.9 260 1.58 25 CoC 671 x Co 940052006-136 22.95 21.70 15.43 2.9 185 1.25 40 CoC 671 x Co 940052006-148 16.63 22.09 15.77 2.3 225 1.23 35 CoC 671 x Co 940052006-149 18.06 20.64 14.61 2.8 235 1.28 43 CoC 671 x Co 940052006-158 16.35 20.53 14.52 2.9 250 1.55 34 CoC 671 x Co 940052006-166 16.08 20.52 14.49 2.8 205 1.23 48 Co 740 x CoC 6712006-186 20.88 21.37 15.04 2.6 240 1.35 28 Co 85002 x ID 99-0262006-176 17.78 20.97 14.86 2.5 245 1.28 38 CoC 671 x ISH 1472006-188 18.99 21.17 14.95 2.9 265 1.50 30 Co 96007 GC2006-183 19.17 21.59 15.35 2.7 200 1.10 39 Co 86011 GCStandardsCoC 671 18.48 21.04 14.74 3.00 230 1.49 28Co 99004 18.14 20.08 14.05 2.90 272 1.54 32Co 86032 17.61 18.91 13.12 2.95 230 1.38 41CD 1.75 1.62 1.14 0.34 29.31 0.51 4.5CV 2.85 2.31 2.54 3.14 3.45 8.64 6.71

variations between the two varieties, 193 were microsatellite primer pairs (30.5%), 30 were RAPD primers (46.8%) and 5 were ISSR (18.5%).

Fidelity testing of samples from commercial labs: A total of 31 field grown micropropagated plants of the variety Co 86032, of which 20 were from Sakthi Sugars factory area and 10 were produced at SBI,

Fig.9. Screeing of CoC-671 and Co 94012 for identifying polymorphic primers

38

Coimbatore, that showed variations in the field, were tested for genetic fidelity. They were tested with 12 microsatellite primer pairs and 19 ISSR primers. The banding pattern obtained was uniform with all the primers. Two samples of Co 86032, to be used as mother plant for initiating tissue culture, were received from EID Parry for uniformity testing. These samples were screened along with Co 86032 samples from the Institute as a check with 16 ISSR primers. The clones were found to be uniform.

(A. Selvi and P. Malathi)

To isolate and characterize the resistance gene analogue sequences, 29 pairs of primers were designed on conserved domains of resistance gene sequences and were used to amplify two varieties BO 91 and CoC 671, that are resistant and susceptible, respectively. The amplified products were sequenced and characterized. The sequences were compared for homologies with the available information in the NCBI databank. Strong homology to disease resistance proteins like RPM1 of rice and to the disease resistance sequences of rice, Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor, Glycine max, etc.,

Identification of candidate genes and markers for red rot resistance

containing various classes of disease resistance domains like NB-ARC, NBS-LRR, LRR, S/T kinase, protein kinase etc., was observed proving their involvement in disease resistance. Promoters had been predicted in RGA-019S, 183S, 231R, 231S, 267R, 267S, 275R, 275S and 125R and the presence of PolyA signals was observed in the products amplified by the primer RGA-275. Twenty RGAs were predicted to have internal exonic regions. Five primers viz., RGA-016, RGA-129, RGA-258, RGA-542 and RGA-173 were used to amplify both the genomic DNA and cDNA of BO 91 and CoC 671 (Fig. 10). The cDNA sequences showed higher degree of homology compared to genomic DNA which may be attributed to the removal of intronic sequences. Fifty four RGA sequences were submitted at GSS database in NCBI genbank. Fifty more primers have been designed from sequences associated with disease resistance.

Ninety one sugarcane cultivars that were inoculated with the spore suspension of the red rot pathogen under field conditions were screened for their reaction to red rot disease. Of them, 10 were rated as resistant, eight as moderately resistant, 13 as moderately susceptible, 20 as susceptible and 33 were highly susceptible. The clones are being screened with the primers amplifying RGAs.

22%

7%

13%

14%

5%

2% 6% 1%

22%

8%

NBS-LRR

LRR

NB-ARC

STK

PK

SERINEPROTEASES

RESISTANCEPROTEINS

RECEPTORKINASES

HYPOTHETICALPROTEIN

RETRO


Fig. 10. Functional characterization of RGAs

Table 21. Decade-wise performance of varieties for yield and quality traits in plant and ratoon crops

Period BrixCCS(%)

Purity (%)

Single caneweight (kg) NMC CCS

(t/ta)

Sucrose (%)

Prior to 1960 20.64 18.49 12.96 90.39 0.95 97.44 67.83 8.73

1960-70 21.19 19.24 13.46 90.46 1.11 95.99 76.51 10.41

1970-80 21.23 19.38 13.63 91.30 1.19 85.01 71.69 9.82

1980-90 22.02 20.25 14.26 91.82 1.16 92.12 79.36 11.40

1990-2000 22.05 20.30 14.31 91.91 1.13 85.23 74.15 10.56

Cane yield (t/ha)

39

Genetic improvement of varieties developed over decades

(G. Hemaprabha, S. Alarmelu, R.M. Shanthi and R. Nagarajan)

Genetic improvement of varieties under cultivation in tropical India developed prior to 1960 till 2000 AD was assessed based on one plant and one ratoon crop performance. Among 67 varieties under evaluation in the ratoon trial, Co 312, Co 527, Co 975, Co 997, Co 1148, Co 62198, Co 7224, Co 85004 and Co 89014 were superior to the general mean for NMC. There was a step-wise

improvement in juice quality parameters. Mean sucrose value prior to 1960 was 17.61% and it increased to 17.88 (1961-70), 18.20 (1971-80), 18.92 (1981-90) and 19.00 (1991-2000). Co 86249, Co 8013, Co 975, Co 89014, Co 1148, Co 740, Co 91010 and Co 997 were better ratooners ). Cane yield and CCS were the highest in the varieties during 1981-90 followed by the decade 1991-2000 while the varieties prior to 1960 showed the lowest values. Genetic improvement was observed for all juice quality parameters studied. The study revealed that there was deliberate selection for sucrose keeping cane yield at threshold levels.

(Table 21

Development and utilisation of improved inbreds

(A. Anna Durai , Rav inder Kumar and G. Hemaprabha)

Out of the 30 clones selfed in 2008 to develop new inbreds, seedlings obtained from nine clones produced selfed progenies. Among them, Co 775 and MS 6847 produced more number of seedlings (168 each) followed by Co 2001-12 (150). Less than 10 seedlings were obtained from Co 98010 and Co

10113. All the S generation progenies were planted along with their parents for further evaluation. Nine inbreds were selfed during 2008 and seedlings were obtained from six. They were advanced to the next generation. During 2009 flowering season, 12 inbreds, including four of Co 7201 in S stage and 1

eight of Co 1148, six in S stage and two in S stage 4 5

were selfed and seedlings are being raised for generation advancement at Agali.

Utilization of inbreds: Fifty two inbreds including 12 S and three S of Co 7201, and 23 S of Co 1148 1 2 5

were evaluated for HR Brix, cane thickness, NMC, juice quality and red rot resistance. The inbred 1148-S4-242-13 recorded the highest juice Brix of 23.4 followed by 1148-13-2-251 with 23.0. With respect to the cane characters, three inbreds of Co 7201 and 16 of Co 1148 exhibited higher cane height than their respective parents. Three inbreds of Co 7201 and 17 of Co 1148 produced thicker canes than their parents. With respect to red rot resistance, seven inbreds were resistant and nine moderately resistant.

40

Maintenance (at Coimbatore & Wellington)

(V.A. Amalraj)

At Coimbatore, 1232 wild germplasm clones comprising S. spontaneum, Erianthus spp. and allied genera were maintained in the field. All the clones were replanted during September 2009 for


5.1.3 GENETIC RESOURCES

Collection, maintenance and evaluation of sugarcane germplasm at Coimbatore

Exploration

(V.A. Amalraj and P. Govindaraj)

An exploration was organised in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from 23 August to 12 September 2009 for collection of wild germplasm from an altitude of 215 to 2280 m above MSL. Out of 12 districts in Himachal Pradesh, nine districts were surveyed and 28 clones of S. spontaneum, Erianthus fulvus and Miscanthus were collected (Fig.11-13).In Uttarakhand, out of 13 districts, 11 districts were surveyed and 25 clones (S. spontaneum and Miscanthus) were collected from 10 districts. In both the states, the habitat distribution of S. spontaneum was river banks / beds, hill slopes and fallows. It occurred along the major rivers of Sutlej, Beas, Ganges and Yamuna. These were medium tall and flowering. In general, the variability in height was limited to short, medium and medium tall types. Kesardeshi (1950 m MSL) near Almora (Uttaranchal) is the highest elevation from where S. spontaneum was collected. Near Almora, the shortest clone (IND09-1542) measuring 30 cm was collected (Fig. 14). Erianthus fulvus and Miscanthus were found only above 2000 m elevation. All the collections were planted in pots and quarantined in glass house.

Fig. 11. S. spontaneum on sandy and rocky river bed of Beas

Fig. 12. S. spontaneum on rocks

Fig. 13. Miscanthus on forest edge at Jalori pass in Himachal Pradesh

Fig. 14. Dwarf S. spontaneum at Almora in Uttarakhand

41

maintenance. The total number of clones being maintained in each category is: Saccharum spontaneum (796), Erianthus spp. (298), Allied genera (41), Recent collections from Tripura (27), Meghalaya (24), Gujarat (32) and Rajasthan (14).

In addition, five clones of E. fulvus and three clones of Miscanthus nepalensis collected from Meghalaya in 2006 are being maintained at IARI station, Wellington.

(P. Govindaraj and C. Appunu)

The 'Co' cane plot for 2009-10 was maintained with 1867 clones including 'Co' canes, foreign hybrids, PL scheme clones, IA hybrids-and ISH clones.

(N. Vijayan Nair)

Four hundred and sixty six accessions maintained during 2009 were replanted in October 2009 for maintenance and 193 clones that failed to establish were replanted. Forty seven clones of S. spontaneum and eight clones of E. procerus collected from Arunachal Pradesh are being maintained at IARI station, Wellington, since 2002. These were replanted in nearby field in October 2009. Since they were washed away due to heavy rains and flood in November 2009, they were again planted during March in another field.

(V.A. Amalraj)

A total of 131 notified varieties and registered genetic stock were maintained and another seven clones were included while replanting in January 2010. Thirteen new clones were tested for juice

thquality at 12 month. Co 0238 gave the highest sucrose (20.14%) while CoM 0265 gave the thickest (3.2 cm thick) and heaviest (1.6 kg) canes. Among the new clones received during 2009 for conservation in NAG, CoC (SC) 24 under quarantine was rejected by the Pathology Section.

Maintenance of commercial hybrids and genetic stocks

Maintenance of NATP collections

Maintenance of National Active Germplasm

Table 22. Flowering time in S. spontaneum and Erianthus accessions

May 30 15

June 7 35

July 8 42

August 30 40

September 50 9

October 92 9

November 90 5

December 43 6

Total 350 161

Month (2009)

No. of clones flowered

S. spontaneum Erianthus spp.

True seed storage

Cytological studies of Saccharum and allied genera

(V.A. Amalraj)

True seeds from 50 open pollinated clones of S. spontaneum and 10 varieties in the National Active Germplasm were collected in December 2009, tested for germination and sent to NBPGR along with passport information for long term storage.

(V.P. Sobhakumari)

The chromosome number was determined in the following accessions of Saccharum spontaneum collected from Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Gujarat in 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Characterization and evaluation at Coimbatore

(V.A. Amalraj)

Characterization of 274 clones of S. spontaneum consisting of previously undescribed clones and the Meghalaya and Gujarat collections has been done. Twenty two Erianthus clones have also been characterized. Flowering time in S. spontaneum and Erianthus spp. was recorded (Table 22).

42

Meghalaya collection: IND 06-1428 (2n=64), IND 06-1430 (2n=64), IND 06-1431 (2n=70), IND 06-1432 (2n=80), IND 06-1433 (2n=64), IND 06-1434 (2n=80), IND 06-1439 (2n=64), IND 06-1441 (2n=80), IND 06-1443 (2n=64), IND 06-1455 (2n=64), IND 06-1437 (2n=64), IND 06-1445 (2n=64), IND 06-1447 (2n=64+2F), IND 06-1451 (2n=64), IND 06-1452 (2n=60), IND 06-1453 (2n=60).

Gujarat collection: All clones are with 2n=80. IND 07-1458, IND 07-1460, IND 07-1461, IND 07-1463, IND 07-1467, IND 07-1468, IND 07-1469, IND 07-1470, IND 07-1470(A), IND 07-1471, IND 07-1473, IND 07-1474.

Rajasthan collection: IND 08-1489 (2n=64), IND 08-1501 (2n=72), IND 08-1502 (2n=80).

Chromosome number of interspecific hybrids: The chromosome number of hybrids between atypical S. officinarum and S. spontaneum studied ranged from 2n = 82 to 96.

Location: Coimbatore

(N.V. Nair and K. Mohanraj)

The project aims to develop new genetic stocks through interspeci f ic and intergener ic hybridization. One hundred and thirty three genetic stocks of interspecific and intergeneric origin developed over the years were maintained clonally for further utilization. During the flowering season 2009-10, 18 crosses were made using intergeneric hybrids and improved Saccharum officinarum clones as female parents and Co canes as male parents.

Twenty seven progenies obtained from sugarcane x S o r g h u m hy b r i d s w e r e c h a r a c t e r i z e d morphologically. The progenies resembled the sugarcane parent largely (Fig. 15). The progenies were also characterized using Sorghum specific SSR markers. Nine of the progenies showed Sorghum specific markers, confirming their hybridity (Fig. 16).

Utilization of germplasm resources to develop new genetic stocks

A total of 73 selected progenies from back crosses involving (Saccharum x Erianthus hybrids) x commercial varieties were evaluated for yield and quality parameters during 2009. Juice quality at 300 days indicated that none of the entries were superior to the best standard Co 86032. However, 16 clones exhibited superior cane yield compared to Co 86032.

Out of 660 clones from crosses between intergeneric hybrids and Co varieties evaluated for NMC, HR Brix and stalk girth, 181 selections were planted with three standards in single rows for further evaluation.

Two superior clones obtained by backcrossing Saccharum x Erianthus intergeneric hybrids to Saccharum were identified as Co canes (Co 2010 -17 and Co 2010-22) after Pre Zonal Varietal trials.

Fig. 15. Variability for cane characteristics in Saccharum x Sorghum hybrids

Fig. 16. Sorghum specific SSR markers amplified in two hybrid progenies from Saccharum x Sorghum crosses

Lane 1. Marker; Lanes 2-4 Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum); Lanes 5-6 Sorghum; Lanes 7-14 progenies from Sugarcane x Sorghum

crosses. Progenies 8 & 9 show Sorghum specific markers


Table 23. Variability in cane and fibre characters of Erianthus arundinaceus progeny

Parameter Minimum Maximum

Stalk length (cm) 190 354

Stalk diameter (mm) 13.25 23.26

Internodes 10 30

Five cane weight (g) 1100 2900

HR Brix 11.5 18.5

Fibre (%) 17.31 33.05

43

Improved clones of Saccharum species for developing genetic stocks

Erianthus arundinaceus for utilization in paper manufacture

(S. Alarmelu, R. Nagarajan and R.M. Shanthi)

Sixty five clones were under evaluation for yield and quality parameters. At 10 months, six clones showed juice sucrose above 17.80% and two clones viz., 04-021(20.47%) and 04-520 (20.00%) surpassed that of the standard CoC 671 (19.21%). The clone 04-520 with 22.27% sucrose and 15.35% CCS was superior to all the three standards CoC 671, Co 86032 and Co 99004. Twenty eight clones had sucrose % in the range of 19.0 - 22.27. Thirty four red rot resistant and 30 MS types were identified. Ten promising (back cross) clones were proposed for PZVT evaluation and 16 clones were identified as high biomass types.

Out of 1300 clones in the first clonal evaluation, 300 clones recorded HR Brix above 19.0 at 12 months. The range of variability for Brix was 12.0 - 22.2, NMC: 5 - 20 and cane diameter: 1.74 - 3.60 cm. Eight families involving improved S. robustum and commercials as parents, PIO 90-202 x PIR 96-404, PIO 00845 x PIR 96-12, PIR 96-285 x Co 98010, PIO 00845 x CoA 7602, PIR 96-475 x CoA 7602, PIR 96-285 x CoT 8201, PIR 001002 x Co 94008 and PIR 001002 x Co 775 were promising. Two mid-late clones Co 09013 and Co 09014 developed from this project were accepted for multilocation testing under AICRP(S). One clone 2008-155 was elevated to Co status as Co 2010 -13.

(V.A. Amalraj, P. Rakkiyappan and D. Neelamathi)

Data on stalk characters were recorded in 280 seedlings derived from GCs and selfs of Erianthus arundinaceus clones collected in 2006 flowering season (Table 23).

Out of 500 seedlings derived from 2007 GCs/selfs of four Erianthus arundinaceus clones, 64 seedlings were planted in the field in 2008 for evaluation. Among these the best 20 clones were selected and tested for fiber content. The fiber content ranged

from 22.13 to 30.92%. It has been generally observed that progeny from selfing gave a higher fiber per cent than those derived from the general (open) collection. The high fiber clones were maintained for further evaluation.

(A. Suganya, P. Govindaraj and A. Selvi)

Evaluation of 77 hybrids of Co 86249 x S. spontaneum (2n = 64 and 80) and Co 8371 x S. spontaneum (2n = 64, 72 and 80) revealed significant differences for NMC, cane thickness, internode length, number of internodes and leaf parameters. Among the hybrids of Co 86249 x S. spontaneum, those involving 2n = 64 had high mean values for NMC, cane thickness and leaf parameters. The extent of variability was high with 2n = 80 for NMC, cane thickness, internode length and midrib width. In Co 8371 x S. spontaneum, the hybrids involving 2n = 72 possessed high mean values for plant height, number of internodes, leaf sheath length and leaf blade length and high coefficient of variation for NMC, height, cane thickness and internode length. The hybrids with 2n=80 showed high variability for sucrose percent, leaf sheath length and midrib width.

Cytological studies were carried out in 77 hybrids and elimination of 1-14 chromosomes was observed from that expected with n + n

Different cytotypes of Saccharum spontaneum for developing genetic stocks

44

transmission. The hybrids 04-2163 (Co 89029 x S. spontaneum, 2n = 88) and 04-1492 (BO 102 x S. spontaneum, 2n = 64) had 2n + n transmission with 2n = 153 and 142 respectively. The hybrid 04-359 (BO 102 x S. spontaneum, (2n = 60) possessed the lowest chromosome number of 2n = 72, with the elimination of 12 chromosomes. A preliminary analysis was carried out for fibre content in 49 hybrids and it ranged from 14.0 to 24.0 per cent. The hybrids 04-1375 (BO 110 x S. spontaneum, 2n = 88), 04-2160 (Co 89029 x S. spontaneum, 2n = 88), 04-1069 (Co 86249 x S. spontaneum, 2n = 64) and 04- 849 (Co 8371 x S. spontaneum, 2n = 64) had high fibre content of 24.0, 22.07, 23.6 and 22.5 per cent, respectively.

(P. Gopalasundaram, P. Rakkiyappan and G. Hemaprabha)

This experiment aims at studying the response of promising sugarcane genotypes to graded levels of N application. The treatments consist of: 75%, 100% and 125% of the recommended dose of 225 kg N/ha. Uniform dose of phosphorus and potassium @ 60 kg P O + 120 kg K O/ha is applied 2 5 2

to all the plots. The experiment was continued during 2009 - 10 with the I Plant crop of the fourth set of four promising varieties (Co 0209, Co 0212, Co 218 and Co 314) with Co 86032 as control. Data were recorded on juice quality, cane yield and yield attributes.

Varietal differences were significant for the yield attributes like NMC, cane diameter, cane length and the number of internodes per cane. Among the four promising genotypes, Co 0218 and Co 0212 recorded higher cane length and more number of internodes than the other genotypes including Co 86032 (check), but Co 0209 recorded the maximum cane girth. Co 0212 recorded the highest NMC followed by Co 0218.

5.2 DIVISION OF CROP PRODUCTION

5.2.1 AGRONOMY AND MICROBIOLOGY

Agronomical evaluation of promising sugarcane genotypes

Juice Brix and sucrose at harvest showed significant varietal differences. Co 0209 and Co 0314 recorded higher Brix and sucrose percent. Both the varieties recorded more than 20% juice sucrose (20.30 and 20.24% in Co 0209 and Co 0314 respectively) whereas as it ranged from 18.88% (Co 0218) to 19.27% (Co 0209) in the other varieties.

The variety Co 0218 recorded the mean highest cane yield (144.1 t/ha) and it was on par with Co 0212 which gave a cane yield of 138.2 t/ha. These two genotypes were significantly superior to Co 86032 (124.9 t/ha). Co 0209 and Co 0314 recorded mean yields of 107.8 and 102.6 t/ha respectively which were lower than that of the check (Co 86032).

The nitrogen levels did not show any significant influence on cane yield as well as juice quality. Varieties x fertilizer level interaction was also not significant.

The trial is being continued with the second plant and ratoon crops.

( C. Gupta)

The ratoon crop of second cycle was started during the third week of March 2009 with the variety Co 86032 in Factorial RBD with three levels of nitrogen (140, 210 and 280 kg/ha), three levels of farm yard manure (0, 6.25 and 12.5 t/ha) and two levels of liquid biofertilizers (no biofertilizer and biofertilizer mixture @ 6 l/ha) in three replications.

The highest NMC was produced in the treatment 12.5 t/ha FYM with liquid biofertilizer + 210 N kg/ha (130,400/ha) followed by 12.5 t/ha FYM with liquid biofertilizer + 280 N kg/ha (128,860/ha). The differences in the NMC were, however, not significant. The plant height varied from 194.5 to 213.1 cm. With the increase in the age of the crop, index leaf N concentration declined. The leaf N (%) varied from 1.89 to 2.18 at 90 days after ratooning (DAR); 1.68 to 2.08 at 120 DAR and 1.38 to 1.63 at

Nitrogen economy in sugarcane production through integrated nutrient management


45

240 DAR. The index tissue N at 240 DAR showed significant positive relationship with SPAD reading (r = 0.811**).

In the ratoon crop, the highest cane yield (147.61 t/ha) was recorded with nitrogen 280 kg/ha + FYM 12.5 t/ha + no biofertilizer. Reducing the N fertilizer dose decreased the cane yield. The juice

thquality parameters analyzed at the 12 month did not show any significant variation. Maximum juice sucrose (20.19%) was recorded with N 280 kg/ha + FYM 6.25 t/ha + liquid biofertilizer.

(B. Sundara)

An experiment with 15 clones including Co 86032 as a check was planted in RBD with three

Selection of sugarcane clones for wide row planting

replications to study their performance under wide row spacing (150 cm).

Stalk population (Table 24) was the highest in 260/17 (97,778/ha) which was on par with 265/06 (85,556/ha) and 265/23 (81,111/ha). Single cane weight was highest in the clone 251/17 which was significantly superior to Co 86032. The highest cane yield (139.89 t/ha) was recorded in 268/03 which was on par with Co 86032, 251/17, 251/19 and 260/17. The clones differed significantly in juice quality. The highest sucrose % juice and CCS % was recorded in the clone 265/01 followed by 265/06 and 252/12. Considering the cane yield, clones 268/03, 260/17, 251/19 and 251/17 are suitable for wide rows which needs further studies to confirm their performance.

Table 24. Performance of clones under wide row spacing

Sl. No. Clone NMC/haSingle cane weight (kg)

Cane yield (t/ha)

BrixSucrose

(%)Purity

(%)CCS (%)

1 251/17 71389 1.720 107.43 21.22 18.34 86.50 12.55

2 251/18 40556 1.494 66.75 19.25 16.24 84.29 10.98

3 251/19 61944 1.520 111.49 20.32 17.77 87.49 12.23

4 252/12 52500 1.080 73.88 22.92 20.11 87.75 13.86

5 252/34 48056 1.326 58.70 20.92 18.10 86.40 12.39

6 253/35 74167 1.354 97.35 20.58 18.36 88.76 12.65

7 260/17 97778 0.866 103.26 21.32 18.69 87.67 12.88

8 265/01 73056 1.146 88.26 22.72 20.29 89.32 14.10

9 265/06 85556 0.774 67.87 22.78 20.28 88.99 14.08

10 265/23 81111 1.160 82.96 21.72 18.74 86.30 12.81

11 265/28 67778 1.346 92.33 21.28 18.73 87.99 12.92

12 268/03 77778 1.320 139.89 21.38 18.89 88.33 13.06

13 280/02 68167 1.360 84.13 21.38 18.78 87.78 12.95

14 288/10 51667 1.094 80.64 20.78 17.78 85.58 12.10

15 Co 86032 71667 1.254 108.23 20.58 17.60 85.54 11.98

SE 6079 0.116 12.66 0.631 0.566 0.998 0.494

CD 17517 0.337 36.67 1.826 1.639 2.891 1.432

Table 25. Varietal performance under low N application

Co 89010 154.7 12.86 200.5 11.59 187.1 12.29

Co 94019 188.4 13.07 190.7 11.96 192.9 12.85

Co 99005 120.5 12.39 171.1 11.81 135.3 11.86

Co 93009 159.3 12.11 190.1 11.30 177.2 11.94

Co 99012 182.7 14.19 199.1 13.48 173.4 13.49

Co 94012 128.4 12.85 189.0 12.85 167.2 13.59

Co 86032 139.2 12.81 158.2 12.58 161.8 12.55

Co 95020 182.6 13.88 208.8 13.53 182.3 13.61

Co 96007 123.2 13.74 168.5 13.83 141.0 14.04

Co 86249 161.7 12.16 182.1 11.52 178.6 11.82

Mean 154.1 13.01 185.8 12.45 170.1 12.80

VarietyN25

Cane yield(t/ha)

CCS (%)

CCS (%)

CCS (%)

N100 Mean*

Cane yield(t/ha)

Cane yield(t/ha)

* Mean over N levelsCane yield CCS (%)

SE CD SE CD N levels 15.98 NS 0.231 NSVarieties 9.36 18.59 0.275 0.546N x V - NS - NS

46

Identification of varieties for low input conditions

(B. Sundara)

Ten varieties were planted for the second year in split plot design in February 2009 with three replications under five N levels (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of the recommended dose of 280 kg/ha). Nitrogen levels did not influence any parameter significantly; however, there was significant varietal difference (Table 25). There was no significant N x variety interaction. In general, the experimental yields were very high (mean yield 171.1t/ha).

The variety Co 94019 recorded the highest mean yield (192.9 t/ha) which was on par with Co 89010, Co 95020, Co 86249 and Co 93009. Though the yield differences among the N levels were not significant, 100% N recorded the highest mean

cane yield (185.8 t/ha). The CCS % was the highest in Co 96007 which was on par with Co 95020, Co 94012, and Co 99012. Thus varieties Co 94019, Co 95020, Co 99012, and Co 86249 which recorded minimum cane yield reduction at 25% N appear suitable for low N application rates.

(C. Gupta and D. Esther Shekinah)

This project aims to quantify water saving through drip irrigation, identify the best planting method under drip and evaluate the effect of fertigation on cane yield. The treatments involving combination of planting methods and fertigaton levels were: T1 - Furrow irrigation + soil application of 100% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF- control); T2 - Paired row planting + fertigation @ 100% RDF; T3 - Paired row planting + fertigation @ 75% RDF; T4 - Trench planting + fertigation @ 100% RDF; T5

Micro irrigation studies in sugarcane


47

- Trench planting + fertigation @ 75% RDF; T6 - Pit planting + fertigation @ 100% RDF; T7 - Pit planting + fertigation @ 75% RDF. The second ratoon crop was continued during 2009-10.

The NMC was the highest with surface irrigated plot (111.48 thousands/ha) followed by paired row planting (106.52 thousands/ha) with 75% RDF and pit planting (93.33 thousands/ha) with 75% RDF. Trench planting recorded the lowest NMC. However, the difference was non-significant between the surface irrigated plots and paired row planting with fertigation at either level.

In the second ratoon, cane yield revealed that all the three methods of planting with drip fertigation at either 100 or 75% RDF performed on par with surface irrigation. Cane yield in pit method of planting (79.05 t/ha) at 75% RDF was on par with surface irrigation (65.12 t/ha). Similarly, cane yield in paired row planting (71.17 and 74.94 t/ha at 100 and 75% RDF with fertigation) was on par with the trench planting (76.17 and 64.60 t/ha at 100 and 75% RDF with fertigation). The juice quality characteristics did not show any marked variation among treatments. The mean juice Brix of drip irrigated crop was 21.2% and sucrose was 18.3%, while for surface irrigated crop the values were 21.95% and 18.6%, respectively.

A total of 1512.4 mm irrigation water was given through drip system, adjusting 586.2 mm of rainfall received during the second ratoon crop, while 2400.8 mm water was applied in surface furrow irrigation. Thus, drip irrigation saved 37% of irrigation water as compared to the conventional furrow irrigation. In addition there is a possibility of reducing 25% N & K fertilizers with drip fertigation.

(K. Sivaraman, K. Hari, P. Rakkiyappan, J. Srikanth, A. Ramesh Sundar and C. Sankaranarayanan)

Two crop cycles consisting of a plant crop of sugarcane followed by a ratoon and cotton were raised during 2003-06 and 2006-09. Plant crop of

Sustainability of organic and conventional sugarcane production systems

sugarcane was taken up during the year 2009-10 as a component of third crop cycle. At 120 and 240 DAP, a higher rhizosphere dehydrogenase activity was observed in organic plots (1.68 µg triphenyl tetrazolium formazone (TTF)/g/hour) than in the conventional plot (1.19 µg TTF/g/hour). Stalk population of 1.72 and 1.64 lakhs/ha and cane yield of 124 t/ha and 108 t/ha was recorded in the organic and conventional systems, respectively.

The soil available N was higher in the organic farming (289 kg/ha) than in the conventional farming (243 kg/ha). The chlorophyll content in fresh leaf was also marginally higher in the organic system (4.14 mg/g) than in the conventional system (3.83 mg/g). Conventional farming recorded marginally higher juice Brix (21.66) than organic farming (21.49); however, purity was higher in organic farming (87.48%) than the conventional farming (84.93%). Marginally a higher sucrose content of 18.80% and CCS 12.94% were recorded in organic farming compared to 18.39% and 12.47% in conventional farming. Organic farming also recorded a lower reducing sugar content of 0.31% than the conventional farming (0.43%). There was no difference in jaggery recovery per cent.Shoot borer incidence at 60 DAP was significantly higher in the conventional plot (7.6%) than in the organic plot (3.8%). Internode borer incidence at 135 DAP was lower in the conventional plot (3.5%) than in the organic plot (4.4%); borer intensity was slightly lower in conventional plot (2.0%) than in the organic plot (2.1%) but these differences were not significant. Conventional plot showed sporadic rat damage at 240 DAP. At 250 DAP, internode borer incidence was 11.3% and 11.2% and intensity 3.4% and 2.8% respectively in the conventional and organic plots with no significant differences. There was no disease incidence.

The mean nematode population in the organic and conventional farming was 1550 and 1320 per 100 cc of soil respectively. Plant parasitic nematode population in conventional farming was 70% where as in organic field the population was 52%.

48

Organic farming favoured more free living nematode population compared to conventional farming system.

(K. Sivaraman)

This study involves a field experiment of five years duration in strip-plot design, with plant crop of sugarcane in the first year (2005-06), ratoon crop of sugarcane in the second year (2006-07), rotational crop of cotton in the third year (2007-08), plant crop of sugarcane in the fourth year (2008-09) and ratoon crop of sugarcane (2009-10) in the fifth year, in the same experimental site without disturbing the position of the treatments. During 2008-09 (fourth year), after the rotational crop of cotton, the experiment was continued with plant crop of sugarcane. Pre-planting weed control using glyphosate followed by in-crop weed control using ethoxysulfuron reduced the population of nutgrass by 79% at 65 days after planting sugarcane compared to the conventional practice. The shoot population of sugarcane at 90 DAP in treatments involving pre-planting weed control using glyphosate followed by in-crop weed control using post emergence directed spray of either glyphosate or paraquat or post emergence application of ethoxysulfuron was comparable with the shoot population recorded in the treatment of conventional field preparation followed by hand weeding thrice at 30, 60 and 90 DAP. The growth, yield and quality parameters of sugarcane were more or less similar among the various treatments indicating that all the herbicide treatments were as effective as the conventional practice. However, the cane yield in the treatments, “pre-planting weed control using glyphosate followed by in-crop weed control using ethoxy sulfuron” (112.8 t/ha) and “pre-planting weed control using glyphosate followed by in-crop weed control using ethoxy

Integrated weed management in sugarcane based cropping systems with particular reference to Cynodon and nutgrass

sulfuron” (112.1 t/ha) recorded marginally higher yield. The integrated weed management practice of “pre-planting weed control using glyphosate followed by in-crop weed control using ethoxysulfuron” was found promising.

(K. Hari, J. Srikanth and C. Sankaranarayanan)

Bioinoculant formulations : Liquid and semisolid formulations of Azospirillum, Gluconacetobacter, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Paecilomyces and Beauveria were prepared. Enumeration of population in these formulations indicated survival of Azospirillum, Gluconacetobacter, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Paecilomyces both in liquid and semisolid formulations up to three months of storage at room

10temperature with high population levels (>10 cfu/g). At six months of storage, all the isolates

7recorded higher population levels >10 cfu/g except 7Gluconacetobacter which recorded <10 cfu/g. To

improve this, new formulations (containing polyvinylpyrrolidone and glycerol) were prepared. These new formulations maintained higher

9Gluconacetobacter population of >10 cfu/g at six months of storage.

Response of Beauveria brongniartii, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Paecilomyces lilacinus for media supplements like chitin, lecithin, lactic acid, polyethylene glycol and CaCl2 on growth and spore output was evaluated using molasses medium. Chitin at 6% level improved the spore output of Beauveria brongniartii and Paecilomyces lilacinus. Beauveria bassiana, M. anisopliae and Paecilomyces lilacinus produced higher radial growth, biomass and spore output than control at 3.0% CaCl2. Radial growth of Beauveria bassiana and Paecilomyces lilacinus was not affected by 3.0% lactic acid but M. anisopliae showed decreased radial growth. Polyethylene glycol at 6% recorded significantly higher spore output.

Development of bioinoculant formulations


49

Evaluation of novel microorganisms for ethanol production from sugarcane biomass

Induction and synchronization of flowering in Saccharum species and commercial hybrids for utilization in the breeding programme

(K. Hari and B. Singaravelu)

Samples of decaying fruits, vegetables, toddy samples and lignocellulose feeding insects and their frass material were collected to isolate yeast. The samples were subjected to enrichment in glucose and xylose broth and about 50 isolates capable of growing on xylose medium were obtained. These isolates were subjected to presumptive yeast conformation tests viz., osmotolerance, growth at different pH and temperatures, tolerance to 1% acetic acid, colony characteristics, microscopic examination, sporulation and carbon utilization. Totally 35 isolates were tentatively identified as yeast. The qualitative ethanol producing ability of the yeast cultures utilizing glucose, sucrose and xylose was carried out. Presence of ethanol in the culture was analyzed using gas chromatograph. Four cultures were identified as ethanol producers from glucose, sucrose and xylose.

Physiological investigations on growth, productivity and flowering in sugarcane

(P.N. Gururaja Rao)

Induction of flowering: Out of 38 clones subjected to commencing photoperiod of 12 h 45 m from 31 July 2009 with a declination of 60 s/day, 22 clones viz., Co 997, Co 6806, Co 7717, Co 86011, Co 94008, Co 94012, Co 99006, CoC 671, CoH 92, CoLk 97022, CoM 0254, CoM 88121, CoS 90265, CoS 99259, ISH 176, LG 99112, NCo 310, Cym 06-1102, Cym 06-113, Cym 06-1424, Q 63 and CoS 8436 were induced to flower. Varieties Co 997, Co 7219, Co 94008, Co 94012, Co 99006, CoS 99259 and LG 95037 showed flower initiation in the untreated control also during October-November 2009. The induced panicles of clones Co 6806, Co 7717, Co

5.2.2 PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

94008, CoS 90265, CoS 99259, ISH 176, LG 99112, LG 95037, Cym 06-1103 and Cym 06-1424 were utilized in hybridization programme by the Crop Improvement Division.

Synchronization of flowering : Nine early flowering varieties viz., BO 91, Co 62198, CoPant 90223, CoS 8436, CoS 96275, LG 99112, LG 99122, LG 99183 and NCo 310 were treated with light break daily from 12 midnight to 2 am from 16 June to 20 July 2009 and the post-inductive constant photoperiod of 12 h 40 minutes daily from 12 midnight to 2 am by the extension of dusk and dawn from 16 August 2009 in the field experiment. The first panicle emergence occurred between 1 October and 8 November 2009 in the untreated control, while in the light treatment, it occurred between 5 and 30 November 2009. The least delay of 17 days was observed in variety LG 99112, while the highest delay was 33 days in variety LG 99122. Five varieties viz., NCo 310, CoPant 90223, LG 99183, LG 99122 and CoS 96275 recorded more than three weeks delay in the first panicle emergence. The photoperiodically delayed inflorescences of varieties BO 91, Co 62198 and CoS 8436 were utilized in the hybridization programme.

(S. Vasantha and Esther D. Shekinah)

Spacing trial

In spacing trial with four varieties (Co 7805, Co 91010, Co 97008 and Co 98013), in three row

Investigations on tiller mortality and means of improving tiller survival in sugarcane

0

10

20

30

40

50

Narrow Normal Wide

Co 7805 Co 91010 Co 97008 Co 98013

Tille

r M

ort

ality

%

Fig. 17. Tiller mortality in different spacings

50

spacings (75, 90 and 150 cm), the shoot population at 120 DAP was the highest in 75 cm row spacing in all the genotypes and ranged from 169.980/ha in Co 7805 to 225,177 ha in Co 98013. Normal row spacing recorded moderate shoot population and it ranged from 120,111 (Co 7805) to 188,388 (Co 98013). Under wide row, the shoot population varied from 857,880 (Co 7805) to 116,900 (Co 98013).

Tiller mortality: Tiller mortality was high in narrow spacing (38%) as compared to normal (33%) and wide row (28%). Variety Co 98013 recorded the highest tiller mortality in all the spacings, while Co 91010 recorded the least (Fig. 17).

Harvest data: Cane yield ranged from 119.02 t/ha (Co 91010) to 158.41 t/ha (Co 97008) in normal row spacing, 117.29 t/ha (Co 91010) to 165.99 t/ha (Co 98013) in narrow spacing and 92.42 t/ha (Co 7805) to 160.54 t/ha (Co 98013) in wide row spacing. Cane yield significantly varied among the varieties, while spacing and variety x spacing interactions were not statistically significant suggesting that wide row planting does not affect cane yield. NMC and cane yield indicated that with increase in NMC (under narrow spacing) the single cane weight decreased. Under wide row, the single cane weight significantly improved in all the varieties, compensating for the lower NMC.

Growth regulators

The effect of growth regulators on tiller production was studied in a field trial with Co 99004. The hormonal treatments were: IAA (100 and 200 ppm), kinetin (50 and 100 ppm) and ethrel (100 and 200 ppm). The growth regulators were applied at 30 and 45 days after planting. Ethrel and kinetin produced more shoots at the completion of 4th month. The higher concentration of kinetin (100 ppm) and both the concentrations of ethrel resulted in higher shoot population, while IAA did not increase shoot population.

Hormonal application although has not shown significant improvement in NMC, indicated

improved cane yield in all the treatments except higher dose of ethrel. Cane yield recorded at harvest for different treatments is as follows: IAA (100 ppm)146.62 t/ha, IAA (200 ppm) 133.28 t/ha, kinetin (50 ppm) 135.21 t/ha, kinetin (100 ppm) 140.23 t/ha, ethrel (100 ppm) 137.75 t/ha, ethrel (200 ppm) 111.31 t/ha as against 128.8 t/ha in the control.

(R. Gomathi and P.N. Gururaja Rao)

A field experiment was conducted with the first ratoon crop of 11 sugarcane varieties to study the

Physiological studies on ratooning in sugarcane


5.176

3

87.52Leaf

sheath

stem

Plant

12.31

7.65

77.92

Leaf

sheath

stem

Ratoon

Fig. 18. Mean differences in the partitioning efficiency of plant and first ratoon crops

51

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140C

oC

671

Co

802

1

Co

850

19

Co

860

32

Co

940

12

Co

950

20

Co

970

08

Co

970

09

Co

990

04

Co

990

08

Co

200

0-10

Can

e y

ield

(t/

ha)

Plant Ratoon

Fig. 19. Varietal variation in yield (t/ha) of plant and first ratoon crop

Influence of chemical ripeners on sucrose synthesis and accumulation in sugarcane

(S. Venkataramana and P.N. Gururaja Rao)

A field experiment was conducted utilizing two sugarcane varieties (Co 86032 and Co 94012) which were tested for the effect of two chemical ripeners (ethrel or glyphosate) on sucrose accumulation during maturity. The experiment was planted in a split plot design with chemical ripeners in main plots and variety x level of ripener in sub-plots.

Ripener application: Ethrel or glyphosate at 200 or 400 ppm concentration was applied on both Co

86032 and Co 94012 during second week of September, 2009 which coincided with the onset of maturity phase. Second round of chemical ripener application was done in second week of November, 2009.

Biomass : The total biomass content in Co 86032 at 240 days was 1961.5 g/m² which was partitioned in to leaf (360.07g), sheath (221.50g) and stem (1379.33g). 200ppm ethrel has enhanced the total biomass production. Variety Co 94012 possessed 1661.07 g/m² which was partitioned into leaf (322.27g), sheath (185.30g), and stem (1153.50g). Ethrel treatment enhanced the total biomass content by about 589.33g at 200 ppm spray.

physiology of ratooning. The first ratoon crop showed 23.2% mean reduction in tiller production over the plant crop and the reduction was comparatively less in varieties Co 86032, Co 95020, Co 97008 and Co 2000-10.

Varieties Co 86032, Co 99004, Co 95020 and Co 97008 showed lesser reduction in plant height as compared to other varieties. The mean reduction in LAI over plant crop was 20%. Varieties Co 99004, Co 97008, Co 95020 and Co 86032 maintained better leaf growth in terms of LAI as in plant crop. The total dry matter production decreased by 17.5, 21.0 and 28.5% at the formative, grand growth and maturity phase respectively, over that of plant crop. At the maturity phase, the partitioning of dry matter towards stem was lesser (78%) in ratoon crop as compared to plant crop (87.5%) (Fig. 18). Varieties Co 86032, Co 97008, Co 99004 and Co 95020 partitioned more towards stem than the other varieties.

The activity of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), sucrose synthase (SS) and neutral invertase (NI) was significantly higher in the ratoon crop as compared to the plant crop while the acid invertase (AI) was lesser. Though the AI activity negatively

correlated with sucrose % juice both in plant 2 2 (R = 0.562*) and ratoon crops (R = 0.235), the

association was significant only in plant crop. Varieties CoC 671, Co 94012, Co 85019, Co 99004 and Co 86032 recorded significantly higher sucrose % juice than the other varieties.

The first ratoon crop showed 34.9, 29.2, 13.8, 20.1 and 21.1% mean reduction in NMC, single cane weight, cane length, number of internodes/stalk and cane yield, respectively, over that of plant crop. Varieties Co 86032, Co 97008, Co 95020 and Co 2000-10 recorded significantly higher NMC, Single cane weight, cane length, number of internodes per stalk and hence higher cane yield than the other varieties (Fig. 19).

52

SPS-SS : At grand growth, the average SPS activity -1was 18.09 µmol g fr wt h in Co 86032 and 15.62

-1 -1ìmol g fr wt h in Co 94012 while the sucrose -1 -1synthase activity was 18.96 µmol g fr wt h in Co

-1 -186032 and 14.63 µmol g fr wt h in Co 94012. At the completion of grand growth, the SPS activity

-1 -1was appreciably high i.e. 19.45 µmol g fr wt h in -1 -1Co 86032 and 16.75 µmol g fr wt h in Co 94012.

In line with this, the SS also maintained relatively high activity suggesting high rates of sucrose synthesis. Due to ripener treatment, a marginal reduction (5.74% in Co 86032 and 7.26% in Co 94012) occurred in SPS activity, while SS activity was unaffected.

Invertases: During maturity and sucrose accumulation phase, the acid invertase activity was

-1 -118.1 µmol g fr wt h in Co 86032, and 20.2 µmol g -1 -1fr wt h in Co 94012, and that of neutral enzyme

-1 -1was 22.6 µmol g fr wt h in Co 86032 and 24.7 -1 -1µmol g fr wt h in Co 94012. Following ethrel (400

ppm) application, the acid invertase activity

-1

increased in both Co 86032 (14.36 - 23.53 mol g-1 -1 fr wt h ) and Co 94012 (27.33 - 30.69 µmol g fr

-1 -1wt h ). With respect to neutral invertase, ethrel enhanced the activity by 118.62% in Co 86032. Glyphosate at 400 ppm has shown 65.99% drop in acid invertase in Co 86032 and 60.00% drop in Co 94012.

Juice quality and yield: Sucrose % during 240 days to 360 days increased gradually in both the varieties (Fig.20). At harvest, an improvement of 0.7 unit (3.64%) by ethrel or 0.67 unit (3.46%) by glyphosate was recorded in sucrose % juice of Co 86032. At 360 days, glyphosate caused 0.91 unit (4.01%) drop in variety Co 94012 possibly due to more dehydration. These results suggested that ethrel treatment helps in extended vegetative growth, while glyphosate accelerates early season maturity. As regards yield, ethrel has caused reduction in both Co 86032 (27.78%) and in Co 94012 (16.16%). Similarly, glyphosate reduced the yield by11.44% at 200 ppm and 41.30% at 400 ppm in Co 94012.

µ

0

5

10

15

20

25

Control 200 ppm 400 ppm Control 200 ppm 400 ppm

Co 86032 Co 94012

Su

cro

se

% j

uic

e

Ethrel

240 days 270 days 300 days 330 days 360 days

Fig. 20. Sucrose % juice during maturity months in ethrel or glyphosate treated cane varieties


0

5

10

15

20

25

Control 200 ppm 400 ppm Control 200 ppm 400 ppm

Co 86032 Co 94012Glyphosate

240 days 270 days 300 days 330 days 360 days

Sucr

ose

% ju

ice

53

Effect of certain biostimulants on growth and yield of sugarcane

(P.N. Gururaja Rao)

A field trial was carried out with variety Co 86032 to study the effect of biostimulants viz., Allcor, Veenus, Talus and Nivel applied as foliar spray at 75, 85 and 100 days at the following doses: Allcor (1 ml and 2 ml/l) Veenus (1 g and 2 g/l); Talus (1 g and 2 g/l) and Nivel (1 ml/l of water).

The number of shoots before spray ranged from 58 to 70 in different treatments. At 120 days, the maximum shoot number was recorded in Veenus @ 2 g/l followed by Nivel @1 ml/l and the differences among the treatments were statistically significant. The trend was similar at 150 days also. However, at 180 days the treatments did not differ significantly, though Veenus and Nivel recorded more shoots than the untreated control. The application of Veenus also resulted in more plant height at 120 days. However, at subsequent stages the differences among the treatments were statistically not significant. The number of leaves produced per plant however, did not differ among the treatments at any of the stages.

The LAI at 120 days ranged from 1.27 in Allcor @ 2 ml/l to 2.25 in Nivel @1ml/l. At 180 days, the maximum LAI (3.13) was recorded in Talus @ 2 g/l as against 2.67 in the control. At all the stages the treatment differences were statistically not significant. At the end of the grand growth period, the total dry matter production ranged from 1.21

2kg/m in T1 to 1.72 in T4 among the treatments, while it was 1.74 in the untreated control. The treatments were statistically not significant.

Among the yield components, the length of millable cane was more in T4 (Veenus @2 g/l) than the control. There were no differences in other yield components and juice quality among the different biostimulants.

5.2.3 SOIL SCIENCE AND AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY

Screening of potential sugarcane germplasm for anti-oxidants

Evaluation of cane samples from Institute experiments for juice and technological parameters

Nutrient use efficiency, technological and juice quality characteristics of promising and ZVT sugarcane clones

(P. Rakkiyappan, G.S. Suresha, K. Hari and S. Venkataramana)

Twenty nine S. officinarum clones were analyzed for antioxidants. The clones 57 NG77 (str), 28 NG 78 and 57 NG37 recorded an ascorbic acid content of more than 1.2 µg/ml juice. The phenolic content in 57 NG77 (str), Fiji 30 and Fiji 28 was more than 1000 µg/ml juice. Total antioxidants content ranged from 2284 µg /ml of juice (Manjri Red) to 4924 µg/ml (HM Black). The clones (57 NG 77 (str), NG 72-92, Gestreept Preanger, HM Black, Fiji 28 and NG 77-18 (sd)) contained total antioxidants of more than 4000 µg/ml juice.

(P. Rakkiyappan)

A total of 7771 juice samples received from various research projects of the institute were analyzed for juice quality parameters viz., Brix, sucrose and purity % and the data were provided to the scientists concerned. Jaggery samples of 23 promising PZVT clones were prepared. The jaggery recovery ranged from 12.22% (clone 2008-27) to 15.01% (clone 2008-181). Among the check varieties, CoC 671 recorded the highest mean jaggery recovery of 14.02%.

(P. Rakkiyappan)

AVT early plant I : Nine clones including three standards were evaluated for nutrient use efficiency. The N use efficiency ranged from 1.2 kg

54

N per tonne of cane produced (CoC 671) to 1.7 kg N per tonne of cane produced (Co 85004).

AVT mid-late plant I: Eight clones (CoVSI 05122, CoSnk 05104, CoSnk 05105, CoVSI 05121, CoVSI 05123 and Co 05007) including the two standards, Co 86032 and Co 7219 were evaluated for nutrient use efficiency. The N use efficiency ranged from 1.6 kg N per tonne of cane produced (CoSnk 05104) to 2.25 kg N per tonne of cane produced (Co 7219).

AVT clones : Reducing sugar content (%) of early clones varied from 0.16 (CoSnk 05101) to 0.36 (CoM 05082) while that of mid-late clones varied from 0.27 (Co 86032) to 0.72 (CoVSI 05121).

(C. Palaniswami, P. Rakkiyappan, P. GopalasundramR. Viswanathan and A. Bhaskaran)

This new project was initiated during January 2010 to develop precision farming technology for sugarcane agriculture by using remote sensing tools and site specific management strategies, through development of standardized data collection, management and analysis protocols, creation of yield variability maps and conducting case studies.

Work flow for digitizing soil maps was standardized. The major soil series in Coimbatore district is Irugur. Coimbatore South and Palladam taluk soil maps of Coimbatore district were digitized. Palathurai and Palladam soil series are the major soils of these taluks with 33.49 and 49.88% area in Coimbatore South and Palladam taluks, respectively. Avanasi and Tiruppur taluk soil maps were digitized and attribute table of soil parameters was populated. Prel iminar y

Precision farming in sugarcane: Evolving site specific management practices for increasing sugarcane productivity

requirement analysis for Sugarcane Information System development revealed that primary data on crop performance and secondary data collected from the sugar factories will form the attribute table.

(A. Bhaskaran, C. Palaniswami and P. Rakkiyappan

The main objectives of this project initiated during 2010 are to find out the sulphur status of soils of selected sugarcane growing tracts and to study the yield response of sugarcane for sulphur application for evolving sulphur management strategies.

Soil samples were collected from major sugarcane growing areas of Erode district representing Kangayampalayam, Palladam and Irugur soil series and Coimbatore district representing Palathurai and Somayyanur soil series. The 0.15% CaCl 2

extractable sulphur content up to 30 cm soil depth of the soil samples ranged from 26 to 90 ppm with an average of 68 ppm. Most of the soils showed alkaline reaction with an average pH of 8.4 and all the soils were non saline with an average EC of 0.32

-1dSm . The mean available phosphorus and potassium status of the samples were 35 ppm and 208 ppm, respectively. NaHCO (0.5M, pH 8.5) 3

extracted 8.5 times more sulphur (579 ppm) than 0.15% CaCl whereas NN NH OAc extracted 6.8 2 4

times less sulphur (10.0 ppm) than the CaCl 2

extract. The mean water soluble sulphur content was 212 ppm.

Simple and multiple correlation studies revealed that the 0.15% CaCl extractable sulphur did not 2

correlate significantly with pH, EC, available P, available K, NaHCO (0.5M, pH 8.5) extractable S, 3

NN NH OAc extractable S, water soluble S and bulk 4

density.

Sulphur nutrition of sugarcane


55

5.3 DIVISION OF CROP PROTECTION

5.3.1 PLANT PATHOLOGY

Studies on host-pathogen relationship and management of sugarcane diseases

(P. Padmanaban, R. Viswanathan and P. Malathi)

Screening breeding clones for red rot resistance: Thirty four varieties with higher sucrose content were inoculated with the red rot pathogen multiplied in sorghum grain medium at the time of planting. Nine varieties which were free from red rot infection were selected for further confirmation of field tolerance. Among 105 NHG clones screened for red rot resistance by using mixed inoculum of tropical and subtropical isolates, 64 clones were MR to red rot. Out of 185 Ugar clones screened for smut resistance, 78 clones were free from smut infection. These clones were inoculated with the red rot pathogen by the plug method and 18 clones were found to be MR to red rot. Sixteen clones selected from earlier screening of the seedlings were inoculated with red rot pathogen by nodal method. Among them 10 clones were nodally resistant. Around 1300 progenies / clones from different projects were inoculated with red rot by CCT and resistant clones were identified for further utilization.

Screening germplasm for red rot resistance : Seven hundred and sixty three clones of various Saccharum spp. including 42 clones of S. barberi, 30 clones of S. sinense, 142 clones of S. robustum and 698 clones of S. officinarum were brought from Kannur and established at SBI, Coimbatore. The established clones were screened for red rot resistance by the CCT method of evaluation in which 51.2%, 17.2% and 9.2% clones of S. barberi, S. sinense and S. robustum respectively were found to be resistant to red rot.

Screening for red rot resistance under artificial inoculation conditions

Characterization of red rot pathotypes

(P. Malathi, R. Viswanathan and N. Prakasam)

Use of wild and temperature adapted mutants of C. falcatum to demonstrate its pathogenicity: Earlier studies had proved that the temperature adapted mutants of C. falcatum were slow growing, devoid of sporulation, unable to cause infection in the host and failed to produce the secondary metabolites. Further, molecular analyses of wild and mutant cultures of nine major pathotypes for conserved gene sequences viz., actin, calmodulin, GPDH and 5.8s-ITS, and the functional gene chitin synthase indicated that there was no variation among the two groups genetically and hence the reduction in pathogenicity of mutants could be due to expression of factors responsible for pathogenicity. However, the sequences of drastically changed Cf997 mutant (M7) resemble defective cultures obtained in nature (W8-W10) and the recovered Cf997 mutant (M8) resemble wild types (Fig. 21). This demonstrates that the C. falcatum cultures are highly influenced by environmental factors during their evolution which results in changes in virulence pattern.

Molecular characterization and identification of pathogenicity determinants in Colletotrichum falcatum

Fig. 21. Molecular variability among wild and mutantcultures of C. falcatum pathotypes

56

Functional analysis of pathogenicity genes : In earlier studies, two important genes viz. chitin synthase (CHS) responsible for synthesis of important fungal cell wall component chitin and the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) involved in transduction of a variety of extracellular signals and the regulation of different developmental processes were characterized. The genes were named as C. falcatum -CHS-1A and CFK1 with 3.8kb and 2.1kb size respectively. For both the genes, coding sequence was amplified from mRNA and protein sequences were confirmed. Functional analyses have been standardized with CHS-1A by knock-out approach with double crossing over by homologous recombination (Fig. 22). Fungal transformation was standardized in protoplasts by PEG method and the positive transformants were confirmed through PCR. The six positive candidates (M1-M6) were selected for phenotypic studies and tested for their pathogenicity under field conditions by the plug method of inoculation. Results indicated that there was significant reduction in pathogenicity by two candidate mutants as compared to wild type and the disruption of chitin synthase was confirmed in the inoculated tissue by PCR (Fig. 23).


Fig. 22. Gene knock-out CHs-1A in C. falcatum with homologous recombination

by double crossing over

Fig. 23. Pathogenic variability of CHS -1A knock-outmutants and its confirmation by PCR

Validation of species specific primers of C. falcatum : Species specific primers have been designed based on gene sequences for conserved proteins and it was found that the primers based on actin and calmodulin sequences were highly specific in amplifying C. falcatum as compared to other Colletotrichum spp. These primers were validated for their specificity in amplifying pathogen specific conserved regions in the plant tissue by duplex PCR with the amplification of sugarcane and C. falcatum specific sequences simultaneously. The primers were able to amplify pathogen specific region in infected plant and soil. DNA extraction, optimal concentration of DNA and annealing temperature for PCR amplification in plant and soil have been standardized.

Differential host studies(N. Prakasam)

Pathogenicity of new isolates collected from the tropical region is being tested on a set of 14 host differentials with four newly isolated pathotypes. During 2009-2010, 14 sugarcane differentials were inoculated independently with four red rot isolates collected from Co 91017, Co 94003, Co 94012 and CoSi 6 during the rainy season. Evaluation was completed in November 2009 and it was found that among the four isolates used for inoculation, CoSi 6 was the most virulent followed by Co 91017.

57

Identification of new differentials

PR-proteins and phytoalexins involved in red rot resistance and utilizing them for red rot screening

(P. Padmanaban and R. Viswanathan)

Twenty one isolates of C. falcatum collected from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Gujarat were inoculated (plug method) on 25 sugarcane varieties varying in red rot resistance to identify new differentials and most virulent pathotypes. The variety Co 94012 was found to be susceptible to all the 21 isolates whereas Co 997, Co 92020, Co 95020, CoC 671 and CoV 94101 behaved susceptible to most of the isolates. The varieties Co 98010, Co 99004 and Co 0113 have shown resistant reaction against most of the tested isolates and intermediate reaction to few isolates. Only BO 91 and CoS 8436 exhibited resistance to all the tested isolates. The varieties Co 1148, Co 7805, Co 86032, Co 94003, Co 94008, Co 99006, Co 0238, CoSi 95071 and CoV 92102 exhibited a clear differential interaction. Their behaviour was largely resistant; however, they exhibited susceptible or intermediate reaction to few selected isolates. The isolates from PI 96-843 (TN), Co 86032 (OR), Co 94012 (TN), CoSi 6 (TN), Co 6907 (OR), Co 86032 (TN), Co 94012 (GU), Co 92012 (TN), Co 94003 (TN) and Co 95020 (GU) resulted in higher susceptible reaction than others.

(P. Malathi, R. Viswanathan, P. Padmanaban and A. Ramesh Sundar)

Validation of HPLC analysis of phytoalexin synthesis: Six month old plants of 14 sugarcane varieties viz, Co 419, Co 997, Co 1148, Co 7717, CoS 8436, Co 86032, Co 86249, Co 93009, Co 94008, CoC 671, CoC 90063, CoC 92061, Baragua and BO 91 were inoculated by the plug method. Tissue samples surrounding the site of inoculation

were removed 2, 4 and 6 days after inoculation and used for HPLC analysis with the standardized protocol. Compounds were detected at 480nm for the presence of 3- deoxyanthayanidin phytoalexins. Results indicated that luteolinidin was induced very early in resistant interactions of the host and pathogen. Also, accumulation of phytoalexin compounds was found to be suppressed upon pathogen inoculation in susceptible varieties.

Proteome analysis of pathogenicity related proteins : Proteome profiles were made for susceptible and resistant cultivars under uninjured, pathogen inoculated and uninoculated conditions at 6 months stage. Plug method of inoculation was followed and samples were taken 24h after inoculation. Total protein was extracted using TCA-acetone precipitation followed by phenol extraction. Equal quantities of proteins were used for 2-DE analysis using pH 4-7 IPG strips. After 2-DE, the gels were stained by silver staining method and the gel images were documented. Detailed comparison between the two varieties and treatments revealed the differential expression of several proteins (Fig. 24). About 130 protein spots which are differentially regulated among the treatments were selected for further MALDI-TOF analysis.

Fig. 24. Proteome profile in response to red rot resistance

Evaluation of recent systemic fungicides for the integrated management of red rot

(P. Malathi, P. Padmanaban and A. Ramesh Sundar)

Standardization of sett treatment with fungicides : Results of two pot culture studies indicated that vacuum infiltration with 500 - 1000 ppm concentration of fungicides for 15-30 min was equally effective as overnight soaking at 1000 ppm concentration. In the field, overnight soaking of Nativo 75WDG (Trifloxystrobin- 25% + Tubuconazole - 50%) at 1000 ppm and its combination with Thiophanate methyl 70WP each at 500 ppm concentration by vacuum infiltration for 15 minutes was found to be more effective as compared to other treatments. Uptake / infiltration of fungicide in setts by vacuum infiltration was found to be equal to that of overnight soaking in different tissues like buds, rind, cut ends and internal tissue. Among the tissues, uptake was found to be high in buds and they were not at all affected in seeded medium with pathogen (Fig. 25).

Fig. 25. Effect of vacuum infiltration of fungicides against sugarcane red rot


Mapping pathogenic and molecular variability of sugarcane smut in India

(A. Ramesh Sundar, R. Viswanathan, P. Malathi and P. Padmanaban)

Three different experiments were laid out to study the differential interaction and multiplication of the pathogen isolated in respective host genotypes for further establishment of dikaryotic mycelium

cultures. Also the relative virulence of different isolates of the smut pathogen was studied by using two smut susceptible varieties viz. Co 740 and Co 96007.

The crop was observed regularly for smut whip count, frequency of whip emergence, whip morphology and other related parameters. Results of differential host interaction study revealed that out of the 18 genotypes, 13 showed highly susceptible (HS) reaction in response to challenge with the mixed inoculum (Fig. 26). Genotypes Co 86002, Co 96007, Co 97009 and CoA 92081 recorded very high levels of whip production (>80% incidence). Moderate incidence was recorded in Co 0311 and Co 1158. Results also indicated that Co 96007 was more susceptible than the older variety Co 740, indicating the possible emergence of a more virulent pathotype of S. scitamineum. Isolates of the smut pathogen which have exhibited relatively higher virulence are in the order of: PI 06376, CoH 5266, CoV 03063, CoC 03062, CoV 05356 and UP 05233. Isolates from varieties CoSe 04124 and CoH 05269 were found to be less virulent. The experiment on inoculation of teliospores on self hosts involving 27 genotypes resulted in the establishment of pure

Fig. 26. Young crop of Co 96007 showingearly smut infection with intense whip formation

58

59

Fig. 27. Dikaryotic mycelial culture of isolates of the smut pathogen

showing variability at morphological level

New inducer molecules / novel genes regulating defense mechanism in sugarcane against Colletotrichum falcatum

(A. Ramesh Sundar, R. Viswanathan and P. Malathi)

A preliminary field trial (2009-10) has been laid out with five treatments viz. Acibenzolar S-methyl (BTH), C. falcatum elicitor, ascorbic acid, BABA, GABA and two controls (untreated and un-inoculated), each treatment planted in 3 x 10 feet rows and with three independent biological replications. Sorghum grain-based red rot pathogen inoculum was applied @ 10 g/10' row before planting the setts. The crop was observed for accessing the efficacy of the imposed treatments and the impact of the grain inoculum was observed based on the number of infected canes. Two

throunds of data were recorded at 4 and 6 months in addition to the observations on the germination and establishment.

In the trials ~14% red rot infection was observed in the untreated control. Among the treatments, BTH recorded the lowest incidence of 0.4%, followed by

th

dikaryotic mycelial cultures from 17 isolates (Fig. 27) and the overall results of this experiment indicated that mixed inoculum pre-disposed the host more towards susceptibility. In addition to the existing collection of smut pathogenic isolates, during a survey smut samples were collected from the host genotypes - Co 92012, Co 97009, Co 93009, Co 94008, CoV 05356, CoT 8201, Co 94050

Cf-elicitor (2.3%) and GABA (2.9%). BABA and ascorbic acid were found to be less effective treatments with an incidences of 6.7% and 7.7% respectively. Subsequently, a booster dose spray was given with the two most effective treatments, namely BTH and Cf-elicitor in August. Pathogen challenge was done in September and evaluation was carried out 45 days later. BTH recorded a mean score of 2.5%, followed by Cf-elicitor (4%), GABA (5.9%), ascorbic acid (6.3%), BABA (6.6%) and untreated inoculated control (8.4%).

Cane stalk samples were taken from the pre-treated (BTH and Cf-elicitor) and pathogen inoculated canes for studying the extent of pathogen recovery. Cane samples were drawn from three positions viz., node (S1), inoculated internode (S2) and upper internode (S3) after 5, 10 and 15 days of pathogen challenge. Preliminary results indicated that there is a reduction in pathogen recovery with Cf-elicitor (16%) followed by BTH (27.5%), when compared to the untreated inoculated control (75%) (Fig. 28).

Fig. 28. Pathogen recovery test - 15 days post-inoculation upper internode

Outreach project on diagnosis and management of leaf spot diseases

R. Viswanathan, A. Ramesh Sundar and P. Malathi)

Diversity analysis: In addition to the cultures available, new pathogen isolates were collected from Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Bihar during the surveys. Diversity work was initiated with 49 isolates of C. falcatum. Mycelia of 29 isolates were grown in complete medium broth and DNA was extracted by quick method. To study nucleotide variations between different isolates, β-tubulin gene of 3 selected isolates (TN-1, G-5, H-3) was


amplified using two sets of primers namely TB-5 & TB-6 (amplicon size ~ 500bp) and TB-9 & TB-10 (amplicon size ~ 480bp). In addition, actin gene of the three isolates was amplified by using actin primers Act-F and Act-R (product size ~187bp). Sequence results were analyzed for nucleotide variations among the isolates and it was found that variable region 1 of β-tubulin gene (545bp) has more nucleotide variations than variable region 2 of β-tubulin gene (480bp) and actin gene. Further studies are in progress to assess variation based on β-tubulin gene using TB-5 and TB-6 primers with the remaining isolates.

Host resistance studies: Studies were initiated to identify differentially induced transcripts during sugarcane and C. falcatum interaction using subtractive libraries. For this purpose RNA was isolated from internode tissues of Co 93009 (R) and CoC 671 (S) after pathogen inoculation in standing canes at different time intervals (0, 6, 12, 24, 48 h). Work is in progress to construct subtractive libraries. R-gene analogues previously reported in several cereal crops were used to amplify the R-gene clusters in sugarcane. A total of 49 combinations of forward and reverse primers were attempted to clone the gene. Studies are in progress to sequence and characterize the amplified amplicons. RACE studies were continued to identify full length of the transcripts identified through DD-RT-PCR. Gene specific forward and reverse primers were designed for fatty acid desaturase (FAD) and leucine rich protein (LRR) transcripts and 5’-3’RACE was performed (Roche). An amplicon of ~800bp was obtained for FAD and studies are in progress to sequence the cloned product.

Recombinant expression of sugarcane Class IV chitinase: The full length cDNA (815bp) corresponding to the complete ORF of the sugarcane class IV chitinase was previously cloned by RT-PCR based approach. Now specific forward and reverse primers were designed by incorporating EcoRI restriction site in the 5’ end of

the primers to enable the PCR product to be cloned directly into the pMAL-C4X protein expression vector. The recombinant plasmid was then transformed into the E. coli strain K12 and the chitinase protein was expressed as an MBP-chitinase fusion protein after induction with IPTG and authenticity of the recombinant protein was then confirmed by Western Blot analysis. The presence of chitinase in the recombinant protein was confirmed by Factor Xa cleavage, which cleaved the fusion protein into two fragments ~ 42.0 kDa and ~26 kDa corresponding to MBP and chitinase respectively. The bioassay and polyclonal antiserum production studies are in progress.

Detection and diagnosis of sugarcane pathogens

(R. Viswanathan, P. Malathi and D. Neelamathi)

Disease scenario: Detailed surveys were made to assess YLD incidence and intensity in different districts of Tamil Nadu. In general, ratoon crops showed up to 50% disease incidence on cane basis whereas the plant crop recorded up to 30% disease and the disease was distributed throughout the fields. Overall, the disease incidence was severe to declare it as epidemic in different locations. There was a reduction in the expression of the disease during December 2009.

Disease screening in varietal collections / germplasm: Survey for the disease in various varietal collections of the institute revealed infections of 28.03% clones in ‘Co’ cane plot, 38.64% in arrowing plot, 25.31% in NAG and 28.72% in NHG (Coimbatore), 36.84% in S. officinarum, 33.33% in S. barberi / S. sinense, 16.32% in CD clones, 45% in NHG in the institute and 79.84% in DUS (Agali). However, only a

thlimited number of accessions showed 4 grade severity symptoms.

Impact of YLD on cane growth and yield parameters: Detailed studies on the impact of YLD on cane growth, yield and juice parameters were carried out

Yellow leaf disease of sugarcane: Studies on disease etiology, epidemiology and management

61

under field conditions of Tirupur and Dindugal Districts. In endemic locations, diseased canes recorded reductions of 37.23% in cane weight, 15.25% in diameter, 5.03% in internodal length and 19.45% in juice yield from cane. Comparison of juice parameters from healthy field canes with diseased field canes showed a comparative reduction in Brix, sucrose and CCS and significant reduction in purity in diseased field canes. When impact of YLD in Co 86032 was assessed in relation to overall mill performance, the data revealed that there is a gradual but steady decline in sugarcane productivity, sucrose percent in cane and sugar recovery in the mill area.

Epidemiology: Sequential disease development was assessed in sugarcane varieties / genotypes such as Co 419, Co 85019, Co 86010, Co 87269, CoBln 9605, CoPant 84211, CoS 767, CoTl 85441, B 38192 and 57 NG 56 over a period of time during June to December under field conditions. Recording the type of midrib / lamina yellowing, subsequent drying and bunching of leaves in these varieties showed a clear variation in disease epidemiology among them. Also, studies were initiated to assess the disease spread in a region using satellite imageries.

Management: Performance of tissue culture derived plants under endemic locations showed that they have a better crop stand even after two generations and remained free from the disease. Similarly, the selection nursery concept suggested to the factory, i.e. selecting disease-free clumps from the field to raise nursery crop was found to be effective. Such fields had a uniform crop stand and remained free from YLD.

(R. Viswanathan)

Materials handed over to NHG / NAG: BO 136, BO 137, BO 139, BO 141, BO 146, BO 147, CoP 02181, CoP 02182, CoP 03282, CoP 03182, CoP 04182, CoP 06436, CoP 08436 (Pusa), Co 0230, Co 0325 (Karnal), Co 0232, Co 0233 (Motipur), LG 02057,

Sugarcane quarantine

LG 04601, LG 04602, LG 04604, LG 04605, LG 05433, LG 05434, LG 05460, LG 05493, LG 05810, LG 05817, LG 05823 and LG 05828 (Lucknow) were handed over to NHG / NAG after quarantine.

Materials received for quarantine: CoPb 09181 (Ludhiana), CoH 128, CoH 129, CoH 133, CoH 152 (Uchani), CoN 07071, CoN 07072, CoN 08071 (Navsari), Co 92005, Co 99010 (Kolhapur), CoJn 86-600 (Powarkheda), CoSe 04121 (Seorahi), M a d h u r i , M a d h u r i m a , M a d h u m a t h i , Thirumadhuram (Tiruvalla), CoOr 03151, CoOr 03152, CoOr 04152, CoOr 05346 (Orissa), CoC 24 (C20141) (Cuddalore) and CoA 09321 (Anakapalle) were received and are being quarantined.

(R. Viswanathan and P. Malathi)

Virus indexing: The tissue culture seedlings or mother clones used for tissue culture from different sugarcane tissue culture production facilities in the country are being indexed for the viral and phytoplasmal pathogens as part of Accredited Test Labs (under DBT-ATL scheme) for virus indexing. PCR / RT-PCR based techniques are used to index the sugarcane samples and test reports are generated and sent to the labs.

From June 2009, 117 sugarcane tissue culture samples (in vitro stock cultures) were received from two tissue culture production facilities viz., EID Parry (India) Ltd, Pugalur (Karur Dt) and Rajshree Sugars & Chemicals Ltd, Varadarajnagar (Theni dt.). Most of the samples belonged to cv Co 86032 and few samples of Co 92012, Co 94010 and Co 99006 were also tested. The received tissue culture plantlets were screened for the presence of sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV), sugarcane streak mosaic virus (SCSMV) and grassy shoot phytoplasma (GSD) by RT-PCR / PCR techniques using the standard operating protocols approved by DBT. Out of 117 samples screened for SCYLV, 111 samples were found infected with varying degrees

Assessment of genetic fidelity and virus indexing of micropropagated sugarcane plantlets

62

of virus titre. Among 53 samples screened for SCSMV, 52 were found to be infected with the virus. Some samples from the variety Co 86032 amplified an additional band of 800bp along with the expected amplicon of 690bp for the SCSMV diagnostic primers. Similarly, some samples from the variety Co 94010 amplified a 600bp PCR fragment instead of expected 690 bp fragment. These variations may be due to addition / deletion of nucleotide sequences in the coat protein gene sequences during virus evolution. Hence cloning and sequence analysis of these new PCR fragments are being taken up. Among the 110 samples analyzed for GSD, 20 samples were found to be infected and the remaining 90 samples were confirmed to be free from GSD infection. Studies were initiated to develop recombinant antisera to SCSMV and SCYLV. Partial coat protein genomes of the viruses were cloned in expression vector.

Recombinant expression of SCSMV coat protein gene: cDNA fragment coding for the partial ORF of the sugarcane streak mosaic virus coat protein gene (850bp) was cloned by RT-PCR using gene specific primers. The cloned cDNA fragment in the vector pTZ57R/T was then sub cloned into the EcoRI site of the protein expression vector pMAL-C4X (New England Bio Labs, UK). The recombinant plasmid was then transformed into the E. coli strain K12 and the SCSMV-CP was expressed as an MBP-SCSMV-CP fusion protein after induction with IPTG. After confirmation of recombinant protein by Western Blot analysis with anti MBP antiserum, presence of SCSMV-CP in the recombinant protein was confirmed by Factor Xa cleavage. Proteolytic cleavage cleaved the fusion protein into two fragments of ~ 42.0 and ~30 kDa corresponding to MBP and SCSMV-CP respectively. About 5 mg of MBP-SCSMV recombinant protein was purified from 1l of E. coli culture by binding with amylose resin. The purified recombinant SCSMV-CP protein will be used to produce polyclonal antibodies in rabbit. Similar gene specific primers were designed to amplify coat protein gene ORFs of

SCYLV and SCMV and protein expression studies are in progress.

Host plant resistance and behavioural studies of sugarcane pests

(B. Singaravelu, N. Mukunthan and S.K. Pandey)

White grub tolerance: Among the 192 clones screened for white grub tolerance during 2009-10, 14 clones, viz. BN 74, BN 111, BO 212, BO 348, BT 739, CL 41-67, CL 41-114, CP 43-33, CP 80-1827, KM 724, KN 86, KT 730, 56-381 and Waya have been identified as tolerant. Twenty seven clones identified as tolerant types from this project would be screened for confirmation during 2010-2011.

Early shoot borer: Out of 182 clones screened at M/s Sakthi Sugars Ltd., Apakudal, for early shoot borer resistance, 41 clones were identified as resistant to early shoot borer and these would be planted in bigger plots during 2010-11 to confirm their resistant status.

Internode borer: Of the 182 clones screened at M/s Sakthi Sugars Ltd., Appakudal, for internode borer resistance, 10 types were identified as resistant. These would be screened for confirmation during 2010-2011.

Stalk borer and top borer: Out of the 402 clones multiplied during 2009-10, 213 were planted for screening of stalk borer at the SBI Regional Centre, Karnal. For top borer screening, 46 clones were planted at M/s Saraswati Sugar Mills Ltd., Yamunanagar.

(N. Mukunthan)

In individual rearing on diet dispensed in 10 ml vials, internode borer larvae attempted to use the cotton plug of the vial as the site for pupation but

5.3.2 ENTOMOLOGY AND NEMATOLOGY

Screening for multiple pest resistance in exotic clones of sugarcane

Development of artificial diet for internode borer, Chilo sacchariphagus indicus


63

got entangled in it. Provision of sterile dry glycene paper folds or leaf sheath bits failed to serve as pupation strata; on the other hand, they absorbed moisture from the diet. However, bits of plastic straw kept vertically with one end on the diet surface were readily utilized by the larvae as pupation site. The larvae on entering the straw bits sealed the cut ends with silken disc. Laval wandering in the diet even 13 to 15 days after inoculation, in both individual and group rearing methods, indicated their innate tendency to disperse for pupation.

(R. Jayanthi and K.P. Salin)

HPLC studies were undertaken for quantitative and qualitative separation of phenolic substances in select sugarcane hybrids, viz. Co 94008, Co 86032 and Co 94012 as well as in Erianthus spp. and Saccharum spp. Twelve phenolic substances, namely gallic acid, vannilic acid, ferrulic acid, c innamic ac id , f l avone, syr ing ic ac id , phloroglucinol, caffeic acid, catechin, catechol, orcinol and coumarin were identified in varying concentrations in leaf and stem samples from healthy and internode borer infested plants of different genotypes. In the analysis of healthy stem samples of Erianthus spp. and Saccharum spp., ferulic acid, coumarin, catechol and phloroglucinol were predominant in the resistant genotypes whereas only coumarin was present in the susceptible types. In addition to these substances, other peaks were noticed denoting the presence of a few other phenolic substances that need to be identified using different standards. Besides, internode borer data were also recorded in terms of percent incidence, percent intensity and infestation index in the experimental genotypes as well as nearly 400 hybrids at harvest.

Delineation of allelochemicals related to sugarcane internode borer, Chilo sacchariphagus indicus (K.) resistance

Studies on induced resistance mechanism against borer pests

(K.P. Salin, J. Srikanth, B. Singaravelu and R. Jayanthi)

Induction of phenolic substances in neighboring healthy sugarcane plants under simulated conditions of plant injury was examined by artificially spraying four month old sugarcane plants with 100 ppm of methyl jasmonate, a key systemic signaling compound produced in response to borer attack and implicated in induced resistance. Alcohol extracts of leaves and stem samples were taken at 1, 2, 3, 24 and 48 h time intervals after the sprays and subjected to HPLC analysis for phenolic acid profiles.

In leaf tissues, catechol recorded a sudden spurt (67.74 ppm) after one hour of treatment which had come down to zero in the subsequent 24 h. However, the quantity remained at a low 3.18 ppm compared to considerable increase in control (53.36 ppm) in the subsequent time interval (48h). After 24 h, no change was observed in the levels of caffeic acid, coumarin, cinnamic acid, catechol, gallic acid and vanillic acid. After 48 h, while gallic acid and vanillic acid levels remained unchanged, caffeic acid and catechol showed a decline. However, other phenolic substances such as coumarin, syringic acid, cinnamic acid, flavone, ferulic acid, catechin, phloroglucinol and orcinol showed increase in their levels.

With respect to stem samples, the three phenolics, namely ferulic acid, flavone and vanillic acid recorded no change in their levels 24 h after spraying. Orcinol, gallic acid, catechol and vanillic acid showed no change in their levels after 48 h. As in the case of leaf tissue, catechol showed a sudden spurt (6.22 ppm against 0.35 ppm in control) at 1 h compared to all other phenolics estimated. The quantity of this compound came down to zero in the subsequent 3 h (as against 2 h in leaf tissues); the level was maintained at 24 and 48 h time intervals

64

too. Ferulic acid levels were below detectable limits 2 h after treatment both in control and treatment but remained the same till 48 h in treated plants.

(N. Geetha)

Attraction to extracts of natural and factitious hosts: The attractiveness of natural vs factitious hosts to the parasitoid was examined by assessing the percentage of parasitoids moving to the washings of hosts in a “Y” tube olfactometer. The attractiveness of internode borer egg washings was on par with that of shoot borer egg washings but significantly different from that of Corcyra egg washings. In the case of whole adult washings, internode borer was superior to shoot borer. Fresh moth washings were attractive while the washings of three day old moths were ineffective in attracting the parasitoids.

Enhancement of host recognition using host extracts: In this pot culture study to assess the enhancement of host recognition by host kairomones, adult washings of internode borer were evaluated for their effect on the host locating ability of T. chilonis. Sugarcane plants of 45, 90 and 120 days were used with or without cages. The attraction to the host volatiles on plants was compared to percent parasitization in tubes and cages in the laboratory without plants. Internode borer washings led to significant increase in attraction in caged condition, field-simulated condition and laboratory.

Effect of host density on parasitoid behaviour: When different host densities were tested for parasitization by T. chilonis in the laboratory, there was a type II functional response of the parasitoid to the host density initially which turned to a type III response at higher densities. Similar tests with differing parasitoid density showed density independent parasitization levels.

Natural parasitism in the field: The maximum natural parasitization by T. chilonis recorded

Evaluation and utilization of Trichogramma chilonis against shoot and internode borers

through trap cards during 2009 -10 was 24.2% in Oct 2009. The lowest incidence (2.7%) was in March 2010.

Heat tolerant strain: The heat tolerant strain is maintained at 40°C and is to be tested against shoot borer in two hot spots.

(N. Geetha)

Collection and assessment of virulence of GV isolates: The viral isolates from Assam and Gujarat were scaled up for further studies. Bioassays for all other isolates (Karnal, KCP Sugars, Sakthi Sugars, Coimbatore, Dharani, Saraswathi and Harinagar) against various instars have been completed. Overlapping fiducial limits of the low LC50 values of many isolates indicated uniform high virulence against II and III instar larvae. However, there were marked differences in the virulence of the isolates against IV instar in terms of mortality and sub-lethal effects.

Persistence of GV in pot culture : All the isolates have been scaled up for pot culture studies on persistence in summer. The virus was effective in reducing the incidence of shoot borer in pot culture. The persistence of semi-purified suspension of Coimbatore isolate of the virus was high with a protection level of more than 85% of plants at 48 h which decreased to less than 40% on seventh day.

Natural incidence of GV: Natural incidence of shoot borer GV was assessed from May 2009 to March 2010. The virus could be recovered throughout the year; the incidence varied from 6.4 to 31.2% with the highest being in February 2010. The entomogenous fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae were recovered in September 2009 - January 2010. The tachinid parasitoid Sturmiopsis was recorded in September -October 2009 and December 2009 - January 2010

Role enhancement of granulosis virus as microbial insecticide for Chilo infuscatellus Snellen on sugarcane


65

with the latter samples recording the highest incidence.

(N. Geetha and K. Hari)

Compatibility and competition effects: Colony growth studies indicated that B. bassiana was most affected among the entomogenous fungi by the other fungi while M. anisopliae was least affected. There were also synergistic effects on the growth of entomogenous fungi. For M. anisopliae, the positive effect was observed in combinations involving B. bassiana, B. brongniartii and Fusarium sp. on different days of colony growth while for B. bassiana synergistic effect was observed with M. anisopliae and Fusarium sp. However, B. brongniartii showed positive effect when grown either with the saprophytic fungi or with B. bassiana but not with M. anisopliae. On the contrary, certain combinations involving B. bassiana, B. brongniartii, Penecillium, Fusarium and Aspergillus were deleterious to the growth of M. anisopliae at least on one of the days of colony growth. Most of the combinations tested were antagonistic to colony growth of B. bassiana on all periods of observation. Beauveria brongniartii was found to be affected most by combinations with M. anisopliae followed by Penecillium sp.

In sporulation studies, entomogenous fungi 8produced high spore output of 3.27 - 4.04 x 10 /ml

while the saprophytic fungi produced 0.64 - 1.98 x 810 /ml when cultured individually on potato

dextrose medium. In combinations of two fungi, Aspergillus sp. severely affected the sporulation of all the three entomogenous fungi. Metarhizium anisopliae affected B. brongniartii but the reverse was not observed. Sporulation of B. brongniartii was reduced ten fold even when it was inoculated with B. bassiana and M. anisopliae. However, M. anisopliae was not affected by B. bassiana and B. bassiana was not affected by B. brongniartii. In the three fungi combinations, Penecillium sp. or Aspergillus sp. affected all the entomogenous fungi

Interactions among three entomogenous fungi and other soil fungi in sugarcane

reducing the sporulation drastically. Beauveria bassiana and B. brongniartii could not sporulate in the presence of Penecillium sp. or Aspergillus sp.; M. anisopliae failed to sporulate when inoculated with Aspergillus sp. and was affected forty fold when grown with Penecillium sp. Among the saprophytes, Fusarium sp. was the weakest since it was unable to compete with most of the species tested.

Persistence of fungi: Insect baits were used to recover the entomogenous fungi applied in pot culture and microplots of sugarcane. In pot culture studies with mixtures of fungi, mortality of target larvae was the highest for M. anisopliae in all combinations involving it . Microscopic examination of the dead larvae indicated similar trend though other fungi were present in some cases.

Bioassay studies : In bioassays with combinations of B. bassiana, B. brongniartii and M. anisopliae against third instar white grubs, B. brongniartii was dominant over M. anisopliae while B. bassiana could not be observed. Preliminary assessment of the virulence of the entomogenous species through spraying with an atomizer showed that M. anisopliae was the most dominant fungus among the three.

Bioassays with various instars of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella at different doses of the fungi in single and mixed infections showed high sporulation of both M. anisopliae and B. bassiana in the target insect irrespective of dose or instar while B. brongniartii was seldom present in any of the combinations tested. Higher mortality was observed due to the action of two fungi at lesser doses and in later instars than single fungus species though the recovery was similar.

©. Sankaranarayanan and B. Singaravelu)

Isolation of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) from naturally infested white grub : Of the 20 third

Evaluation of entomopathogenic nematodes in the biological control of sugarcane shoot and internode borers and white grubs

66

instar white grub (Holotrichia serrata) cadavers collected from a sugarcane field at Podinaickanur village, Theni Dist., in August 2009, one showed reddish colour symptom with suspected Heterorhaditis infection and the remaining 19 were suspected for Stienernema infection. While the red coloured grub produced IJs of Heterorhabditis sp. in the laboratory, the 19 grey grubs produced only saprophytic (Rhabditis) nematodes. After confirming Koch’s postulates, pure culture of Heterorhabditis was obtained by repeated sub-culturing on white grubs and Galleria.

Pathogenecity of Steinernema isolates against first instar white grub: Two Steinernema isolates (S. glaseri and Steinernema sp. citrus isolate) were tested in the laboratory against first instar white grub at four dosages i.e. 100, 200, 500, and 1000 IJs/grub. Steinernema glaseri recorded 100% mortality of white grubs at all the dosages tested; Stinernema sp. (citrus isolate) recorded 100% mortality at the highest dose of 1000 IJs/grub and 83.3% at the other three levels.

In another test with S. glaseri at lower dosages (5, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 IJs /grub) against first instar white grub, 50% mortality was recorded at 5 - 40 IJs/grub and 75% mortality was observed at 50 IJs/grub.

Combined efficacy of EPN and entomopathogenic fungi against first instar white grub: In a replicated laboratory study, two EPNs (S. glaseri and Heterorhabditis indica LN2 ioslate), two fungi (Beauveria brongniartii and Metarhizium anisopliae) and the insecticide Confidor were tested alone or in combination against first instar white grubs. The insecticide recorded 33.3% mortality of the grubs. Combined inoculation of EPN and fungus recorded higher mortality than when the two were used alone; 100% mortality was recorded with S. glaseri + M. anisopliae and S. glaseri + M. anisopliae + B. brongniartii.

Efficacy of EPN against third instar white grubs in pot culture: In a pot culture experiment (sugarcane cv. Co 86032) against third instar white grubs, S. glaseri and H. indica were inoculated at 0, 1000, 2500, 5000 and 10000 IJs/grub per pot. At the end of four weeks, 25% mortality of white grubs was recorded at 10000 IJs/pot of S. glaseri and 10% with H. indica.

Formulation of EPN: Stienernema glaseri and H. indica were formulated in four different combinations of talc powder and pressmud; the survival of EPN was observed under room temperature and refrigerated conditions. Talc powder alone recorded maximum survival of EPN than pressmud-talc combination; S. glaseri recorded greater survival than H. indica.

Studies on ultra-violet protectants for EPN: Para amino benzoic acid (PABA) and Congo red were tested at 0.05, 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5% as UV protectants for S. glaseri and H. indica in the laboratory. Nematode suspension (1000 IJs/ml) treated with the chemicals was exposed to UV radiation in a laminar flow bench for 30 and 60 min. PABA and Congo red provided nearly absolute protection from UV radiation to both EPN isolates compared to water alone; higher survival of nematodes was observed in PABA than Congo red.

PABA and Congo red were tested as UV protectants for S. glaseri, H. indica and H. bacteriophora under open sunlight conditions. A suspension of 100 - 120 IJs was placed in small Petri dishes in 2 - 3 ml water or 1% UV brightener and exposed to direct sunlight during 11 am to 3 pm for 0, 15, 45, 60, 120 and 240 minutes (ambient temperature 33 - 40°C). Later, the nematodes were counted and bioassayed against Galleria mellonella. PABA sustained higher survival of nematodes than Congo red.

Morphological characterization and maintenance of EPN cultures: Morphometric measurements of 10 unidentified EPNs maintained in the culture


67

collection were recorded. Species of EPN (Heterorhabditis and Steinernema spp.) collected from various states were cultured regularly on G. mellonella and pure cultures maintained.

(C. Sankaranarayanan and K. Hari)

Maintenance and mass production of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF): Pure cultures of nine AMF, viz. Glomus fasciculatum, G. etunicatum, G. mosseae, G. caledonicum and five Glomus spp. were maintained in maize and sorghum plants; these were also mass produced on maize and sugarcane seedlings for further work. Mycorrhizal colonization was confirmed by staining roots in 0.05% trypan blue lactophenol.

Integration of bioagents and AMF against sugarcane nematodes: In a replicated pot culture experiment, the bioagents Arthrobotrys oligospora, Paecilomyces lilacinus and Verticillium chlamydosporium were integrated with the AMF Glomus mosseae and G. fasciculatum and evaluated against lesion nematode Pratylenchus zeae in sugarcane (cv. Co 86032). Reduction in nematode population and increase in plant growth were observed in combination treatments of bioagents and AMF suggesting synergistic effect.

In a similar pot culture experiment against root knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica, integration of the same bioagents and AMF in different combinations suppressed nematode population and galls, and increased sugarcane growth as compared to individual inoculations.

Biological management of plant parasitic nematodes of sugarcane with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

5.4. STATISTICS, ARIS AND ECONOMICS SECTION

C omputerization and de velopment of information systems in sugarcane

(R. Balakrishnan)

The existing computer programs developed in Visual Basic were maintained and updated.

(R. Balakrishnan)

Databases on parents of ‘Co’ canes and AICRP-Sugarcane trials were updated. Analysis of the multi-location variety evaluation trials under the AICRP system was carried out using AMMI / G x E Biplot techniques to identify high yield and stable entries of 2008-09 trials. Relative ranking of test centres under Peninsular zone for their discriminating power of the entries was carried out based on data pertaining to the period 2000-09. Pattern analysis of data pertaining to the same period was carried out to identify groups of test locations in Peninsular zone based on their performance across several types of trials under the AICRP system. The pattern of grouping is being ascertained through resampling of dissimilarity matrices for cane yield and CCS yield of 15 test centres in the zone.

Database on Personnel Information System (PERMISNET), Institute Monitoring (ISMON) and Scientific Project Monitoring (SPM) and Research Project Files (RPF) were periodically uploaded to ICAR.

Development of software for sugarcane field experiments and information systems in sugarcane research

Creation of databases for sugarcane research

68

Development of computer software for improved efficiency of administration and research activities

Technical efficiency of sugarcane farms in Tamil Nadu

(R. Balakrishnan)

Maintenance / update of existing programs on Payroll, Wage Bill, Income Tax, etc. was carried out as per the needs of the Administrative Section.

Economic analysis of sugarcane production systems and sugar industry

(P. Murali, R. Balakrishnan and N. Vijayan Nair)

The project aims to estimate the cost and returns and to work out the technical efficiency of sugarcane farms in Tamil Nadu. Surveys were conducted in three different agro-climatic zones of Tamil Nadu during 2008-09, to collect the relevant information regarding cost of cultivation and revenue earned by the sugarcane farmers. The

1 40-50 05

2 50-60 04

3 60-70 08

4 70-80 25

5 81-90 30

6 > 90 02

Total 74

S. No.Range of technical

efficiency (%)No. of farms

Table 26. Distribution of sugarcane farmers at various level of technical efficiency


collected data were fitted with stochastic frontier production function. The half normal distribution error terms were estimated. The technical efficiency was calculated for the individual farm. The technical efficiency varies from farm to farm in the study area (Table 26).

The minimum technical efficiency was 42% and the mean technical efficiency was 73%. The maximum number of farms came under the category of 80-90 per cent technical efficiency. The study implied that the cane output of the “average farmer” could be increased by 27 per cent by adopting the technology followed by the “best practice” farmers. The regression co-efficient of each variable included in the production function is given in Table 27.

Table 27. Production functions for estimating technical efficiency

Constant 0.3115 0.9291

Labour 0.2224**(5.4) 0.0755**(2.1)

Fertilizer 0.2315**(7.8) 0.2110**(9.3)

Capital 0.2520**(4.7) 0.1954**(4.2)2R = 0.46

2ó v = 0.0042 ó u = 0.0872ó = 0.0920

ë = 4.5063

Parameter Cobb-Douglas production

function estimates (OLS)

Frontier production

function estimates

Figures within the parentheses are t-ratios** indicate significance at 1 per cent probability levels)

69

5.5 EXTENSION SECTION

Utilization of extension methods and media for effective transfer of sugarcane technologies

(T. Rajula Shanthy and D. Puthira Prathap)

Sugarcane Research and Development Workers stMeeting of Tamil Nadu: The 41 meeting of

Sugarcane R & D Workers of Tamil Nadu & Puducherry was held during 8-9 October 2009 at Tiruchirappalli. E.I.D Parry (India) Ltd. hosted the meeting. Dr P. Murugesa Boopathi, Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University gave the Inaugural Address and released the Compendium of Research Articles & Status papers. Dr N. Vijayan Nair, Director, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore gave the Theme Address (Fig. 29) while Shri. K. Ravindran, Senior Vice President (Operations), EID Parry (I) Ltd., gave the Presidential Address. Special Address was given by Shri T. Soundaiah, I.A.S, Collector, Tiruchirappali district. The topics discussed were: mechanization of sugarcane farming and micro-irrigation for sugarcane. About 350 delegates comprising scientists from Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Development Department personnel from various sugar factories, Officers from the Department of Agriculture, Directorate of Sugar and other cane development organizations in Tamil Nadu & Puducherry participated in the meeting.

Fig. 29. Dr N.V. Nair, Director, SBI delivering the Theme Address

Sugarcane Research and Development Workers thMeeting of North Karnataka: The 14 meeting of

Sugarcane R & D Workers of Northern Karnataka was held during 24-25 June 2009 at Belgaum. The meeting was hosted by GMR Industries Ltd., Bangalore. The meeting was inaugurated by Dr J.H. Kulkarni, Vice-Chancellor of University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. Dr N. Vijayan Nair, Director, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, delivered the Theme Address (Fig. 30) and Shri R. Ramakrishnan, Managing Director of GMR Industries Ltd., delivered the Presidential Address. About 150 delegates comprising scientists from SBI, Coimbatore and the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka Sugar Institute, JDAs of Belgaum and Bagalkot districts and development personnel from Agricultural department, sugar factories of Northern Karnataka and other cane development organizations in the region participated in the meeting. The major topics discussed include mechanization in sugarcane farming, varietal position in sugar factories and performance of new sugarcane varieties

Frontline demonstrations: Eight frontline demonstrations were laid in farmers' fields in the reserved area of Bannari Amman Sugars Ltd. during November - December 2008 and harvested during December 2009 - January 2010 (Fig. 31-32). The results of the demonstrations are given in Table 28.

Fig.30. Dr N.V. Nair, Director, SBI delivering the Theme Address in the Inaugural Session

70

Table 28. Performance of frontline demonstration plots


Technology Yield (t/ha) % increase BC ratio

Wide row spacing in sugarcane

Treatment 132.50 1.857.29

Control 123.50 1.70

Co 99004 sugarcane variety

Co 99004 109.00 1.704.81Co 86032 104.00 1.58

Bio-fertilizer application in sugarcane

Treatment 146.50 7.29 2.06

Control 136.55 1.93

Wide row planting in sugarcane

Treatment 98.00 1.5027.28

Control 77.00 1.26

Co 99004 sugarcane variety

Co 99004 135.00 1.884.25

Co 86032 129.50 1.83

Paired row planting with drip fertigation

Treatment 178.00 2.1715.21Control 154.50 2.08

Paired row planting with drip fertigation


Bio-fertilizer application in sugarcane


71

Fig. 32. Co 99004 sugarcane variety

Fig. 31. Wide row planting in sugarcane

Model training course: A Model training course on ‘ Technologies for improving sugarcane productivity’ sponsored by the Directorate of Extension, Department of Agriculture and Co-operation, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India was organized during 22-29 July 2009. Nineteen participants (Fig. 33) consisting of two each from Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala, Orissa and Haryana, and three from Karnataka took part in the training programme. The training consisted of lectures, practicals, field visits and outdoor visit to farmers’ fields and sugar factory.

Fig. 33. Participants of the Model training course

National Seminar: A National level Seminar on 'Sugarcane production technology' was organized during 15-16 July 2009 in collaboration with National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories, New Delhi. The Seminar was inaugurated by Shri Dayanand Kataria, I.A.S., Commissioner of Sugar, Government of Tamil Nadu (Fig. 34). Dr N.V. Nair, Director, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore gave the Presidential Address. Shri M. Manickam, Vice President and Managing Director, Sakthi Sugars Ltd was the Guest of Honour. Nearly 60 cane development personnel from various sugar factories of the country participated in the seminar. A book on 'Sugarcane production technology' was printed and distributed to the participants.

Fig. 34. Shri Dayanand Kataria, I.A.S., Commissioner of Sugar, Government of Tamil Nadu delivering the Inaugural Address

NABARD sponsored training: A two days training programme on 'Sugarcane agriculture for jaggery production' sponsored by NABARD was conducted for 15 jaggery farmers from Marayoor, Idukki district during 4-5 February 2010. The training comprised lectures, demonstration of live specimens of pest and disease symptoms, method demonstration of producing jaggery and field visits (Fig. 35).

Fig. 35. Practical class on scientific jaggery preparation


Sugarcane varietal survey: A questionnaire was prepared to collect data from sugar factories regarding the sugarcane varieties grown and their performance in the respective areas. The questionnaire was sent to all the sugar factories in the country. Responses were obtained from 132 sugar factories. The data are being tabulated and preparation of a database is in progress.

Kisan Mela: Kisan mela 2009 was organized during 16-18 September 2009 to showcase the sugarcane technologies for the benefit of cane growers and other stakeholders (Fig. 38-41). The mela was inaugurated by Dr C. Swaminathan, Vice Chancellor, Bharathiar University. The mela was organized as an exclusive event on sugarcane, highlighting the ways and means to boost cane productivity. Various research institutions, banking and insurance firms, fertilizer and pesticide manufacturers, farm equipment manufacturers and other service providers in the agricultural sector had put up 32 stalls during the mela. Visits to SBI fields, seminars and interactive meetings between scientists and farmers were also arranged. SBI had put up four stalls. The highlights of these stalls included display of information and specimens on new sugarcane varieties, integrated nutrient management, organic recycling, wide row spacing, integrated disease management, integrated pest management, biofertilizers and ratoon management. CDs and Publications of SBI were distributed during the mela. Video films on sugarcane technologies were screened in the forenoon sessions. Interactive Seminars on topics such as promising sugarcane varieties, advances in

One day training programs: The following one day training programs on Sugarcane agriculture were organized: Thirty two farmers from Sankili, Srikakulam Dt. of Andhra Pradesh on 6 November 2009

Fi f t y f ar mers f rom Mad at hu ku l am, Udumalpet, Tirupur district on 17 December 2009 (Fig. 36).

Twenty seven members of Board of Directors of Karmayogi Shankarrao Patil Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd on 22 January 2010.

Eighteen students of Cane Inspector course from Sakthi Institute of Technology, Sakthinagar on 6 February 2010.

They were provided with information on sugarcane varieties, varietal development, crop production and crop protection technologies.The training included lectures, visit to museum and field visits.

h

h

h

Field Experience Training: FET program was organized for six ARS probationers during 27 June - 17 July 2009. The Scientist Trainees conducted participatory rural appraisal in Ikkaraipoluvampatti village to get first hand information about the rural settings (Fig. 37). They also had industrial exposure at Bannari Amman Sugars. A Farmer - Scientist interaction meeting w a s o r g a n i z e d o n 7 J u l y 2 0 0 9 a t Ikkaraipoluvampatti village and an institute seminar was held on 9 July 2009.

Fig. 36. Farmers being explained about plating systems

Fig. 37. Scientist trainees interacting with farmers

73

Fig. 38. Dr C. Swaminathan, Vice Chancellor, Bharathiar University, inaugurating the Kisan Mela

Fig. 39. Farmers observing new sugarcane varieties

Fig. 40. Farmers visiting experimental fields

Fig. 41. Dr S.K. Datta, DDG (CS) visiting the stalls

Messages through mass media

Video programs:

The highlights of Kisan Mela 2009 were telecast through Podhigai Television of Doordarshan on 25 October 2009. The telecast focused on the stalls and their display, field visits, interactive seminars and a talk about the activities of the institute.

The following seven video films were telecast in Podhigai TV through Doordarshan Kendra, Coimbatore.

A feature on SBI (4 January 2010)

Breeder seed production and seed nursery (11 January 2010)

Planting methods in sugarcane (17 January 2010)

Soil health and its management (24 January 2010)

Integrated disease management (25 January 2010)

Integrated pest management Part I (31 January 2010)

Integrated pest management Part II (1 February 2010)

Sugarcane breeding techniques and new varieties (7 February 2010)

l

l

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

cane agronomy and current trends in integrated sugarcane pest and disease management were conducted by sugarcane experts in the afternoon sessions. The Valedictory Function of the mela was held on 18 September 2009. Dr. Swapan Kumar Datta, Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR, New Delhi was the Chief Guest. Over 1200 farmers from the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu participated in the three-day mela.

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Institute publications : The publications brought out during the period are:

SBI Annual Report 2008-09 SBI Year planner 2009-10SBI Newsletter Vol. 29 (2), (3), (4) and Vol. 30 (1)

The Extension Pamphlets printed include:

Co 99004 (Tamil) Co 2001-13 (English & Tamil)Co 2001-15 (English & Tamil)Sugarcane smut (English) Role of tissue culture in sugarcane varietal improvement (Tamil) Encarsia flavoscutellum for woolly aphid control (English) Yellow leaf disease in sugarcane and its management (English & Tamil) Sugarcane Breeding Institute Research Centre, Kannur – Profile (English)Seed multiplication through tissue culture (Tamil) Screening varieties for drought tolerance in sugarcane (English & Tamil)Screening for salinity tolerance in sugarcane (English & Tamil)

Effect of waterlogging in sugarcane and its management (English)

Field Day organized at NRC for Banana, Trichy on 21 August 2009.

Exhibition organized at TNAU during 6-8 November 2009 as a part of the 4th National Conference of KVKs (Fig. 42). The stall consisted of charts on various sugarcane varieties, crop production and protection technologies, live display of important varieties and pest and disease symptoms.

Participation in exhibitions: SBI participated in the following exhibitions:

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m


M.Sc. (Sugarcane Technology) course in ODL mode: Sugarcane Breeding Institute and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University are jointly offering the M.Sc. (Sugarcane Technology) course in Open & Distance Learning mode from the academic year 2007-08. The PCP classes were organized during 21-30 May, 15-19 June, 22-26 June, 1-4 October, 24-29 October and 2-11 November and practical exams during 31 May - 1 June, 12-13 November for the students. Two batches with 27 students in their IV semester and 23 students in their I semester are in progress.

National Science Day: National Science Day was observed as an ‘open day’, on 26 February 2010 by allowing students of schools and colleges to visit SBI for inculcating scientific awareness in their minds for nation building. Nearly 500 students from various schools and colleges visited the institute (Fig. 43). Three students from the Dept of

Fig. 42. A view of SBI stall

Fig. 43. Students having a look at the exhibits

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Fig. 44. Dr P.A. Azeez, Director, SACON delivering the Science Day lecture

Fig. 45. Dr P. Murugesa Boopathi, Vice-Chancellor, TNAU delivering the Foundation Day lecture

Microbiology, PSG College of Arts and Science, were given prizes for their project work. During the occasion, a special lecture on the theme, “Conservation of biodiversity” was delivered by Dr P.A. Azeez, Director and Head, Environment impact assessment, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore (Fig. 44).

Foundation Day: The Foundation Day of SBI was celebrated on 24 October 2009. Dr P. Murugesa Boopathi, Vice-Chancel lor, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore was the Chief Guest (Fig. 45). During the occasion, the Scientists’ Club of SBI honoured Dr. K. Mohan Naidu, Dr Sudama Singh and Shri K. Ananthanarayana, Retired Scientists of SBI.

Fig. 46. Training at IMTI, Tiruchirapalli

Visitors’ Programme: Visitors (3888) from different states comprising students (1534), extension personnel and university staff (184) and farmers (2170) were explained about the activities of the institute and sugarcane cultivation aspects. Besides, telephone calls and farmers’ queries were answered.

(D. Puthira Prathap,T. Rajula Shanthy, P. Rakkiyappan, K. Hari, D. Esther Shekinah, P. Murali, A. Ramesh Sundar and B. Singaravelu)

This project is being implemented in four districts of Tamil Nadu, viz., Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Erode and Coimbatore. Harvest data collected from the 50 demonstration plots revealed that there was a mean cane yield increase of 7.8% in FPARP plots (Plant) in the Cauvery delta zone, 11.5% in the North-Western Zone and 11.9% in the Western Zone. Among the seven technologies, trash mulched FPARP plots witnessed the highest yield improvement (about 12%) followed by drip fertigation, drought management and integrated nutrient management. The ratoon crop is under progress in all the 50 demonstration plots.

Training: As sensitizing the cane growers was one of the objectives of the Project, FPARP participants from all the three zones (four districts) underwent a training programme on ‘Water management for

Farmers’ Participatory Action Research Programme

76

Fig. 47. Demonstration of Laser leveller

sustainable sugarcane production’ at the Irrigation Management Training Institute, Tiruchirappalli on 6 January 2010 (Fig. 46).

Study tour: A Study tour was organized and the participants were exposed to various water management practices being adopted by progressive farmers of Tamil Nadu. A visit to Sugarcane Research Station (TNAU), Sirugamani was also organized through FPARP on 7 January 2010.

Campaign: As part of FPARP, a campaign, “Use a laser leveler, save water” was conducted at Athipalayam village, Coimbatore district on 6 March 2010 to commemorate the World Water Day (Fig. 47). A demonstration of ‘laser leveller’ was conducted in an FPARP farmer’s field, followed by an interactive session. Over 60 persons including cane growers, cane development personnel and Scientists took part in the event.

Assessment of newer cane technologies: a socio economic approach

(D. Puthira Prathap, T. Rajula Shanthy and P. Murali)

A survey was conducted among 60 cane growers in Erode district registered with Sakthi Sugars Ltd on the impact of wide row spacing in sugarcane farming. The preliminary observations revealed that:

The major motivational factors for adoption were ‘Cane Officers’ and the ‘incentives

l


offered by the factory’ for switching over to wide rows.

The most utilized mass medium was found to be ‘television’

Majority of cane growers reported that adopting this technology had fetched additional cane yield of about 12.5 t/ha.

Major advantages reported were: amenable for mechanization, easy detrashing / trash mulching, permits better light interception, facilitates intercropping, minimum seed material required, easy for intercultural operations / ratoon management operations, minimum / delayed lodging, reduced tiller mortality and incentives from the factory.

The major problems in adopting the technology were: not suitable for areas with poor irrigation and not suitable for all sugarcane varieties.

(D. Puthira Prathap, T. Rajula Shanthy, R. Balakrishnan, P. Rakkiyappan, K. Sivaraman, P. Govindaraj, A. Ramesh Sundar and J. Srikanth)

This project proposes to launch a database-driven website exclusively on sugarcane production technologies with the help of knowledge resources available with SBI and elsewhere, which will cater to the information needs of the farmers and cane development personnel.

A prototype of the website, named ‘CaneInfo’ was developed and evaluated by the target audience. The salient features of CaneInfo include: ask a Specialist - you can post your questions under different categories and get an answer from sugarcane experts; facility to attach photos provided; OFAS (Online Fertilizer Advisory Service); discussion forum - a facility to encourage sharing of information through open discussions on various sugarcane related issues; suggest a variety - provides a list of suitable varieties based on

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Developing a user-centered website on sugarcane production technologies

77

user inputs such as zone, state, tolerance / resistance to various factors such as red rot, soil conditions etc.; publications [English, Hindi & Tamil] / bibliographic database; multimedia gallery and success stories.

An evaluation of CaneInfo was carried out. During this demonstration, the target users viz., cane growers (74), cane development personnel (16) and students of agriculture (12) browsed the site and evaluated its features through a questionnaire developed specifically for the purpose.

The refined version of CaneInfo was hosted in National Informatics Server (NIC) server, New Delhi, available at http://caneinfo.nic.in.

C. Karpagam, T. Rajula Shanthy, D. Puthira Prathap and P. Murali)

This is a new project initiated in February 2010 to identify and document the ITKs in sugarcane production system and to study the scope and potential of the ITKs for widespread adoption. Base-line survey is being conducted. As per the request from Farmers’ club at Marayoor, Idukki district, Kerala, efforts have been initiated to identify the scope and potential to register GI for the jaggery produced at Marayoor. Seven samples were received from different places and the same were sent for chemical analysis to find out the uniqueness.

Breeding elite clones suitable for North Western zone

Co 0124 (Karan 5) (Fig. 48), a mid-late maturing variety and Co 0239 (Karan 6) (Fig. 49), an early maturing variety, were identified for release for commercial cultivation in the North Western zone by the Varietal Identification Committee of All India Coordinated Research Project on Sugarcane.

Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) in sugarcane production system

Varieties identified

5.6 SBI REGIONAL CENTRE, KARNAL

Genetic stocks registered

Hybridization

(Bakshi Ram)

Co 97016 (INGR 09052) and Co 0120 (INGR 09130) have been registered as genetic stocks with NBPGR, New Delhi.

(G. Hemaprabha and R. Karuppaiyan)

A total of 62 bi-parental crosses, nine zonal crosses and eight polycrosses were made during 2009. Open pollinated fluff of 28 clones was also collected. The fluff was sown in mist chamber during March 2010.

Fig. 48. Co 0124

Fig. 49. Co 0239

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Ground nursery

Selection in seedling ratoon nursery

Red rot testing

Pre-Zonal Varietal Trial

(Bakshi Ram)

Fluff of 38 crosses and 10 GCs was sown to raise 13,169 seedlings which were transplanted in the ground nursery. Out of 13,169 seedlings transplanted in the field, 5,435 seedlings survived one month after transplanting with an average of 41.2% survival.

(Bakshi Ram and R. Karuppaiyan)

Seedling ratoon nursery (10,820) was screened for NMC, HR Brix, cane diameter, cane length, morphological traits and field stand. A total of 945 clones (designated as K07-001 to K07-945) were selected in the seedling ratoon nursery. The selected clones have been multiplied. Another 130 clones (K08-001 to K08-130) were selected from seedling nursery and multiplied for further evaluation.

(R. Viswanathan)

Among the 96 PZVT clones evaluated for red rot resistance by plug method (CF mixed inoculum), 53 were found to be R / MR, 12 were MS and 31 were S / HS. Of the 665 seedlings screened against red rot by plug method, 254 were found to be R / MR, 113 MS and 285 S / HS.

(R. Karuppaiyan and Bakshi Ram)

Thirty test clones and five standards were evaluated in RBD with three replications. Co 1148 was the best standard for NMC/ plot (139) and 10 clones were on par with it. For juice quality traits none of

ththe test clones was superior to CoJ 64 at the 8 and th th10 months and to CoS 8436 at 12 month. K05-19,

K05-21 and K05-28 were superior for CCS yield. Based on yield, quality, red rot rating and morphological traits, three clones (K04-255, K04-410 and K04-423) were selected as ‘Co’ canes. (Tables 9-11).


All India Coordinated Research Project (Sugarcane)

Advanced varietal trial (Mid-late) II Plant

Advanced varietal trial (Mid-late) Ratoon

Advanced varietal trial (Mid-late) I Plant

Initial varietal trial (Mid-late)

AICRP Trials - at Karnal (North-West Zone)


Six test clones and three standards were evaluated. Co 1148 was the best standard for tillers/plot and NMC and the test clones CoLk 99271 and CoS 03222 were on par with it. CoPant 04222 was superior for single cane weight. For cane yield none of the test clones was superior to Co 1148. CoPant 04222 alone was superior to Co 1148 for CCS yield. Co 0327 and Co 0424 were significantly superior

thfor CCS % at 10 month.


Among the six test clones and three standards evaluated, CoS 767 was the best standard for NMC and none of the test clones was superior to it. CoPant 04222 was superior for single cane weight. For cane yield, none of the test clones was superior to Co 1148 and CoPant 04222 alone was on par. CoPant 04222 was superior to Co 1148 for CCS yield and Co 0424 was significantly superior to CoS 8436 for juice quality traits.


Eight test clones and three standards were evaluated. CoPk 05192 was superior for stalk diameter and single cane weight. Co 05011, CoH 05266, UP 05233 and CoPb 05211 were on par with

th thCoS 8436 for juice quality traits at 10 and 12 months. For cane yield, Co 05011, CoPk 05192 and CoH 05269 were on par with Co 1148. All test clones, except UP 05233 and CoPant 05222, were on par with Co 1148 for CCS yield.


Fifteen test clones and three standards were evaluated. Co 1148 was the best standard for

79

tillers/plot at 120 days, number of shoots at 240 days and NMC and none of the test clones was superior to it. None of the test clones was superior to the respective best standards for any of the cane yield contributing traits. Co 06034, Co 06036 and CoS 06241 were on par with CoS 8436 for juice

thquality traits at 10 month. Ten clones were on par thwith CoS 8436 for juice quality traits at 12 month.

Evaluation of exotic clones


Twenty nine exotic clones along with four standards were evaluated and observations on 19 traits of cane yield and juice quality were recorded. LF68-3717 was significantly superior for tillers/plot and NMC/plot whereas LF65-3706 was superior to the best standard Co 1148 for NMC (102) alone. EPC38-151 was superior to the best standard Co 1148 for cane length (206.67 cm). CoS 8436 was the best standard for cane diameter (2.87 cm) and two clones viz. LF70-1155 and PR 1062 were superior to it. LF70-1155 (1.63 kg) alone was superior to CoS 8436 (0.87 kg) for single cane weight. For juice Brix and pol % during January, CP49-50 was superior to the best standard CoS 8436.

(Bakshi Ram, R. Karuppaiyan, N.V. Nair and R. Nagarajan)

Fifteen progenies of S. barberi along with four standards were evaluated. The hybrid clones 96-774, 97-118 and 20-006 were superior to the best standard CoS 767 for cane length. The clones 20-006, 20-029 and 20-327 were superior for single cane weight and 20-401 was superior to CoS 8436 (18.13%) for pol % in juice during March. Four clones viz. 97-239, 20-305, 20-327 and 20-401 were superior for cane yield and CCS yield whereas 20-

Evaluation of germplasm under subtropical conditions

Evaluation of progenies of S. barberi

029 was superior for CCS yield only. 97-580 and 20-401 were superior to CoS 8436 (12.60) for CCS % during March. Based on cane yield and juice quality traits, red rot resistance and field stand, the clones viz. 97-239 and 20-401 were selected as Co canes (Table 10).

Hybridization programme

(G. Hemaprabha)

Twenty six crosses were made and open pollinated fluff from 12 clones was also collected. Fluff has been sown in the mist chamber to raise the seedlings.


Thirty five test clones were evaluated along with four standards. Data on 10 traits of cane yield and juice quality were recorded during the crop season. Based on juice quality, field stand and red rot rating, 16 clones were selected and promoted to PZVT.

Fourteen elite Co clones and two standards were under evaluation in two different sets of experiments during 2008-09. One set was ratooned during winter (January 2009) and another set was ratooned during spring (March 2009). Monthly juice analysis was done during November - March. Ratooning during winter had adversely affected both cane and CCS yields. Reduction in mean cane yield was 9.80% whereas reduction in CCS yield was 9.97%. Pol% in juice during December showed 1.77% improvement when harvested during winter. Amongst the standards, CoJ 64, when ratooned during winter, showed 16.79% reduction in cane yield over spring ratooned cane. Due to less severity of winter, many test clones including standard Co 1148 did not show much reduction in yield when ratooned during winter (Table 28).

Breeding for better ratoonability during winter months

Preliminary trial and ratoonability experiment

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DUS testing - Karnal

Mega seed project - Breeder seed production


The data on DUS characters were recorded on 86 reference varieties of sugarcane being maintained and the same was submitted to the PPV&FR authority. Planting of 102 reference varieties in replicated trial was completed in March 2010. Nine clones were planted in multiplication plots.


The varieties Co 89003, Co 98014, Co 0118, Co 0124, Co 0237, Co 0238, Co 0239, Co 0241 were planted in 4.0 ha for seed production for supplying to sugar mills / farmers in the zone. The seed crop was monitored regularly in order to maintain the

purity of these clones. A total of 3138.65 quintals of breeder seed of these clones was supplied to different sugar mills and few farmers. The gross profit earned during the year 2009 - 2010 was Rs. 4,73,419.

(Bakshi Ram, S.K. Tomar and R. Karuppaiyan)

Variability in fodder quality of sugarcane tops of 27 clones was studied. Traits such as leaf width, leaf sheath colour, leaf pubescence, leaf sheath waxiness and dewlap colour exhibited greater variation. The tops of these clones were supplied to NDRI during November 2009, January 2010 and March 2010 for proximate analysis such as dry matter, crude protein, fat, crude fibre, ash, organic matter and silica content. The dry matter content varied from

Nutritive value of sugarcane tops as fodder

Clone No.CCS yield (kg/plot) Cane yield (kg/plot) Pol % in November Pol % in December

Winter Spring Winter Spring Winter Spring Winter Spring

Co 06034 10.92* 8.30 84.33 58.66 17.82 18.19 18.30 18.90Co 06035 7.92 7.13 72.67 54.33 14.74 13.67 15.85 14.87Co 06036 13.33* 15.70* 120.70* 118.00* 14.32 14.50 16.00 15.84Co 07023 8.27 8.30 64.67 60.33 15.96 17.21 18.08 17.36Co 07026 7.89 8.76 66.33 63.66 16.85 16.39 17.09 17.35StandardsCoJ 64 4.90 6.31 36.33 43.66 18.67 18.16 18.98 18.81Co 1148 8.07 8.66 72.00 70.66 14.76 15.25 16.09 15.36G. Mean 5.96 6.62 43.69 48.45 16.78 16.75 17.78 17.47SEm 0.67 0.63 6.57 4.82 0.52 0.54 0.56 0.57CD 1.94 1.82 18.92 13.88 1.50 1.55 1.60 1.65CV 14.56 12.93 16.93 14.73 5.36 5.56 5.41 5.66*Significantly superior to the better check at P = 0.05

Table 28. Performance of elite clones in ratoon crop harvested during winter and spring seasons during 2009-10


Table 29. Best five clones identified for fodder quality traits

Dry matter (%) Crude protein (%) Crude fibre (%) Silica content (%)

Co 05011 (36.15) CoJ 64 (6.88) Co 0424 (17.84) Co 98014 (2.39)

Co 06037 (35.15) Co 0118 (6.74) Co 0118 (21.72) Co 07026 (2.57)

Co 0124 (33.42) Co 0331 (6.26) Co 0240 (21.87) Co 8436 (2.63)

Co 07023 (33.37) Co 0238 (6.17) Co 06034 (21.92) Co 0240 (3.17)

Co 06035 (32.52) Co 0241 (6.15) Co 8436 (22.49) Co 0118 (3.22)

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26.91 in Co 07022 to 36.15% in Co 05011 with an overall mean of 30.89%. The crude protein content in leaf tops ranged from 2.83% in Co 07026 to 6.88% in CoJ 64 with a mean of 5.32%. Ether extract, an indication of fat content, varied from 2.95% in Co 0240 in November to 3.29% in Co 8436 in March. The average proportions of silica and

crude fibre were 3.81% and 26.60%, respectively. The results also indicated that the crude protein content in leaf tops decreased with age of the crop whereas dry matter content, ether extract and crude fibre content increased with age (Fig. 50). The best five varieties identified for each trait are given in Table 29.

Fig 50. Monthly variations of crude protein content in sugarcane tops

CoJ 64

Co 0241

Co 0238

Co 0331

Co 0118

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00

9.00

Nov-09

Jan-10

Mar-10

Cru

de P

rote

in%

To assess the extent of benefit gained in terms of animal growth and digestibility upon feeding sugarcane tops, an animal digestibility trial was conducted at NDRI during February-March 2010. Four groups of Murrah buffalo calves with four calves in each group were selected. Chopped leaf tops of sugarcane variety CoJ 64 were fed to the animal for 28 days with / without concentrates i.e. 21 days for adaptation and seven days for

digestibility studies. The experiment was repeated twice. Body weight of the animal was recoded at the end of each experiment and the weight gain/day was arrived at. The results showed that mixing sugarcane tops with 30 or 40% concentrates was better in terms of crude protein digestibility and body weight gain than feeding sugarcane tops alone (Table 30).

Table 30. Digestibility and body weight gain of buffalo calves upon feeding sugarcane tops

Animal group Feeding schedule

Crude protein digestibility (%)

Body wt gain (kg) in buffalo calf/day

I Sugarcane tops alone 66.99 a* 0.46 a*II 80% sugarcane tops + 20% concentrate mixture 71.92 ac 0.50 bIII 70% sugarcane tops + 30% concentrate mixture 73.61 bc 0.51 cIV 60% sugarcane tops + 40% concentrate mixture 77.75 b 0.54 d

CD at 5% 5.44 0.007

*Different letters indicate significant difference at P = 0.05

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Improving productivity of winter initiated ratoon

(Arvind Misra and Ravindra Singh)

An experiment was planted with Co 89003 as the test variety. Application of fresh sulphitation pressmud @ 20 t/ha, combined application of potash @ 60 kg/ha+ ZnS0 @ 25kg/ha or ZnSO @ 4 4

25 kg/ha + SPMC @ 10 t/ha at ratooning recorded significantly higher number of sprouts at 45 days, shoot population at 75 days and better yield

attributes than the other treatments and gave significantly higher cane yield of 71.0, 66.7 and 78.1% than control plot (Table 31). At harvest, maximum NMC (69,197/ha) was recorded with the application of 20 t/ha fresh SPM (sulfitation pressmud) at ratooning. Sucrose % and CCS yield were 19.87% and 7.10 t/ha, respectively with the application of 20 t/ha fresh SPM. Sugar yield varied from 4.16 to 7.90 t/ha, being maximum with application of T immediately after harvest of plant 8

crop. Raising of onion as intercrop has no adverse

Table 31. Effect of ratooning treatments on growth, yield parameters, cane and sugar yield at harvest

Treatment NMC/haCane yield

(t/ha)Sucrose

(%)CCS yield

(t/ha)

T - Rec. practices 32901 30.70 19.60 4.161

T - Irrigation at 15 days interval 55617 39.48 20.46 5.592

T - SPMC @ 20 t/ha at ratooning 69198 52.50 19.87 7.103

T - K O @ 60kg/ha 56235 41.34 20.24 5.814 2

T - Intercropping of onion 54383 45.48 19.75 6.195

T - ZnSO @ 20 kg/ha 30 days before ratooning 45185 35.39 20.35 5.026 4

T - K O @ 60 kg/ha + ZnSO @ 25 kg/ha 60123 51.18 19.33 6.827 2 4

T - ZnSO @ 25 kg/ha+ SPMC @ 10 t/ha at ratooning 61852 54.68 20.68 7.908 4

CD at 5% 7750 16.06 NS 2.02


effect on cane yield. The above treatment also recorded the highest cane yield pf 54.68 t/ha, which was 48.14% more than control plot as well as the highest juice sucrose content of 20.65%. The treatments T , T and T also recorded more than 6 2 4

20% juice sucrose. Covering of harvested stubbles with fresh sulphitation mud @ 20t/ha increased the

0 soil temperature of upper layer by 1.8 C over control plot. Plant crop was harvested during second week of January 2010 and treatments were applied as per technical programme. Observations on cane length, cane girth, single cane weight, NMC/ha, cane yield were recorded at harvest of plant crop. NMC, cane yield and CCS yield ranged from (92500 - 111945/ha), (66.49 - 90.31 t/ha) and

th(9.14 - 12.21 t/ha), respectively. The sucrose at 10 month ranged from 18.78 - 19.63%.

Economics of intercropping in autumn planted sugarcane under furrow irrigated raised bed system (FIRB)

(Ravindra Singh)

An experiment consisting of two planting methods (M - single row of sugarcane in furrow at 75 cm row 1

spacing and intercrops on raised bed and M - 2

paired row of sugarcane in furrow at 120:30 cm row spacing and intercrops on raised bed) in the main plot and five cropping systems i.e. sole sugarcane (Co 0238) and sugarcane intercropped with chickpea (HK 1), garlic (G 323), mustard (Pusa bold), wheat (DBW 17) in the sub plot was planted in October 2009 under split plot design with three replications. Germination recorded at 45 DAP showed that right row of the paired row planting

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having direct sunlight recorded 31% germination whereas left row had only 7% germination due to shade of the furrow. Among intercrops, lowest germination of sugarcane was recorded with mustard (11%) and it increased with chick pea (13%), garlic (15%) and wheat (17%). Maximum germination was observed in sole sugarcane (20%) at 45 DAP. Sugarcane germination was improved by 7 and 8% at 45 and 60 DAP under paired row planting as compared with single row planting. Germination data at 60 DAP showed that it was improved by 2-4% compared to 45 DAP.

(R. Viswanathan)

Survey for sugarcane diseases: In both ratoon and plant crops of CoS 8436, a major variety under cultivation in farmers’s holdings of M/s Karnal Coop Sugar Mills Ltd., severe infection of red rot was found. In addition to primary infection through planted setts, secondary spread of the disease through the aerial route was also found. Disease assessment in ZVT entries of AICRP trials in North West zone has shown moderate to severe grassy shoot in many entries in Muzaffarnagar, Uchani and Karnal. Severe forms of leaf scald disease on CoS 8436 and smut in UP 05233 were recorded at Muzaffarnagar. Initial symptoms of YLD were observed in the entries and standards in most of the AICRP centres.

Identification of pathotypes / races of red rot pathogen: In differential host studies, seven established pathotypes were inoculated on 15 differential hosts along with eight new isolates collected from CoJ 64 (7) and CoS 8436 (1). Overall, disease reaction indicated that there was clear pathogenic variation on the differential hosts. No pathotype / isolates resembled another pathotype / isolate in pathogenic behaviour. The pathotypes CF02, CF03 and CF09 showed more virulence than the pathotypes CF08, CF01 and CF11. The new isolate from CoS 8436 was found to be less virulent and caused susceptible reaction on three known susceptible hosts and not in CoS 8436.

AICRP on Sugarcane Pathology

Two of the seven isolates collected from CoJ 64 in Uttar Pradesh viz. CoJ1 and CoJ3 were comparatively more virulent than the other five isolates. Among the differentials, CoJ 64, Co 997, CoC 671, Khakai and Co 1148 had shown susceptibility to all or most the pathotypes. BO 91, Baragua and SES 594 had shown complete resistance to all the pathotypes / isolates. Among the differentials, Co 975, Co 62399, CoS 767 and CoS 8436 have exhibited a clear differential reaction to red rot pathotypes.

Red rot reaction of ZVT entries: Thirty nine zonal entries were evaluated for red rot resistance along with five standards by plug and nodal methods of inoculation. Three types of inocula viz. CF08, CF09 and CF mix comprising all the designated pathotypes were used for inoculations. Only two entries in IVT (ML), CoPb 06214 and CoPant 06223 had shown susceptibility by nodal method for CF09 and CF mixed inoculum. All other entries were resistant to red rot by nodal method. In plug method, the entries CoH 06262, CoH 06263, CoPb 06214, CoPant 06223 and CoLk 04238 exhibited S / HS reaction to CF mix inoculum. The entries CoPb 06214 and CoLk 04238 alone showed S / HS to CF08 inoculum.

PZVT entries and seedlings: Among the 96 PZVT clones evaluated for red rot resistance by plug method (CF mixed inoculum), 53 were found to be R/MR, 12 MS and 31 S / HS. Similarly, amomg the 665 seedlings evaluated for red rot resistance by plug method, 254 were found to be R / MR, 113 MS and 285 S / HS.

(S.K. Pandey)

The objective of the study was to examine the possible role of root borer in enhancing the wilt disease of sugarcane. For the third year of the experiment, the crop was planted in randomly distributed paired plot design with 20 replications; one of the paired plots receiving treatment for root

Impact of root borer management on wilt incidence

84

insect pests. The incidence of shoot borer and pink borer ranged 2 - 7%, black bug 21 - 28%, top borer 11 - 14% and stalk borer 61-96% which indicated that borer was the key pest of the area.

(S.K. Pandey)

After surveying the white grub affected sugarcane growing areas under Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd.,

2Western UP, a farmer’s field with 10 - 40 grubs/m was selected as hot spot for conducting the first year experiment. The larvae and adults of white grubs collected from the experimental plot were identified as Holotrichia consanguinea Blanchard and Holotrichia serrata Fabricius. An experiment with eight treatments and three replications was laid out in RBD in August 2009 to evaluate newer insecticides selected based on their effectiveness against white grub in sugarcane and other crops. Seven treatments, namely quinalphos 25EC @ 1.0 kg a.i./ha, clothianidin 50% WDG @ 0.05 kg a.i./ha, thiamethoxam 70 WS @ 0.1 kg a.i./ha, chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 1.0 kg a.i ./ha, thiamethoxam 25 WSC @ 0.1 kg a.i./ha, bifenthrin 10 EC @ 0.25 kg a.i./ha and rynaxypyr 20 SC @ 0.05 kg a.i./ha, were applied as collar drenching in white grub affected sugarcane field and compared with untreated control. Clothianidin 50% WDG @ 0.05 kg a.i./ha, thiamethoxam 25 WSC @ 0.1 kg a.i./ha and thiamethoxam 70 WS @ 0.1 kg a.i./ha showed significant population reduction of 90.48, 61.90 and 57.1% over control. Thus, collar drenching of clothianidin 50 WDG @ 0.05 kg a.i./ha appears to be superior to the other two treatments.

(K. Chandran and M.N. Premachandran)

Two clonal evaluation trials were conducted. In the first clonal trial with 15 clones GUK 05-337 and GUK 05-215 showed high NMC; GUK 05-133, GUK 05-295, and GUK 05-260 had high cane

Management of white grubs in sugarcane

Utilization of germplasm resources for developing new genetic stocks

5.7 SBI RESEARCH CENTRE, KANNUR

borer management (pre and post monsoon earthing up, collar drenching with chlorpyriphos thrice coinciding with the three broods’ emergence and post monsoon application of Beauveria bassiana) and the other without any treatment. Observations were taken during February last week by destructive sampling of all the canes in a plot for root borer and wilt occurrence separately and in combination with each other. The incidence of root borer was 40.0% in treated plots while it was 47.0% in untreated plots. The incidence of wilt as well as root borer and wilt together was recorded almost negligible.

(S.K. Pandey)

Evaluation of zonal varietal trials for damage by key pests: Thirty nine clones were evaluated for their reaction against sugarcane borers under Zonal Varietal Trial for North Western zone from AVT mid-late I plant (12), AVT mid-late II plant (9) and IVT mid-late (18). The early shoot borer incidence varied from 3.2 to 7.33% in AVT ML I plant, from 3.3 to 7.1% in AVT ML II plant and 3.1 to 7.3% in IVT mid-late. The third brood incidence of top borer varied from 1.29 to 6.60% in AVT I plant, from 1.40 to 11.13% in AVT II plant and 2.23 to 6.97% in IVT mid-late. Thus, all the clones registered less susceptible reaction to early shoot borer (<15%) and top borer (<30%).

Monitoring of pests and natural enemies: Incidence of early shoot borer and pink borer was up to 2.0% and third brood of top borer was up to 7.0%. Army worm (2.0%), mealybug (4.0%), grasshopper (6.0%), pyrilla (5.0%), whitefly (6.0%) and yellow mite (2%) were the minor pests recorded. Isotima javensis of top borer, Encarsia flavoscutellum of whitefly, and Tetrastichus pyrillae and Epiricania melanoleuca of pyrilla were the natural enemies recorded.

Survey and surveillance of pests: Sugarcane fields in different villages located within 8 km of SBI Regional Centre were surveyed to identify the key

AICRP on Entomology


85

thickness, and GUK 05-205, 295,132, 298, 270 and 337 had early high sucrose. GUK 05-337 out yielded the checks for CCS and GUK 05-215 and GUK 05-133 were found promising for yield. From this trial, GUK 05-337, GUK 05-133 and GUK 05-215 were proposed for PZVT. From the second clonal evaluation trial with 20 clones, GUK 06-371 and GUK 06-353 showed high NMC and GUK 06-346 was promising for cane thickness and GUK 06- 351, 374, 384, 411 and 415 were found promising

thfor early high Brix (≥ 22) during 7 month. During th12 month, GUK 06-384 showed the highest

sucrose (20.52%). This trial is repeated with bigger plot size for further confirmation of the yield data. In the 210 seedlings evaluated in ground nursery, tillering ranged from 1 to 6, cane thickness from 1.1 to 2.8 cm and HR Brix from 11 to 24. Forty two clones were selected for further evaluation in pre-clonal trial. These clones were planted in 10 ft rows in single replication along with check varieties. In the 83 clones evaluated in pre-clonal evaluation trials, the NMC ranged from 2 to 34 with an average of 15.9, cane thickness ranged from 1.5 to 3.3 cm, HR Brix at bottom from 17.3 to 23.3, middle from 18 to 23.4 and at top from 15 to 23.5. Thirty clones were selected for further evaluation and planted in a replicated trial along with check varieties. Three new crosses were made and 320 seedlings from the cross Co 99006 x CP 98-1029 germinated were planted in ground nursery for evaluation.

(K. Chandran, A. Ramesh Sundar and B. Singaravelu)

Maintenance of germplasm: The world collection of sugarcane germplasm comprising 3368 clones has been maintained in field. The germplasm was monitored for flowering and incidence of pests and diseases. Incidence of smut was observed in three clones of S. robustum and yellow leaf disease in some Indian hybrids. The flowering intensity was very low in S. officinarum clones (8.3%) and highest

Maintenance of world collection of sugarcane germplasm

in IA clones (92.3%). Indian hybrids also showed better percentage of flowered clones (65%).

Table 32. Flowering behaviour of germplasm clones

Flowering (%)Clones No.

20092008

S. officinarum 759 14.1 8.3

S. barberi 42 31 28.6

S. sinense 30 50 26.7

S. robustum 145 41.4 36.6

S. spontaneum 79 77.2 79.7Allied Genera 152 - 51.3Exotic hybrids 611 50.4 52.2IA clones 130 96.2 92.3IND 305 - 31.1Indian hybrids 1027 68.2 65.0

Hot water treatment was given to 200 clones each from S. officinarum and Indian hybrids to rejuvenate the clones.

Evaluation of new foreign hybrid clone: One CP clone CP 98-1029 was evaluated for yield and quality traits. The clone flowered in the first week of November with a pollen fertility of 69%. The HR

thBrix at the top, middle and bottom in the 7 month was 23.9, 23.5 and 23.9 respectively. It had an average single cane weight of 1.0 kg with a cane thickness 2.4 cm and cane length 254 cm. The Brix

that 12 month was 18.8 and sucrose 18.54%.

Monitoring for pests: Pink borer Sesamia inferens was noticed for the first time in the germplasm collection at Kannur in April 2009. The infestation was observed in some Saccharum officinarum clones, viz. NC-32, NC-49, NC-64, NC-93, NC-94, NC-104 and 28-NG-54; it was also observed in a few Indian hybrids, namely Co 723, Co 724, Co 725, Co 726, Co 727 and Co 728. Insecticide application was resorted to prevent its spread to the remaining germplasm collection. Since paddy cultivation is practiced in adjoining areas of Kannur, the borer, known to occur as a minor pest

86

on sugarcane cultivated in rice growing areas, might have migrated from those areas to the germplasm collection.

The incidence of internode borer in S. officinarum, S. robustum, S. sinense, S. barberi, foreign hybrids and Co canes maintained at Kannur was 8.0, 1.0, 4.0, 5.2, 21.4 and 10.2% respectively. The infestation was relatively higher in foreign hybrids than in the remaining collection. Delayed harvest of the previous season crop could have partly contributed to the borer activity. To prevent further buildup of the population, pheromone lures were deployed.

Sugarcane woolly aphid observed on Co 1116, Co 1117 and Co 62195 was managed with insecticide sprays. The late occurrence of woolly aphid could be due to the two releases of Encarsia flavoscutellum undertaken at Kannur during 2008-09.

Monitoring of diseases and quarantine: The germplasm collection maintained was surveyed for

stthe occurrence of diseases during the I week of Septemeber 2009. An overall observation on the current plantation of germplasm clones indicated healthy crop as a whole, but for the incidence of foliar spots (ring spot and yellow spot) probably due to the prevailing high humidity. Minor incidence of rust symptoms were noticed in some of the foreign hybrid collections viz. ORB 6, SP 79-2233, etc. However, rust was not observed in IJ 76-315, which otherwise records regular incidence of the disease. The recovery of Pokkah boeng symptoms was observed in few clones (which showed the symptoms during May). Few of the SCBV infected clones viz. Listada, Guam A, etc. showed poor establishment and a backup set is maintained in pots. Incidence of smut was observed in three clones of S. robustum and yellow leaf disease in some Indian hybrids. Phytosanitary measures were adopted to contain the spread of the disease and hot water treatment was given for the infected and adjoining clones and planted in poly bags. Incidence of smut was observed in three


clones of S. robustum and yellow leaf disease in some Indian hybrids. The typical symptoms of YLS are yet to be expressed and will be critically observed during the next visit. No specific disease incidence was noticed in allied genera and miscellaneous clones.

In vitro conservation of germplasm: Twenty four germplasm clones have been maintained under in vitro conservation. Two germplasm clones D 1135 and D 4/4 were rejuvenated through tissue culture and planted in pots.

Supply of germplasm: A total of 533 germplasm clones were supplied to four indentors.

(K. Chandran)

Two clonal evaluation trials were conducted. In the first clonal trial with 15 clones, two clones WL 05-490 and WL 05-726 showed high NMC; WL 05-531 and WL 05-499 showed high cane thickness; WL 05-707, WL 05-692 and WL 05-730 were having

th thBrix above 22% at 7 month. At 12 month the Brix ranged from13.2 to 20.5 and sucrose 10.5 to 18.9% among the test clones. Three clones (WL 05-706, WL 05-726 and WL 05-531), which were better than the check variety Co 99006, were proposed for PZVT. In the second trial with 13 clones, WL 06-85 was promising for high cane thickness and WL 06-224, WL 06-109 and WL 06-91 recorded Brix

thhigher than the standard at 7 month. Two hundred and five seedlings were evaluated in ground nursery for tillering, cane thickness and HR Brix. In seedlings, tillering ranged from 1 to 6, cane thickness from 1 to 2.9 cm and HR Brix from 10 to 23%. Thirty six clones were selected for clonal evaluation. In the 43 clones evaluated in preliminary clonal evaluation, the NMC ranged from 1 to 20 and cane thickness from 1.1 - 3.2. HR Brix at bottom, middle and top ranged from 19 to 26%, 19.6 to 26% and 12 to 25.3% respectively. Sixteen clones were selected for further evaluation. Three new crosses were made and 645 seedlings were planted in ground nursery for evaluation.

Breeding varieties resistant to waterlogging

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5.8 SBI RESEARCH CENTRE, AGALI

Germplasm maintenance, distant hybridization and off-season nursery

(K. Mohanraj, A. Anna Durai and Ravinder Kumar)

Maintenance of germplasm: A total of 1643 clones comprising core germplasm of S. officinarum (126), S. robustum (7), S. barberi and S. sinense (50), foreign hybrids (25), NHG clones (196), Co canes (207), S. spontaneum hybrids (121), Erianthus (11), interspecific and intergeneric hybrids from various projects, etc., were maintained in 1 ha of land by annual replanting in pest and disease free condition (Fig. 51).

Distant hybridization: During the flowering season of 2009, 117 crosses, 4 selfs and 71 GCs were collected and supplied to different AICRP participating centres (Table 33). The variety Co 99004, which was non-flowering previously, flowered in 2009 and it was used in the crossing programme.

Off-season nursery: Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, Barrackpore, utilized this facility and raised jute in 0.24 ha of land for advancement of generation of breeding lines, raising hybrids, regeneration of germplasm accessions and seed multiplication of ruling varieties. During December 2009, 300 Corchorus olitorius and 96 Corchorus capsularis germplasm were raised for regeneration of accessions. In addition to this, 19 jute and mesta hybrids and seven lines in F4 were forwarded to the next generation.

(M.N. Premachandran)

The reference varieties were maintained by replanting of the clones as single budded setts in polybags and transplanting to field. The DUS characters of 141 reference varieties were compiled and were provided to PPV & FR authority for inclusion in the database to be maintained by the authority. The photographs of the nodal region and the cane top of all the reference varieties being maintained at Agali were taken and compiled. Replanting of the clones was done in December 2009 and the plants were further transplanted to field. Twenty four clones were added to the reference / example varieties, which include the recently released varieties. The total number of varieties maintained and multiplied is 176.

DUS testing of sugarcane

Fig. 51. A view of sugarcane crop at Agali

Table 33. Details of crosses made at Agali

S.No. Centre Crosses Selfs GCs Total

1 Shajahanpur 17 - - 172 Padegaon 14 - 16 303 VSI-Pune 16 - - 164 Seorahi 14 - - 145 ARS, Mandya 4 - - 46 IISR, Lucknow 11 - - 117 PAU, Ludhiana 5 - - 58 SBIRC, Karnal 4 - 4 89 SBI, Coimbatore 32 4 51 87

Total 117 4 71 192


6. EDUCATION AND TRAINING

6.1 Education - Ph.D. Programme

The Institute has been recognized by the Bharathiar University, Coimbatore to conduct Ph.D. programme in the disciplines of Botany, Zoology, Agricultural

Chemistry, Agricultural Entomology, Plant Pathology and Statistics. Eighteen scientists are recognized as faculty members / supervisors for guiding students for Ph.D. programme. Nine students are currently enrolled for pursuing Ph.D. programme in different disciplines.

Four students obtained Ph.D. degree from Bharathiar University.

Name of the student Title of thesis Area of research Name of the supervisor

Shri S. Arvinth Genetic engineering of sugarcane cultivars with genes coding Cry1 Ab and aprotinin for shoot borer resistance

Ms D. Leena Lavanya Molecular characterization Biotechnology Dr G. Hemaprabha of high sugared genotypes of sugarcane

Smt B. Sajitha Drought response and Physiology Dr S. Venkataramanaosmoregulation in sugarcane: A physiological and biochemical approach towards drought tolerance

Smt R. Shanmugavadivu Studies on photoperiodic Physiology Dr P.N. Gururaja Raocontrol of flowering in sugarcane

Biotechnology Dr M.N. Premachandran

Anna University, Coimbatore has recognised the Institute as a Research Centre for conducting Ph.D. and M.Tech. (Research) programmes in the Faculty of Science and Humanities (Biosciences and Chemistry). Fifteen scientists are recognized as faculty members / supervisors for guiding students. Two students are enrolled for doing Ph.D. work in the field of Science and Humanities (Biosciences).

M.Sc. (Sugarcane Technology) course in Open and Distance Learning mode, is being conduxted in collaboration with TNAU, Coimbatore. Two batches of students, 27 in their IV semester and 23 in their I semester are undergoing the course.

Training programmes organizedl?

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Conducted Model Training Course on 'Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity' during 22-29 July 2009.An International Training Course on 'Breeding of sugarcane for sugar-industrial complex” was organized during 12 - 26 October 2009 (Fig. 52). Conducted Winter school on 'Application of molecular tools for crop improvement' during 2-22 December 2009 (Fig. 53).Conducted a two days training programme on 'Sugarcane agriculture for jaggery production' during 4-5 February 2010.

89

Fig. 53. Participants of Winter School

Training programmes attended

Fig. 52. Participants interacting with Dr. N.V. Nair, Director, SBI

S. No. Name of the programme Participant(s)

1. Molecular marker technology for 18-29 May 2009, Centre of excellence in Genomics, ICRISAT, Hyderabad.

2. Web based e-learning & content management: Dr D. Puthira Prathap14-24 July 2009, NAARM, Hyderabad.

3. Instrumentation methods and chemical analysis Dr V. Jayakumar– characterisation of plant metabolites: 27-28 July 2009, IFGTB, Coimbatore.

4. Winter school on Bio-fuels: Sustainable alternate to fossil Dr G.S. Sureshafuels, 10-30 November 2009, CIAE, Bhopal.

5. Bioinformatics and statistical genomics: Ms P.S. Divya17 November to 7 December 2009, IASRI, New Delhi.

6. Winter school on Transgenic development in crop plants: Dr J. Srikanth1-10 December 2009, NRC on Plant Biotechnology, IARI Campus, New Delhi.

7. Methodological issues in impact analysis of agricultural Dr D. Puthira Prathap and rural development projects: 2-22 December 2009 Dr P. Muraliat TNAU, Coimbatore.

8. Application of molecular tools for crop improvement: Dr K. Mohanraj2-22 December, SBI, Coimbatore Dr Ravinder Kumar

9. Winter school on Intellectual property and its Dr C. Karpagamcommercialization in agriculture: 15-24 December 2009, HAU, Hissar.

crop improvement: Dr A. Selvi

International study visit

lDr V.P. Sobhakumari, Senior Scientist was deputed for training in the area of Allele Mining under Dr Luca Comai, Prof. of Plant

Biology, UC Davis Genome Centre and Section of Plant Biology, Univ. of California, Davis, USA, from 22 March to 19 June 2010 under HRD Programme of NAIP.


Board of Management in Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur for three years w.e.f. 24 July 2009.

Dr N. Vijayan Nair, Director is nominated as Member of Scientific Advisory Committee in PPV & FRA for a tenure of three years from 22 January 2010.

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Dr N. Vijayan Nair, Director has been nominated as ICAR nominee in the selection committee for selection of Registrar, Dean, Director and Controller of Examination in TNAU.

Dr N. Vijayan Nair, Director has been nominated as ICAR representative on the

8. LINKAGES AND COLLABORATIONlThe Institute has established linkages with

ICAR Institutes viz., IARI, NBPGR, NRC-PB, PDBC, IISR, NRC for Sorghum, DWR; 24 Sugarcane Research Centres of SAUs under AICRP; IICT (Hyderabad) under CSIR,

Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Agriculture, GoI; DBT/GoI, Directorate of Sugarcane Development, MoA/GoI; TNPL (a Govt. of Tamil Nadu Undertaking) and sugar industry.

Externally Aided Schemes currently under implementation

S.No. Project title and scientist involved Year of start

Likely yearof

completion

Source of

funding

Total outlay (Rs. in lakhs)

2008 2012 ICAR 23.52

2007 2012 SDF / 44.985MoCAF &

PD

2009 2012 DBT 34.85

2006 Continuing MoA / GoI 53.45

2002 Continuing MoA / GoI 72.26

Intellectual property management and transfer / commercialisation of agricultural technology scheme (upscaling of existing c omp on e nt i . e . I PR u n d e r IC A R headquarters scheme on management and information services).

Development of transgenic sugarcane against borers (Drs. N. Subramonian, M.N. Premachandran, N. Mukunthan and J. Srikanth)

Accreditation of laboratory facilities for sugarcane virus diagnosis and genetic fidelity testing of tissue culture raised sugarcane plants Drs. R. Viswanathan and A. Selvi)

Seed production in agricultural crops and fisheries (Drs. N. Rajendra Prasad and D. Neelamathi)

Strengthening of designated field and laboratory for DUS testing (Coimbatore, Agali and Karnal centres) (Drs. V. A. Amalraj, M.N. Premachandran and Bakshi Ram)

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7. AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

91

S.No. Project title and scientist involved Year of start

Likely yearof

completion

Source of

funding

Total outlay (Rs. in lakhs)

2009 2009 MoA / GoI 0.916

2008 2011 MoWR / CWC 25.00

2008 2010 MoS&T / DST 7.48

2009 2012 ICAR 43.20

Model training course on Technologies to i m p r o v e s u g a r c a n e p r o d u c t i v i t y (Dr. T. Rajula Shanthy)

Farmers participatory action research programme on assessing the adaptability of sugarcane technology (Drs. D. Puthira Prathap, T. Rajula Shanthy, P. Rakkiyappan, K. Hari, D. Esther Shekinah and P. Murali)

Developing a user centered website on sugarcane production technologies (Drs. D. Puthira Prathap, T. Rajula Shanthy, R . Ba lakr ishnan, P. R akkiyappan, K. Sivaraman, P. Govindaraj. A. Ramesh Sundar and J. Srikanth)

Outreach programme on Diagnosis and management of leaf spot diseases of field and horticultural crops (R. Viswanathan, A. Ramesh Sundar and P. Malathi)

6.

7.

8.

9.

9. ALL INDIA CO-ORDINATED RESEARCH PROJECT ON SUGARCANE

sugarcane with cry1Ab for shoot borer (Chilo infuscatellus) resistance. Plant Cell Reports. 29: 383-395.

Ar vinth, S. , R .K. Selvakesavan, N. Subramonian and M.N. Premachandran. 2009. Transmission and expression of

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Published in research journals

lArvinth, S., S. Arun, R.K. Selvakesavan, J. Srikanth, N. Mukunthan, P. Ananda Kumar, M.N. Premachandran and N. Subramonian. 2010 . G enet ic t rans for mat ion and pyramiding of aprotinin-expressing

ii. Fluff supply to various sugarcane research institutes / centres.

iii. To gather information on general and specific combining ability of biparental crosses.

iv. Collaboration for development of national varieties.

v. Collaborative research on agronomy, physiology, entomology and pathology.

The All India Coordinated Research Project on Sugarcane was started in the year 1971 A National Hybridization Garden was established in the institute to facilitate the national breeding program. The following are the research areas under this project.

i. Evaluation of Co canes for different sugarcane growing regions and acting as Coordinating unit for identification of Co and other Co-regional selections.

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10. PUBLICATIONS


transgenes in progeny of sugarcane clones with cry1Ab and aprotinin genes. SugarTech. 11(3): 292-295.

Babu, C., K. Koodalingam, U.S. Natarajan, R.M. Shanthi and P. Govindaraj, 2009. Genetic enhancement of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) for resistance to red rot disease and economic traits. Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 4(3): 97-107.

Babu, C., K. Koodalingam, U.S. Natarajan, R.M. Shanthi and P. Govindaraj. 2009. Interrelationships of sugarcane yield and quality components and their utility in family selection. Madras Agricultural Journal. 96(7-12): 56-72.

Babu, C., K. Koodalingam, U.S. Natarajan, R.M. Shanthi and P. Govindaraj. 2009. Assessment of rind hardness in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) genotypes for development of non lodging erect canes. Advances in Biological Research. 3 (1-2):48-52.

Bakshi Ram. 2009. Effect of season of ratooning and field position of seedling ratoon clumps on selection in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum). Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 79(10): 790 793.

Geetha, N. Esther D. Shekinah and P. Rakkiyappan. 2009. Comparative impact of release frequency of Trichogramma chilonis Ishii against Chilo sacchariphagus indicus (Kapur) in sugarcane. Journal of Biological Control. 23(4): 343–351.

Geetha, N. and R. Balakrishnan. 2010. Dispersal pattern of Trichogramma chilonis Ishii in sugarcane field. Journal of Biological Control 24 (1): 1–7.

L e e l a A m a l a C h r i s t y, S . A r v i nt h , M. Saravanakumar, M. Kanchana, N. Mukunthan, J. Srikanth, George Thomas and N. Subramonian. 2009. Engineering

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sugarcane culitvars with bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (aprotinin) gene for protection against top borer Scirpophaga excerptalis Walker. Plant Cell Reports. 28:175-184.

Malathi, P., R. Viswanathan, A. Ramesh Sundar, N. Prakasam, P. Padmanaban, R. Jothi, S.R. Renuka Devi and M. Poongothai. 2010. Variability among Colletotrichum falcatum pathotypes used for screening red rot resistance in sugarcane. Sugarcane International. 28 (2): 247-52.

Mukunthan,N., B. Singaravelu, K.P. Salin, N.K. Kurup and Y.S. Goud. 2009. An effective method for evaluating the efficacy of insecticides against sugarane termites. SugarTech. 11(3):262-266.

Nair, N.V. and S. Sekharan 2009. Saccharum germplasm collection in Mizoram, India. SugarTech. 11(3): 288-291.

Nair, N.V. 2009. Current scenario of sugarcane agriculture and sugar industry in the country. Cooperative Sugar. 41 (2) 29-33.

Prathap, D. Puthira and K.A. Ponnusamy. 2009. A comparison of mass media channels in te r ms of k now le dge re tent ion . International Journal of Instructional Media. 13 (1): 73-79.

Rajula Shanthy, T. 2009. Extension strategies to improve ratoon productivity. Cooperative Sugar. 40 (8): 61-63.

Rajula Shanthy, T. 2010. Participatory varietal selection in sugarcane. SugarTech 12 (1): 51-54.

Ramesh Sundar, A., R. Viswanathan and S. Nagarathinam. 2009. Induction of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) using synthetic signal molecules against Colletotrichum falcatum in Saccharum officinarum . SugarTech. 11 (3): 274-281.

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2009. Endogenous gibberellin level in the shoot apices of flowered and non-flowered stalks of sugarcane varieties. Indian Journal of Plant Physiology. 14 (3): 303-305.

Shanmugavadivu, R. and P.N. Gururaja Rao. 2009. A comparison of flowering behaviour of sugarcane clones in two different locations. SugarTech. 11 (4): 401-404.

Singh, D., A. K. Tewari, G.P. Rao, R. Karuppaiah, R. Viswanathan, M. Arya and V.K. Baranwal. 2009. RT-PCR/PCR analysis detected mixed infection of DNA and RNA viruses infecting sugarcane crops in different states of India. SugarTech. 11 (4): 373-380.

Somasekhar, N., C. Sankaranarayanan and K. Hari. 2008. Mass production of fungal biocontrol agents of phytonematodes on agro-industrial by-products. Indian Journal of Plant Protection. 36 (2): 312-314.

Srikanth, J., N. Mukunthan, B. Singaravelu, N.K. Kurup and G. Santhalakshmi. 2009. Rearing Dipha aphidivora, the pyralid predator of sugarcane woolly aphid Ceratovacuna lanigera, on its frozen host may be unfeasible. SugarTech. 11(1): 80-82.

Vasantha, S. and Rajalakshmi. 2009. Progressive changes in biochemical characters in sugarcane genotypes subjected to NaCl treatment. Indian Journal of Plant Physiology. 14 (1):34-38.

Va s ant h a , S . , P. N . Gu r u r aj a R a o, S. Venkataramana and R. Gomathi. 2008. Salinity induced changes in the antioxidant response of sugarcane genotypes. Journal of Plant Biology. 35 (2): 115-119.

Vasantha, S., S. Venkataramana, P.N. Gururaja Rao and R. Gomathi. 2010. Long term salinity effect on growth, photosynthesis and osmotic characteristics in sugarcane. SugarTech. 12 (1).

Shanmugavadivu, R. and P.N. Gururaja Rao. l

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M. Balamuralikrishnan. 2009. Identification of new variants of SCMV causing sugarcane mosaic in India and assessing their genetic diversity in relation to SCMV type strains. Virus Genes. 39:375–386.

Viswanathan R., R. Karuppaiah and M. Balamuralikrishnan. 2010. Detection of three major RNA viruses infecting sugarcane by multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Australasian Plant Pathology. 39: 79-84.

Viswanathan R., R. Karuppaiah, P. Malathi, V. Ganesh Kumar and C. Chinnaraja. 2009. Diagnosis of sugarcane yellow leaf virus in asymptomatic sugarcane by RT-PCR. SugarTech. 11: 368-372.

Jayanthi, R., N. Mukunthan, K.P. Salin, J. Srikanth, N. Geetha, B. Singaravelu and C. Sankaranarayanan. 2009. Sugarcane pests and their management. Directorate of open and distance learning, TNAU, Coimbatore-3. p. 88.

Puthira Prathap, D. and T. Rajula Shanthy. st2009. 41 Meeting of sugarcane research and

development workers of Tamil Nadu - Compendium of research articles and status papers. Extension Publication No.269. ISSN 0973-8185.

Puthira Prathap, D. and T. Rajula Shanthy. th2009. 14 Meeting of sugarcane research and

development workers of Northern Karnataka - Compendium of research articles and status papers. SBI-R&D Series NK-14. p.60.

Rajula Shanthy, T., and N. Vijayan Nair. 2009. Sugarcane Production Technology. National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories and Sugarcane Breeding Inst i tute , Coimbatore. p. 145.

Vi s w a n a t h a n R . , R . K a r u p p a i a h ,

Books / Manuals / Compendiums


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Rajula Shanthy, T., 2009. Strategies for effective transfer of sugarcane technologies. Directorate of Open and Distance Learning, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore.p.98.

Rajula Shanthy, T., and N. Vijayan Nair. 2009. Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity. Extension Publication No. 167. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore p.239.

Selvi, A., and N.V. Nair 2009. Laboratory manual on Application of molecular tools for crop improvement. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore p. 186.

Singh, R.K., Rajesh Singh, Guoyou Ye, A. Selvi and G.P. Rao. 2010. Molecular plant breeding: Principle, method and application. Studium Press LLC, Texas, USA. p. 300.

Balakrishnan, R. 2010. Statistical analysis of molecular data. In: R.K.Singh, Rajesh Singh, Guoyou Ye, A. Selvi and G.P. Rao (Eds.). Molecular plant breeding: Principle, method and application.. Stadium Press. Houston. p. 209-239

Gururaja Rao, P.N. 2009. Flowering control in a commercial crop of sugarcane. In: Training Manual - Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity. Sugarcane Breeding Institute. pp. 81-83.

Hari, K. 2009. Biofertilizers in sugarcane production. In: Training Manual - Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. pp. 94 - 96.

Hari, K. 2009. Microorganism induced plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. In: Training Manual - Application of molecular tools in crop improvement. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Chapters in Books / Manuals

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Pandey, S.K. 2010. Termite’s management with special reference to sugarcane. In: Sustainable crop protection strategies. Daya publishing House, Ansari road, New Delhi. 729-747.

Premachandran, M.N. 2009. National sugarcane varietal improvement programme. In: Training Manual - Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p. 7-17.

Premachandran, M.N. 2009. Molecular cytogenetics. In: Training Manual - Application of molecular tools in crop improvement. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Premachandran, M.N. 2009. Cytogenetics of sugarcane. In: Training Manual - Breeding sugarcane for use in sugar-industrial complex. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p. 47-57.

Premachandran, M.N. 2009. Plant breeder’s rights and IPR issues. In: Training Manual - International training on Breeding sugarcane for use in sugar-industrial complex. 12 - 26 October, 2009. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p. 284-288.

Rajula Shanthy, T. 2009. Yield gap analysis in sugarcane production. In: Training Manual - Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p. 42-49.

Rajula Shanthy, T. 2009. Developing computer based extension modules. In: Training Manual - Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p.103-110.

Rajula Shanthy, T. 2009. Participatory approach to sugarcane development. In: Training Manual - Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p.178-187.

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Ramalingam, J. and A. Selvi. 2010. Mapping qualitative traits. In: Molecular plant breeding: Principle, method and application. (Eds. R.K. Singh, Rajesh Singh, Guoyou Ye, A. Selvi and G.P. Rao) Studium Press LLC, Texas, USA. p. 135-159.

Salin, K.P. 2009. Identification of sugarcane pests. In: Training manual - Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, p. 157-170.

Sankaranarayanan, C. 2009. Integrated nematode management in sugarcane. In: Training Manual - Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p. 123-126.

Selvi, A. 2009. Genomics for crop improvement. In: Training Manual - Application of molecular tools for crop improvement. p. 64-73.

Selvi, A. 2009. Marker assisted selection in sugarcane. In: Training Manual - Application of molecular tools for crop improvement. p. 212-223.

Selvi, A. 2009, Molecular marker techniques. In: Training Manual - Application of molecular tools for crop improvement. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p. 1-9.

Selvi, A. 2009. Molecular markers and genomics. In: Training Manual - Breeding sugarcane for use in sugar industrial complex. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p. 205-211.

Selvi, A., N.V. Nair and R.K. Singh. 2010. Genomics and gene based markers for crop improvement. In: Molecular plant breeding: Principle, method and application. (Eds. R.K. Singh, Rajesh Singh, Guoyou Ye, A. Selvi and G.P. Rao) Studium Press LLC, Texas, USA. pp. 269-294.

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Shanthi, R.M. 2009. Molecular biology of heat shock proteins. In: Training manual - Application of molecular tools in crop improvement. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Shanthi, R.M. 2009. Breeding for high sucrose. In: Training manual - Breeding sugarcane for sugar industrial complex. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Suganya, A. 2009. Advances in tissue culture techniques for crop improvement. In: Training Manual - Application of molecular tools for crop improvement. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Vasantha, S. and R. Gomathi. 2009. Estimation of proteins through HPLC In: Training Manual - Application of molecular tools for crop improvement. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p.80-81.

Venkataramana, S. 2009. Abiotic stress management in sugarcane agriculture. In: Training Manual - Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p. 97-102.

Venkataramana, S. 2009. Molecular properties of dehydration tolerance in crop plants. In: Training Manual - Application of molecular tools for crop improvement. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p. 44-49.

Viswanathan, R. 2009. Application of virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in functional genomics in plants. In: Training Manual - Application of molecular tools for crop improvement. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Viswanathan, R. 2009. Molecular approaches in diagnostics of sugarcane diseases. In: Training Manual - Breeding of sugarcane for


resources.· Gomathi, R., N. Gowri Manohari, S. Vasantha and P. Rakkiyappan. 2010. Anoxia induced enzymes and polypeptides (ANP’s) in relation to flooding to lerance of sugarcane genotyp es . International Conference on Computational biotechnolog y and nanotechnolog y, Vivekananda College of Engineering for Women, Tiruchengode, 24-26 February 2010.

Maya Lekshmi, R. Lalitha, A.K. Remadevi a n d M . N . P r e m a c h a n d r a n . 2 0 0 9 . Morphology and cytology of a novel intergeneric hybrid Saccharum x Tripsacum and its derivatives. National Seminar on Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology, University of Calicut, Kozhikode, 11-12 December 2009.

Nair, N.V. and P. Govindaraj. 2010. Sugarcane improvement: Status and strategies for achieving future breeding goals. National symposium on genomics and crop improvement: Relevance and reservations (Souvenir). ANGRAU, Hyderabad, 25-27 February 2010. p. 1-15.

Nair, N.V., V.A. Amalraj and P. Rakkiyappan. 2009. Sugarcane germplasm: Unlocking the by-product potential of sugar industry. International exhibition and conference on sugar, distillery, ethanol and cane farming, New Delhi, 2-4 July 2009.

Premachandran, M.N. 2010. Role of IPR Cell in ICAR and SAUs to protect Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights. Training cum awareness programme on PPV and FR Act, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 24 March 2010

Raffee Viola, V., R. Lalitha, A.K. Remadevi, Maya Lekshmi and M.N. Premachandran. 2009. Substitution of cytoplasm of sugarcane with that of the wild grass Erianthus arundinaceus. National Seminar on Genetics,

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sugar-industrial complex. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Viswanathan, R. 2009. Recent advances in sugarcane disease management. In: Role of bio-control agents for disease management in sustainable agriculture. (Ed. P. Ponmurugan and M.A. Deepa) , Res earch India Publications, New Delhi. p. 399-430.

Viswanathan, R. and P. Malathi. 2009. Biocontrol of sugarcane diseases. In: Training Manual - Recent advances in biological control of plant sciences. NBAII (PDBC), Bangalore.

Viswanathan, R., A. Ramesh Sundar and V. Ganesh Kumar. 2009. Two dimensional electrophoresis. In: Laboratory Manual - Application of molecular tools for crop improvement. p. 53-61.

Vi s w an at h an , R . 2 0 0 9 . Inte g r ate d management of sugarcane diseases. In: Training Manual - Technologies to improve sugarcane productivity. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p 111-118.

Bakshi Ram, 2009. Overview of varietal position in Uttar Pradesh. All India Seminar on Varietal improvement and intercropping in sugarcane with wheat and other crops, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 30 October 2009.

Balakrishnan, R. 2009. Biplot analysis of G x E interactions. Seminar on Statistical methods for perennial crops - Current status and strategies, CPCRI Regional Station, Vittal, Karnataka, 30-31 October 2009.

Chandran, K. 2009. In vitro multiplication and conservation of Saccharum germplasm. National symposium on Recent global trends in the management of plant genetic

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Papers presented in Symposia / Seminars / Workshops etc.

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Paradigm shifts in research on crop resistance to pests, Annamalai University, 4 -5 March 2010, p. 5-16

Singh, R. 2009. Advances in sugarcane production technology under poor water / soil conditions. Winter school on Improving sodic soil quality, input use efficiency and crop productivity through integrated nutrient management, CSSRI, Karnal, 21 November to 11 December 2009.

Subramonian, N., S. Arvith, J. Srikanth, M.N. Premachandran, N. Mukunthan and P. Ananda Kumar. 2009. Integration and expression of cry1Ab in sugarcane for shoot

thborer (Chilo infuscatellus) resistance. 7 Pacific Rim Conference on the Biotechnology o f B a c i l l u s t h u r i n g i e n s i s a n d i t s environmental impact. New Delhi. Abstracts S I2818. p. 20.

Vanetha, K.P., K.A. Ponnusamy and Prathap D.Puthira. 2009. Strategies to popularize scientific farm technologies among tribal farm women through communication gadgets. National Seminar on ICT for agriculture and rural development, CAU, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, 9-11 September 2009.

Vasantha, S., V. Karthika, R. Gomathi and P. Rakkiyappan. 2010. Invertase inhibitor from sugarcane - isolation and inhibitory effect on acid invertase of promising genotypes. International Conference on Computational biotechnology and nanotechnology at Vivekananda College of Engineering for Women, Tiruchengode, 24-26 February 2010.

Viswanathan, R., R. Karuppaiah, P. Malathi, V. Ganesh Kumar and C. Chinnaraja. 2010. Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) causing yellow leaf disease in sugarcane: Genetic diversity, impact on sugarcane and

thmanagement. 19 National Conference on

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breeding and biotechnology, University of Calicut, Kozhikode. 11-12 December, 2009. Abstract GE 2.

Rajula Shanthy, T. 2009. Computer based extension modules in sugarcane farming.

thProc. of 70 Annual Conv. of STAI. p. 227-238.

Ramesh Sundar, A. and R. Viswanathan. 2009. Elucidation of molecular basis of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and its applications in plant disease management.

thProc. 5 International Conference on Plant Pathology in globalized era, IARI, New Delhi, 10-13 November 2009, p.24.

Sankaranarayanan, C. 2010. Entomo-pathogenic nematodes: Biodiversity and role as bioindicators. International Conference on C l i m at e c h a n g e a n d b i o r e s o u r c e , Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, 9-12 February 2010. p.10.

Sankaranarayanan, C., K. Hari and M. Shunmugasundaram. 2010. Interaction of phosphatic fertilizers with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus fasciculatum on Pratylenchus zeae in sugarcane. National conference on Innovations in nematological research for agricultural sustainability - Challenges and a roadmap ahead, TNAU Coimbatore, 23-25 February 2010, p.125.

Sankaranarayanan, C., B. Singaravelu, N. Somasekhar and G. Santhalakshmi. 2010. Synergistic interaction of Heterorhabditis indica and Beauveria bassiana on sugarcane early shoot borer Chilo infuscatellus. National conference on Innovations in nematological research for agricultural sustainability - Challenges and a roadmap ahead, TNAU Coimbatore, 23-25 February 2010. p.125.

Singaravelu, B. 2010. Resistance for pests in sugarcane germplasm. National workshop on

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management. Extension Publication No. 185. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Hari, K., R. Jayanthi, N. Mukunthan,R . Na g a r a j a n , P. Pa d m a n a b a n , P. Rakkiyappan, C. Sankaranarayanan, B. Singaravelu and K. Sivaraman. 2009 Latest sugarcane production techniques (Tamil), SBI Technical Bulletin Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Mukunthan, N., B. Singaravelu and K.P. Salin. A new method of evaluation of insecticides against termites in sugarcane. SBI News. 29 (2): 3-4.

Murali, P., K. Hari, P. Rakkiyappan, A. Ramesh Sundar, P. Singaravelu. S. Vidyasekar, S. Navinkumar, S. Selva Kumar and D. Puthira Pratap, 2009. Soil laser leveler - An introduction (Tamil), FPARP Technical Bulletin, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Pandey, S.K., 2009. Rat management in sugarcane (Hindi). Crop to cash. 1(1):18-19.

Pandey, S.K 200. Pest management (Hindi). Crop to cash. 1(2): 8-10.

Pandey, S.K. 2009. Top borer management in sugarcane (Hindi). Crop to cash. 1(4): 32-35.

Sankaranarayanan, C., B. Singaravelu and M. Shunmugasundaram. 2009. Mass production of entomopathogenic nematodes. SBI News. 29 (4): 1-3.

Srikanth, J., N.K. Kurup, N. Mukunthan and B. Singaravelu. 2009. Encarsia flavoscutellum – the ultimate regulator of sugarcane woolly aphid in tropical India. SBI News 27(2): 2-4.

Suganya , A. D. Neelamathi , V.P. Sobhakumari, S. Mallika and T. Rajula Shanthy. 2010. Micropropagation of sugarcane (Tamil). Extension Publication No.168, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

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Recent trends in viral disease problems and their management, SV University, Tirupati, 18-20, March 2010, p. 50-51.

Viswanathan, R., P. Malathi, V. Ganesh Kumar, R. Karuppaiah and C. Chinnaraja. 2010. Detection and diagnosis of pathogens in planting materials of sugarcane. National Consultative Meeting on Disease diagnostics for horticultural crops, NRCB, Trichy, 22-24, January 2010.

Bakshi Ram, 2009. New early maturing and high yielding sugarcane varieties for sub-tropical India. Extension bulletin No. SBI, RC, 01/2009.

Bakshi Ram, 2009. Co 0118 (Karan 2) – A new variety released for North Western Zone. SBI News. 29 (2):1-3.

Bakshi Ram, 2009. Co 0238 – Released for North Western Zone. SBI News. 29 (3):1-4.

Chandran, K., M.N. Premachandran and N. Vijayan Nair. 2010. Sugarcane Breeding Institute Research Centre, Kannur - Profile. Extension Publication No. 170. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. p. 8.

Gomathi, R., and K. Chandran. 2009. Effect of waterlogging on growth and yield of sugarcane clones. SBI News. 29(4): 3-4.

Gomathi, R and S. Vasantha. 2010. Screening for drought tolerance in sugarcane (Tamil). Extension Publication No. 179 Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Gomathi, R. and S. Vasantha. 2010. Screening for drought tolerance in sugarcane. Extension Publication No. 180. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimabtore.

Gomathi, R., K. Chandran, P.N. Gururaja Rao and P. Rakkiyappan. 2010. Effect of waterlogging in sugarcane and its

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Technical Bulletins/Pamphlets/Popular articles

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Venkataramana, S., S. Vasantha and B. Sajitha. 2009. Polyamines enhance osmotica of water stressed sugarcane, SBI News. 29(3):4-5.Viswanathan, R., A. Ramesh Sundar, P. Malathi and P. Padmanaban. 2009. Sugarcane smut. Extension Publication No. 179, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.Viswanathan, R., and P. Malathi. 2009. Yellow leaf disease of sugarcane and its management (Tamil). Extension Publication No. 175, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.Viswanathan, R., and P. Malathi. 2009. Yellow leaf disease of sugarcane and its management. Extension Publication No. 173, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

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Su g any a , A . , D. Ne e l am at h i , V. P. Sobhakumari, S. Mallika and T. Rajula Shanthy. 2010. Tissue culture techniques in sugarcane improvement (Tamil). Extension Publication No.168. Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Vasantha, S., and R. Gomathi. 2010. Saline soil managaement in sugarcane (Tamil). Extension Publication No. 182, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

Vasantha, S., R. Gomathi and P. Rakkiyappan. 2010. Screening for salinity tolerance in sugarcane, Extension Publication No. 181, Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore.

11. RESEARCH PROGRAMMES

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Breeding of superior sugarcane varieties / genotypes with improved cane yield, quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, nutrient uptake and ratoonability.

Basic and strategic researches for sugarcane varietal improvement.

Su g a rc a n e g e r mp l a s m : c o l l e c t i on , maintenance, evaluation, documentation and utilization.

Improving productivity of promising sugarcane varieties by integrated, cost effective and sustainable crop management technologies.

Physiological investigations on growth, productivity and flowering in sugarcane.

Studies on sugarcane chemistry, maturity, juice and jaggery quality, pre / post harvest technology and technological parameters.

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Studies on the effect of certain soil conditions and fertilizers on nutrient uptake, yield and quality of sugarcane.

Studies on host pathogen relationship and management of red rot disease of sugarcane.

Detection and diagnosis of sugarcane pathogens.

Host plant resistance and behavioural studies of sugarcane pests.

Biological control of sugarcane pests.

Chemical control of sugarcane pests.

Development of technologies to evolve IPM package for sugarcane nematodes.

Development of statistical models / methods by way of utilizing the information t e c h n o l o g i e s v i z . c o m p u t e r s a n d communication facilities.

Transfer of technologies


13. MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS ORGANISED BY THE INSTITUTE

12. CONSULTANCY, PATENTS AND COMMERCIALISATION OF TECHNOLOGIES

Co 0238 and 11 extant sugarcane varieties viz., Co 85004, Co 8371, Co 86032, Co 86249, Co 87025, Co 87044, Co 87263, Co 87268, Co 89029, Co 91010 and Co 94008 were submitted to PPV & FRA Authority, New Delhi through PC, AICRP(S).

S. No. Date (s)Particulars of meetings / Workshops / Seminars etc.

1. ARS/NET examination at TNAU, Coimbatore 26 April 2009

2. ICAR Under Graduate entrance examination 23 May 2009

3. ICAR JRF examination 24 May 2009

4. IRC meeting 9-12, 16 June 2009,27-30 January 2010,1 February 2010

th5. 6 meeting of IBSC of SBI 18 June 2009

6. Hindi seminar on Climate change and its impact 30 July 2009

7. Project Advisory Committee meeting for the DSIR, MoS&T sponsored project Developing a user centred website on sugarcane production technologies 7 August 2009

8. Reseach Advisory Committee 11-12 August 2009

9. Kisan Mela 16-18 September 2009

10. Hindi Day 24 September 2009

11. QRT meeting of the institute 20-22 October 2009, 4-9 January 2010, 30 March to 1 April 2010

12. Foundation Day of SBI 24 October 2009th13. 7 Institutional Biosafety Committee meeting 23 November 2009

14. Institute Management Committee meeting 4 December 2009,30 March 2010

15. Winter school on Application of molecular tools for crop improvement 2-22 December 2009

16. Hindi workshop 19 December 2009

17. IRC meeting

18. National Science Day 26 February 2010

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Application for registration of two new sugarcane varieties KARAN-2 (Co 0118) and

Fig. 54. RAC meeting in progress

Chowdhury, Chairman and the members Dr S.R. Sreerangaswamy, Dr Menhi Lal, Dr P.L. Tandon, Dr Satyavir and Dr J.P. Mishra participated in the meeting. The team reviewed the progress of research and other activities of the institute for the period 2004-2009. They visited all the laboratories, experimental fields and SBI RC, Agali (Fig. 57). The QRT also visited SBI RC Karnal on 30 November 2009 and held the second meeting. The third

14.1 RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Research Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting of SBI was held during 11-12 August 2009 at Coimbatore. Dr Y.S. Nerkar, Chairman of the RAC and the expert members Dr Satyavir, Dr S. Lingappa and Dr K.D.N. Singh, and Dr K.C. Jain, Assistant Director General (CC), ICAR participated in the meeting (Fig. 54 & 55). Dr N. Vijayan Nair, Director briefed the RAC about the emerging sugarcane and sugar industry scenario and the progress made in the research front since the previous meeting. Progress of work made in different disciplines was presented by the respective heads and discussed.

14.2 QUINQUENNIAL REVIEW TEAM (QRT) MEETING

The first meeting of QRT was held during 20-22 October 2009 at Coimbatore (Fig. 56). Dr J.B.

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14. COMMITTEES

Fig. 55. RAC members visiting National Hybridization Garden

Fig. 56. QRT meeting in progress at Coimbatore

Fig. 57. QRT members visiting SBI RC, Agali

meeting of QRT was held during 4-9 January 2010. The Chairman and all the members participated in the meeting participated in the meeting. The team visited the SBI RC, Kannur during 5-6 January 2010 to review the progress of research projects in progress (Fig. 58). An interactive meeting with progressive farmers, representatives of sugar industry and officials of development departments

Fig. 58. QRT visting SBI RC Kannur


14.3 INSTITUTE RESEARCH COUNCIL MEETING

1. Director, SBI - Chairman2. Dr P. Gopalasundaram - Member Secretary3. All Scientists of - Members

the Institute

The Institute Research Council meetings were conducted during 9 -11 June 2009, 16 June 2009, 27-30 January 2010 and 1 February 2010 under the chairmanship of the Director, SBI and attended by Dr P. Gopalasundaram, Member Secretary and all scientists of the institute. The progress of ongoing research programs was reviewed. Ten new research projects were approved for implementation in the ensuing year.

was held on 7 January 2010. The fourth meeting was held during 30 March to 1 April 2010. The team finalized the report and recommendations.

14.4 INSTITUTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

S. No. Date (s)Particulars of meetings / Workshops / Seminars etc.

1 Director, Sugarcane Breeding Institute Chairman

2 Director of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu or his nominee Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010)

3 Chief Cane Development Officer, Tamil Nadu Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010)Sugar Corporation, Chennai

4 Director of Research, Tamil Nadu Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010)Agricultural University, Coimbatore-3

5 Smt. Rajashree Pathy, Chairperson, Rajashree Sugars, Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010Coimbatore

6 Shri Shankarrao Kolhe, Ex-MLA, Chairman Sanjivani Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010)Co-op Sugar Mill, Dist. Ahmed Nagar, Maharashtra

7 Dr. P. Padmanabhan, Head, Division of Crop Protection, Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010)SBI, Coimbatore

8 Dr. R. Nagarajan, Principal Scientist (Pl. Breeding), Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010)SBI, Coimbatore.

9 Shri S. Soloman, Principal Scientist Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010)(Pl. Physiology), IISR, Lucknow

10 Dr. S.K. Sukhla, Senior Scientist (Agronomy), Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010)IISR, Lucknow

11 Dr. K.C. Jain, ADG(CC), ICAR Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010)

12 Sr. Finance & Accounts Officer, Member (3.5.2007 to 2.5.2010)CPCRI, Kasaragod

13 Senior Administrative Officer, SBI Member Secretary

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15. PARTICIPATION IN CONFERENCES, SEMINARS, MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS AND SYMPOSIA

S. No. ParticipantsProgramme

th24 Annual Group Meeting of AICRP – National seed project (crops) at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during 2-4 April 2009.

Workshop on FPARP of MoWR at Coimabtore on 23 May 2009.

CSISA Delivery and Adaptive Research planning meeting at CSSRI, Karnal during 28-29 May 2009.

AICRP (Biocontrol) Group Meeting at Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat during 29-30 May 2009.

Refresher course on Developing winning research proposal in agricultural research at CCSHAU, Hissar from 28 May to 6 June 2009.

Workshop on Expert systems in agriculture at IASRI, New Delhi on 12 June 2009.

Scientific Advisory Committee meeting of MYRADA KVK, Gobichettipalayam, Erode district on 19 June 2009.

th14 R & D Workers meeting of North Karnataka at Belgaum during 24-25 June 2009.

Sugar Asia conference at New Delhi during 2-4 July 2009.

ICAR Foundation Day at New Delhi on 16 July 2009.

National Meet on Conservation agriculture at New Delhi on 17 July 2009.

National Seminar on ‘Frontiers of Biotechnology’ at Bharathiar University from July 22nd to 24th, 2009.

National symposium on Weed threat to environment, biodiversity and agriculture productivity at TNAU, Coimbatore during 2-3 August 2009.

Dr N. Vijayan NairDr R. NagarajanDr N. Rajendra Prasad

Dr P. RakkiyappanDr D. Puthira Prathap

Dr Ravindra Singh

Dr N. Geetha

Dr S.K. Pandey

Dr R. Balakrishnan

Dr T. Rajula Shanthy

Dr N. Vijayan NairDr M.N. Premachandran Dr P.Rakkiyappan Dr R. NagarajanDr P. GopalasundaramDr G. Hemaprabha Dr R. Viswanathan Dr J. SrikanthDr S. AlarmeluDr D. Puthira Prathap

Dr N. Vijayan Nair

Dr N. Vijayan Nair

Dr N. Vijayan Nair

Dr K. MohanrajDr A. Anna DuraiDr C. Appunu

Dr K. Sivaraman

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Meeting of Chairman, Commission of Agricultural Costs and Prices with farmers’ representatives and Department officials, representatives of TNAU at Chennai on 4 August 2009.

th12 meeting of Project Monitoring and Evaluation Committee to discuss the modalities for operationalization of the Accredited Test Laboratories (ATLs) under National Certification System for Tissue Culture Raised Plants (NCS-TCP) at DBT, New Delhi on 11 August 2009.

Summer school on Photosynthetic efficiency & crop productivity under climate change scenario at IARI, New Delhi during 21 August to 14 September 2009.

th70 Annual convention of STAI at Udaipur during 26-29 August 2009.

Workshop on Farmers Participatory Action Research Programme (FPARP) for presentation of technologies demonsrated under FPAR on 26 August 2009.

Workshop on Impact assessment of improved agricultural technologies at National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (NCAP) at New Delhi during 26-28 August 2009.

Meeting of Core group of Sugar Commissioners at Chennai on 4 September 2009.

Special interactive workshop on Administrative & financial matters at Hyderabad during 10-11 September 2009.

rd3 meeting of Core group of Sugar Commissioners at Hyderabad on 19 September 2009

st41 meeting of Sugarcane Research and Development Workers of Tamil Nadu & Puducherry at Tiruchirappalli during 8-9 October 2009.

Annual general body and editorial committee meeting of the Indian society of Mycology and Plant Pathology at North Bengal University, West Bengal during 22-24 October 2009.

Dr P. Rakkiyappan

Dr R. ViswanathanDr A. Selvi

Dr C. Appunu

Dr T. Rajula ShanthyDr V.P. Sobha Kumari

Dr P. RakkiyappanDr K. HariDr D. Puthira Prathap

Dr P. Murali

Dr P. Rakkiyappan

Dr N.Vijayan NairMs K. UshaShri K.K. Hamza

Dr N. Vijayan Nair

Dr N.Vijayan NairDr M.N. Premachandran Dr P.Rakkiyappan Dr R. NagarajanDr P. GopalasundaramDr G. Hemaprabha Dr R. Viswanathan Dr J. SrikanthDr P.GovindarajDr D. Puthira Prathap

Dr A. Ramesh Sundar

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

105


Meeting of mid term review of DARE/ICAR of XI five year plan - Interface with Mid Term Review Committee at (CIFE) Mumbai on 26 October 2009.

All India Seminar on Varietal Improvement & Intercropping in Sugarcane with Wheat & Other Crops at Lucknow on 30 October 2009.

Seminar on Statistical methods for perennial crops - current status and strategies at CPCRI-RS, Vittal during 30-31 October 2009

AICRP(S) Group Meeting at Pusa, Bihar during 6-8 November 2009

One day workshop on Water management and conservation including FPARP at Coimbatore on 18 November 2009.

th5 International conference on Plant Pathology in the globalized era at IARI, New Delhi during 10-13 November 2009.

th17 Annual conference on Technology environment and livelihood security at TNAU, Coimbatore during 19-21 November 2009.

th7 Pacific Rim conference on the Biotechnology of BT and its environment impacts at New Delhi during 25-28 November 2009.

th34 IAUA VC Convention and National Symposium on Application of Bionanotechnology in Agriculture & Animal Sciences for Food Security at NDRI, Karnal during 7-8 December 2009.

National seminar on Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology at University of Calicut, Kerala on 12 December 2009.

Symposium on Global development in the management of plant genetic resources at NBPGR, New Delhi during 18-19 December 2009.

Discussion on Agrobiodiversity hotspots, farmers’ rights and international legislations and programme on distribution of plant variety registration certificates for new and farmers’ varieties held at New Delhi on 21 December 2009.

Dr N.Vijayan Nair

Dr Bakshiram

Dr R. BalakrishnanDr C. Palaniswami

Dr N. Vijayan NairDr M.N. Premachandran Dr P. Padmanaban Dr Arvind MisraDr P. Gopalasundaram Dr BakshiRamDr G. Hemaprabha Dr R. ViswanathanDr S.K. Pandey Dr T. Rajula Shanthy

Dr D. Puthira PrathpDr K. Hari

Dr A. Ramesh Sundar

Dr P. Murali

Dr N. Subramonian

Dr BakshiRam

Dr V.P. Sobhakumari

Dr K. Chandran

Dr BakshiRam

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36



Meeting of Standing Research Advisory Committee of Sugar Development Fund at New Delhi on 5 January 2010.

Directors meeting at New Delhi during 19-21 January 2010

Meeting of High Level Empowered Committee for promotion of organic farming in Tamil Nadu at Chennai during 19-20 January 2010.

National Consultative Meeting on Disease diagnosis for horticultural crops at NRCB, Trichy during 22-24 January 2010.

Directors Conference at New Delhi during 15-16 February 2010.

Meeting of SAU / VCs Conference at New Delhi on 17 February 2010.

Zonal Breeders Meet of AICRP(S) North west and North central zones at AAU, Jorhat during 20-22 February 2010.

National Conference on Innovation in nematological research for agriculturally sustainability challenges and a road map ahead at TNAU, Coimbatore during 23-25 February 2010.

International Conference on computational biotechnology and nanotechnology at Thiruchengode during 24-26 February 2010.

Interface on optional land use and water management at NBSS&LUP (KAR) Nagpur on 22c February 2010.

Meeting / workshop of IP & BPD at CMFRI, Cochin during 12-13 March 2010.

National Conference on Recent trends in viral disease problems and management, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati during 18-20 March 2010.

National seminar on Mechanisation of sugarcane cultivation & Kisan mela at IISR, Lucknow during 19-20 March 2010.

National workshop on Sources of growth in Indian Agriculture - Trends, challenges and prospects at NCAP, New Delhi on 27 March 2010.

Dr P. Rakkiyappan

Dr N. Vijayan Nair

Dr P. Rakkiyappan

Dr R. Viswanathan

Dr N.Vijayan Nair

Dr N. Vijayan Nair

Dr N. Vijayan NairDr P. Govindarj

Dr C. Sankaranarayanan

Dr R. Gomathi

Dr P. Gopalasundaram

Dr M.N. PremachandranDr G. HemaprabhaDr K. HariDr C. KarpagamDr K. Kalaiponmani

Dr R. Viswanathan

Dr BakshiRam

Dr P. Murali

37

38

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40

41

42

43

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107

16. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS

S. No. DateName Affiliation

1. Dr S. P. Tiwari DDG (Edn & CS), ICAR, New Delhi 3 April 2009

2. Dr T.P. Trivedi ADG (ARIS) 25 April 2009

3. Dr Mohan Ram Executive Director, ERNET 25 April 2009

4. Dr K.D. Kokate DDG (Ag.Extn), ICAR, New Delhi 31 July 2009

5. Dr V. Venkatasubramanian ADG (Ag.Extn.), ICAR, New Delhi 31 July 2009

6. Dr Swapan Kumar Datta DDG (CS) 18 September 2009

7. Dr Mangala Rai Secretary, DARE & DG, ICAR, New Delhi 6 November 2009

8 Dr Angelique D’Hont CIRAD, Montepellier 19-20 November 2009

At Karnal

9. Dr S. Ayyappan Secretary (DARE) & DG, ICAR, New Delhi 13 March 2010

10. Dr Swapan Kumar Datta DDG (CS), ICAR, New Delhi 24 March 2010

At Kannur

11. Shri K. Sudhakaran Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Kerala 17 February 2010

12. Shri A.P. Abdullakutty Hon’ble MLA, Kerala 23 February 2010

Dr S. Ayyappan, DG, ICAR and Secretary, DARE visiting SBI RC, Karnal, on 13.3.2010

Dr Mangal Rai, Former DG, ICAR and Secretary, DARe at the NHG on 6.11.2009


S. No. E-mail IDName Designation & Discipline

17. PERSONNEL

Director: N. Vijayan Nair Ph.D. [email protected]

Division of Crop Improvement1. M.N. Premachandran Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Gen. & Cyto.) & Head [email protected]. R. Nagarajan Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]. V.A. Amalraj Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Eco. Botany) [email protected] 4. N. Subramonian Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Gen. & Cyto.) [email protected]. G. Hemaprabha Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]. N. Rajendra Prasad Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Seed Tech.) [email protected]. A. Selvi Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Biotech.) [email protected] 8. R.M. Shanthi Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]. D. Neelamathi Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Seed Tech.) [email protected] 10. K.G. Somarajan M.Sc. Scientist (SG) (Pl. Breeding) (till 30.4.2009) [email protected]. P. Govindaraj Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]. S. Alarmelu Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected] 13. A. Suganya Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Eco. Botany) [email protected]. V.P. Sobhakumari Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Gen. & Cyto.) [email protected] 15. A. Anna Durai Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]. K. Mohanraj Ph.D. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]. Ravinder Kumar Ph.D. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]. P.S. Divya M.Sc Scientist (Biotech.) [email protected]. C. Appunu Ph.D. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]. P.T. Prathima Ph.D. Scientist (Biotech) [email protected]. Minturam Meena Ph.D. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]. T. Manjunatha Ph.D. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]

Division of Crop Production23. P. Rakkiyappan Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Soil Chem., Fert. &

Micro) & Head [email protected] 24. P. Gopalasundaram Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Agron.) [email protected]. B. Sundara Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Agron.) [email protected] 26. K. Sivaraman Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Agron.) [email protected] 27. P.N. Gururaja Rao Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Pl. Physiol.) [email protected]. S. Venkataramana Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Pl. Physiol.) [email protected]. S. Vasantha Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Pl. Physiol.) [email protected]. K. Hari Ph.D Sr. Scientist (Micro.) [email protected]. Chandra Gupta Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Agron.) [email protected] 32. D. Esther Shekinah Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Agron.) [email protected]. R. Gomathi Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Plant Physiol.) [email protected]. C. Palaniswami Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (SCFM) [email protected]. A. Bhaskaran Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (SCFM) [email protected]

109

S. No. E-mail IDName Designation & Discipline

36. G.S. Suresha Ph.D. Scientist (Biochem) [email protected]

Division of Crop Protection37. P. Padmanaban Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Pl. Patho.) & Head [email protected]. D. Mohanraj Ph.D. Emeritus Scientist (Pl. Patho.) [email protected]. N. Prakasam Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Pl. Patho.) [email protected]. R. Jayanthi Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Ag. Ento) [email protected]. N. Mukunthan Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Ag. Ento) [email protected]. B.B. Das Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Ag. Ento)(till 30.4.2009) [email protected]. R. Viswanathan Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Pl. Patho.) [email protected]. K.P. Salin Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Ag. Ento.) [email protected]. A. Ramesh Sundar Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Pl. Patho.) [email protected]. J. Srikanth Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Ag. Ento.) [email protected]. N. Geetha Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Ag. Ento.) [email protected]. B. Singaravelu Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Ag. Ento.) [email protected]. P. Malathi Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Pl. Patho.) [email protected]. C. Sankaranarayanan Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Nematol.) [email protected]. V. Jayakumar Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Pl. Patho.) [email protected]

Statistics, ARIS and Economics Section52. R. Balakrishnan Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Agrl. Stat.) and Head [email protected]. P. Murali Ph.D. Scientist (Agrl. Econ.) [email protected]

Extension Section54. T. Rajula Shanthy Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Agrl. Extn.) and Head [email protected]. D. Puthira Prathap Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Agrl. Extn.) [email protected]. C. Karpagam Ph.D. Scientist (Agrl. Extn.) [email protected]

SBI- Regional Centre, Karnal57. Bakshiram Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) & Head [email protected] 58. Arvind Misra Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Agron.) (till 31.12.2009) [email protected]. S. Kumar Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Pl. Physiology) [email protected]. S.K. Pandey Ph.D. Pr. Scientist (Ag. Ento.) [email protected]. Ravindra Singh Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Agron.) [email protected]. R. Karuppaiyan Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) [email protected]

SBI- Research Centre, Kannur63. K. Chandran Ph.D. Sr. Scientist (Pl. Biotech) & Scientist Incharge [email protected]

SBI - Research Centre, AgaliK. Mohanraj Ph.D. Scientist (Pl. Breeding) & Scientist Incharge [email protected]

Administrative staff64. Ms K. Usha Senior Administrative Officer [email protected]. K. K. Hamza Finance & Accounts Officer [email protected]. R. Chandrika AAO (Establishment) [email protected]. G. Asokumar AAO (Cash & Bills) [email protected]

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