The trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) gene family plays important roles in conferring plant stress resistance, but a comprehensive analysis of the gene family is lacking for sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids). The objective of this study is to document functional classification, evolutionary characterization, and expression profiling of sugarcane TPS gene (ScTPS) family. Nine putative ScTPS genes were identified and assigned to two distinct classes based on gene structure and phylogeny. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 31 TPS genes from Arabidopsis, rice and sugarcane could be divided into five distinct clades, suggesting that there were at least five orthologous groups in monocot and dicot plants. Evolution analysis of TPS genes revealed that TPS family members appeared to have undergone strong negative selection. The strength of the selective pressure differed in most clades, especially Class I TPS genes, experienced significantly stronger negative selection pressure than Class II TPS genes. There were also cis-regulatory elements related to phytohormones and abiotic stresses. Additionally, ScTPS genes were found to exhibit divergent expression in response to simulated drought, salinity, and ABA stresses. Since ScTPS genes function in sugarcane adaptation to environmental stimuli, it might be used as a molecular marker in screening sugarcane germplasm for increased stress resistance.

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YZ05-51' (Reg. No. CV-161, PI 673444) sugarcane (a complex hybrid of Saccharum spp.) was developed through cooperative research conducted by the Yunnan Sugarcane Research Institute (YSRI) of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Yunnan Yunzhe Technology Development Co. Ltd. It was released to growers in mainland China on 1 Aug. 2013. YZ05-51 was selected from the cross Yacheng 90-56 × 'ROC 23' planned by YSRI and crossed at Yacheng Sugarcane Breeding Station (YSBS) of the Guangzhou Sugar Industry Research Institute, Yacheng, Hainan Province of mainland China in January 2005. The female parent (Yacheng 90-56) is an advanced clone developed by YSBS. The male parent (ROC23) is a cultivar developed by the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute. YZ05-51 was selected from a ive-stage selection program in YSRI and tested in the eighth China Regional Trial for Sugarcane Varieties at 14 locations in mainland China for 2 yr. YZ05-51 was released by the China Committee of Sugarcane Variety Release because of its higher cane yield compared with ROC16 and ROC22 (two reference cultivars) (7. 1 and 1.1%, respectively), its higher sugar yield compared with ROC16 and ROC22 (10.6 and 2.7%, respectively), and its resistance to drought, high resistance to smut (caused by Ustilago scitaminea H. & P. Sydow), and moderate resistance to mosaic (Sorghum mosaic virus and Sugarcane mosaic virus).

YZ081609' (Reg. no. CV-187, PI 689800) sugarcane (a complex hybrid of Saccharum spp.) was developed through cooperative research conducted by the Yunnan Sugarcane Research Institute (YSRI) of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Yunnan Yunzhe Technology Development Co., Ltd. YZ081609 was selected from the cross YZ94-343 × 'Yuetang00-236' made by YSRI, and the fuzz was produced at Yacheng Sugarcane Breeding Station of the Guangdong Provincial Bioengineering Institute, Yacheng, Hainan Province of mainland China in December 2007. The female parent, YZ94-343, is an advanced clone developed by YSRI. The male parent, Yuetang00-236, is a cultivar developed by the Guangdong Provincial Bioengineering Institute. YZ081609 was selected from a five-stage selection program in YSRI and tested in the 14th Yunnan Regional Trial for Sugarcane Varieties at six locations in Yunnan Province, China, for three crop cycles (two plant-cane crops and one ratoon crop). YZ081609 was registered in China on 6 Feb. 2018. The cane yield of YZ081609 was 14.4 and 15.3% higher than 'ROC22' and 'ROC16' (two references cultivars), respectively; the sugar yield was 22.3 and 20.1% higher than ROC22 and ROC16, respectively. YZ081609 is moderately susceptible to smut and highly resistant to mosaic (Sorghum mosaic virus and Sugarcane mosaic virus).Abbreviations: DAP, days after planting; RCBD, randomized complete block design; SC, sugar content in cane; SSW, single stalk weight; YRTSV, Yunnan Regional Trial of Sugarcane Varieties; YSRI, Yunnan Sugarcane Research Institute.

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an important economic crop, supplying up to 80% of the table sugar and~60% of bio-ethanol worldwide. Due to population growth and dwindling fossil-fuel reserves, the demand for sugar and bio-ethanol requires significant improvement in sugarcane production. Breeding sugarcane cultivars with high-performance agronomic traits is undoubtedly the most efficient way to achieve this goal. Therefore, evaluating agronomic traits and dissecting underlying loci are critically important for this aim steps in providing genetic resources and molecular markers for selection. In this study, we assembled a diversity panel of 236 elite sugarcane germplasms originally collected from 12 countries. We evaluated 28 agronomic traits in the diversity panel with three replicates. The diversity panel was genotyped using amplified fragment length polymorphism markers, and a total of 1,359 markers were generated. Through the genome-wide association study, we identified three markers significantly associated with three traits evaluated at a stringent threshold (P < 0.05 after Bonferroni correction). The genotypes of the three associated markers grouped respective trait values into two distinct groups, supporting the reliability of these markers for breeding selection. Our study provides putative molecular markers linked to agronomic traits for breeding robust sugarcane cultivars. Additionally, this study emphasized the importance of sugarcane germplasm introduced from other countries and suggested that the use of these germplasms in breeding programs depends on local industrial needs.

YZ01-1413' (Reg. No. CV-170; PI 678580) sugarcane (a complex hybrid of Saccharum spp.) was developed through cooperative research conducted by Yunnan Sugarcane Research Institute (YSRI), of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Yunnan Yunzhe Technology Development Co., Ltd. It was released to growers in Yunnan Province, China, on 9 June 2014. YZ01-1413 was selected from the cross 'Yuetang 85-177' × 'ROC10' planned by YSRI and crossed at the Yacheng Sugarcane Breeding Station of Guangzhou Sugar Industry Research Institute, Yacheng, Hainan Province of mainland China in December 2000. The female parent (Yuetang 85-177) is a cultivar developed by the Guangzhou Sugar Industry Research Institute. The male parent (ROC10) is a cultivar developed by the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute. YZ01-1413 was selected from a ive-stage selection program in YSRI and tested in the 11th Yunnan Regional Trial of Sugarcane Varieties at ive locations of Yunnan Province for 2 yr. YZ01-1413 was released by the Yunnan Committee of Crop Variety Release because of its higher cane yield compared with reference cultivars ROC10 and ROC22 (25.8 and 8.4%, respectively), higher sugar yield compared with ROC10 and ROC22 (25.5 and 7.4%, respectively), tolerance to drought, and high resistance to smut.

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TGA transcription factor (TF) family genes play a major role in the regulation of plant growth and development as well as in the defense against pathogen attack. Little is known about the TGA family genes and their functions in sugarcane. Here, a total of 16 TGA members were identified in the sugarcane genome by bioinformatic approaches. All members exhibited similar conserved motifs and contained a bZIP domain and a DOG1 domain, except for ShTGA15/16. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that 16 ShTGA family genes could be divided into eight clades, and evolved differently from Arabidopsis TGAs. All ShTGA family genes suffered a purifying selection during evolution. A wide range of cis-regulatory elements were found in the promoter of ShTGA genes including hormone regulatory elements, adversity response elements, light responsive elements, and growth and development regulatory elements. Most ShTGA expressions were increased in bud growth and developmental processes except for ShTGA10/11. It is worth noting that the expression of ShTGA13 was decreased after sugarcane was infected with Sporisorium scitamineum, and it was highly expressed in the resistant variety compared to the susceptible variety. Adding IAA, GA3 and SA restored the expression of ShTGA13, suggesting an association with plant hormone regulatory pathways. Our study provides a framework for further functional studies of important ShTGA genes in development and stress response, and uncovered a previously unrecognized role of ShTGA13 in regulating resistance against S. scitamineum.