Research and development on earliness of ripening of sugarcane (Saccharum spp) at the Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute

Increased productivity is a long-standing objective of the Mauritian sugar industry, especially in the early part of the milling season when yields are sub-optimal due to low sucrose content. The Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute (MSIRI) has its own breeding programme and the production of early cultivars is a priority objective. Agronomic and physiological studies on sugarcane genotypes with differing ripening characteristics are reviewed. Changes in the breeding and selection procedures over the past 20 years at the MSIRI, which were designed to lead to the development of cultivars suitable for harvesting at different dates, are discussed. results of recent investigations on variation and inheritance and on the physiological basis of ripening, are outlined. The performance of recent, Mauritian commercial varieties suitable for early harvest is surveyed. The potential for increasing sugar yield through the development of early ripening cultivars is shown to be considerable and substantial economic gains are envisaged.