Sugarcane Breeding and Supporting Genetics Research in Japan

In Japan, sugarcane cultivation is limited to its Southwest Islands, at the southernmost end of the Japanese Archipelago. These islands have a mostly subtropical climate, but the natural environmental conditions are harsh for sugarcane cultivation because of frequent typhoons, droughts in summer, poor soil fertility, and low temperatures in winter. Although the sugarcane industry has played an essential role in food security in Japan and the local economy of the Southwest Islands, cane production, production area, average unit yields, and number of farmers involved have been decreasing in recent years due to aging farmers, relatively slow mechanization, and adverse natural conditions. To maintain and develop the sugarcane industry and its sustainability, a network of sugarcane researchers is engaged in collaborative efforts to improve sugarcane production in the region. This paper briefly reviews the history and current status of sugarcane production and breeding in Japan, challenges the research teams are addressing, and the methodological approaches applied, including introgression-based, biotechnological, and molecular genetic breeding techniques.