Diversity of Saccharum germplasm in Kerala, India

摘要

Some of the major river basins in the state of Kerala, India were surveyed for the collection of Saccharum germplasm during December 1999. Saccharum spontaneum was found to be extensively distributed throughout the course of the Bharathapuzha river, which is the second longest river in the state. The species has established itself as a major plant element with a massive presence along the riverbanks and riverbeds, facilitated by profuse flowering, seed set and optimal conditions for the dispersal andgermination of the seeds. Other river basins in the state showed relatively less presence of S. spontaneum. The variability for plant characters across the different river zones was found to be essentially the same. Erianthus anm-dinaceus was present along most of the rivers, though variability and distribution was found to be limited. A total of 54 S. spontaneum and 17 E. arundinaceus clones were collected from the different river zones of the state.