Breeding patterns and biotechnological approach in sugarcane and sugarbeet

摘要

The biology of sugarcane and sugarbeet differs considerably. Sugar beet is used as an annual dicotyl crop and has a small and well-defined genome. It has been adapted for high yield performance by hybrid breeding involving a minimum of 3 different lines with specific biological traits. The application of genomics is concentrated on various methods of marker assisted selection to biological traits and resistance to pests and diseases. Genetically modified (GM) sugarbeet is transformed for the purpose of achieving improved agronomic (input) traits in terms of herbicide tolerance and resistance to rhizomania, while the resistance to nematodes and fungi is under research. Creating a GM variety is a very complex process which takes more than 10 years. Sugarbeet hybrid seed is always propagated by breeding companies alone, and due to the specific hybrid breeding patterns involved, varieties are in effect be kept under lock and key.