Hermann Hoffmann and Geraldo Verissimo are cane breeders and are responsible for the development of varieties of the Network of Universities for the development of the sugar-energy sector (Ridesa), in Brazil.
Hermann Hoffmann and Geraldo Verissimo are cane breeders and are responsible for the development of varieties of the Network of Universities for the development of the sugar-energy sector (Ridesa), in Brazil.
The two visited the Cenicaña Experimental Station in order to seek alliances for the interaction of researchers and exchange of genetic material.
During their visit they learned about the Cenicaña Variety Program, which they described as "well structured and with well-defined objectives."
Geraldo Verissimo, Ridesa cane breeder, explained to the Informative Letter what his variety development process is like.
How is the cane variety development process at Ridesa?
Ridesa is a network of 18 federal universities in which each one has an improvement program, whose managers are researchers, professors and support personnel. There is a team of 80 researchers from all universities, plus technicians and people from the field.
The improvement programs are financed with economic contributions from each of the regions, through an agreement between the universities and the mills.
This work with federal universities has been carried out for 17 years. Before Ridesa, for 28 years it was Planalsucar, for a total of 45 years developing the RB (Republic of Brazil) varieties.
These varieties represent 70% of the planted area in the country, which is approximately nine million hectares. In 6.3 million hectares there are varieties developed by Ridesa.
All universities manage their own information, planning, protection and participation in the breeding campaign and development of the varieties.
In Alagoas state there is a germplasm bank for the development of new crosses; then, through the network, the Federal University of Alagoas distributes the sexual seed for each of the research programs.
We have a contract between the universities and the sugar mills for the use of Ridesa varieties, but all of them can be used by the universities.
What are the criteria for the selection and development of varieties?
We aim to find disease resistant materials and increase productivity through mechanical harvesting.
Sugarcane cultivation has several challenges, the most important of which are diseases; therefore, every variety that becomes ill leaves the research process and the field.
At some point, when the material that dominated the region began to get sick, it was replaced by a new one with higher sugar content, greater regrowth capacity, uniformity of the soca, longevity of the soca and more erect bearing, which is a characteristic desirable for mechanical harvesting; but the main criteria are diseases.
How long does it take to develop a new variety of cane?
Historically it takes between 12 to 15 years. With current techniques and good irrigation management, it can take 10 years, but when it comes to materials that we take up from work with the mills, it can take up to 20 years.
How is the use of biotechnology to develop varieties progressing?
Sugarcane biotechnology is very complex due to the magnitude of the genome, and therefore there is little success in the development of new technologies. Biotechnology serves as support for conventional genetic improvement through crosses and selection assisted by molecular markers.
We have worked on molecular markers. We only have transgenics as knowledge experiences, since the use of new genes is quite expensive, hence the importance and priority given to conventional breeding.
