Research on appropriate leaf positions in diverse sugarcane genotypes is crucial due to the significance of leaf anatomical characteristics in determining plant adaptability. This study aimed to compare the anatomical traits among the varied leaf positions within a tiller and tillers under normal conditions. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) setup used four replications. Four commercial canes, two wild types, and three F₁ interspecific hybrids underwent examination on leaf thickness (LT), cuticle thickness percentage (CT%), vertical length bulliform cell percentage (VBC%), and stomatal crypt depth percentage (SCD%) across 1^st to 5^th leaf positions on main, first, and second tillers. The 1^st to 5^th leaf positions had no differences when compared within the tiller in commercial and wild cultivars for LT, CT%, VBC%, and SCD% traits, and F₁ hybrids demonstrated no variation in CT% and VBC% traits. The LT, SCD, and CT of commercial canes had a high proportion, and VBC had a slender shape and a large size. Inversely, the wild type had a low LT but high SCD and CT and a circular shape with a small size VBC. Leaf anatomy in the F₁ hybrid resembled the wild type, and leaf positions 1^st to 3^rd were not different among tillers, but the 4^th and 5^th leaf positions differed. Therefore, anatomical trait collection should continue among 1^st to 3^rd leaf positions for all sugarcane types. Moreover, the 1^st to 3^rd leaf positions within the 1^st and 2^nd tillers can represent the anatomical performance of the main tiller in commercial cane cultivars.

Keywords: Leaf position, leaf divergence, bulliform cells, stomatal crypt depth, leaf sequences

Key findings: The 1^st to 3^rd leaf positions for all sugarcane types can help to investigate drought resistance traits in the leaf anatomy. There were no differences among tiller sequences of 1^st to 3^rd leaf positions in commercial cane cultivars.