Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) productivity has not yet fulfilled the domestic sugar demand; therefore, increasing productivity is necessary in Indonesia. However, addressing this issue can proceed through the development of new, superior sugarcane cultivars. The following study aimed to obtain ratoon crop (RC-1) clones derived through polycross with higher sugar yields than their female parent. The research ran from December 2021 to November 2022 at the Karangploso Experimental Station, Malang, Indonesia. Twenty-four clones resulted from crossing cultivar POJ 2878 with three other parental cultivars, Bululawang, 6535, and SIL-04, and one female parent. The study employed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two replications, using plots measuring 1 m × 5 m and a planting spacing of 110 cm. Based on the results, the 10 obtained sugarcane clones produced by polycross have the potential to increase sugarcane productivity (e.g., 19/P5/37, 19/P5/33, and 19/P5/27), which outperformed POJ 2878 consistently in stalk length, diameter, and weight, the number of stalks, and cane and sugar yield. Clones 19/P5/37, 19/P5/33, and 19/P5/27 exhibited increases in sugar yield of 11.57%, 10.28%, and 10.02%, respectively, compared with POJ 2878, suggesting higher production potential than the control.
Sugarcane (S. officinarum L.), hybridization, polycross, clonal selection, sugar yield, ratoon crop, cultivar POJ 2878
Eighteen sugarcane (S. officinarum L.) clones, obtained from the polycross of the cultivar POJ 2878 with three other parental genotypes, Bululawang, 6535, and SIL-04, along with one female parent clone, showed potential for high cane productivity.