Biotechnological Interventions for Improving Sucrose Accumulation in Sugarcane

Sugarcane is a C4 grass grown in tropical and subtropical regions, cultivated in 22 million hectares in more than 100 countries (FAOSTAT 2008, http://faostatfaoorg/defaultaspx). Major sugar requirement of the world is met by sugarcane. It contributes almost 75% of total sugar produced from all the sugar crops. Sugarcane is also used for generation of biofuel and bagasse as lignocellulosic raw material for paper industries. Sucrose content and cane weight are the key traits determining the income of sugarcane farmers and industries. In general, sugarcane varieties in cultivation are capable to accumulate higher sucrose in the stems to levels more than 50% of the stem dry weight. Ability of sugarcane to produce and store higher concentration of sucrose in the mature internodes has made the crop more suitable for commercial sucrose extraction. In this chapter, we reviewed the work carried out by various sugarcane researchers around the world on sugarcane biotechnology in relation to sucrose enhancement using various molecular approaches and technologies.