Registration of ‘HoCP 14‐885’ sugarcane

Abstract

‘HoCP 14‐885’ (Reg. No. CV‐226, PI 708926) sugarcane (interspecific hybrids of Saccharum spp.) was selected from progenies of a cross made in Canal Point, FL, and evaluated by scientists at the USDA‐ARS in Houma, LA, in cooperation with the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center and the American Sugar Cane League, Inc. HoCP 14‐885 was released to growers in Louisiana in 2021. Evaluations of the plant‐cane, first‐ratoon, and second‐ratoon crops at 12 field locations revealed that HoCP 14‐885 had significantly greater sucrose content than the current major Louisiana cultivar ‘L 01‐299’ in plant cane and first ratoon, as well as on average across all crops. It also had significantly greater cane yield in the plant‐cane crop than L 01‐299 and significantly greater sugar yield in the plant‐cane crop and across the entire crop cycle. HoCP 14‐885 is a mid–season‐maturing cultivar that matures earlier than L 01‐299. In cold‐tolerance trials, HoCP 14‐885 demonstrated poor performance in juice‐deterioration characteristics. The cultivar is resistant to smut (caused by Sporisorium scitamineum ), brown rust (caused by Puccinia melanocephala ), and the common strains of Sorghum mosaic virus found in Louisiana, USA. HoCP 14‐885 has moderate susceptibility to leaf scald (caused by Xanthomonas albilineans ), is susceptible to ratoon stunt [caused by Leifsonia xyli subsp.  xyli (Lxx)] disease, and is moderately susceptible to the sugarcane borer ( Diatraea saccharalis F.). The release of HoCP 14‐885 sugarcane provides Louisiana growers with a cultivar that has high cane and sucrose yields, low fiber content, good ratooning ability, and the disease resistance necessary for the sustainable cultivation of sugarcane in Louisiana.