Gene Mapping Research Progress and Prospect in Sugarcane

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is one of the major sugar-yielding crops in the world. Compared with other crops, sugarcane has diversified chromosomes and enormous genome, so its genetic mechanism is much more complex. Besides, the reproduction coefficient of sugarcane is very low and its flowering habit is so unique. Moreover, the life cycle of sugarcane is quite long and its growth is easily affected by the environment. Therefore it is of great difficulty to carry out the genetic and gene mapping studies of sugarcane. In recent years, some progress has been made in sugarcane gene mapping with the development of biotechnology and the use of various molecular markers. Some molecular markers relating to the major agronomic traits such as disease-resistant, yield and sucrose content were developed. In this paper, we summarized the progress in the three above aspects and discussed the problems met in these studies. We hope to lay a foundation for the gene mapping and marker-assisted selection breeding in sugarcane. Keywords Sugarcane; Gene Mapping; Progress; Prospect