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The temporary immersion bioreactor has been found to be an important tool for sugarcane micropropagation, allowing higher shoot formation rates and cost reduction. This research was conducted to demonstrate the agricultural value of temporary immersion bioreactor-derived sugarcane plants. The experiment was carried out for about 2 yr to study the field performance of these plants. Two control treatments were also evaluated representing the conventional forms of micro-and macropropagation. Growth of sugarcane stools, first ratoon and the use of micropropagated plants for macropropagation were recorded. Some botanical and chemical characteristics were evaluated. Differences among propagation systems were only found in the first 6 mo. of field growth, regarding the stem length and diameter. Such differences disappeared with the course of the experiment.

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Fifty pineapple buds (cv. Red Spanish Pinar, donor) were collected from field-grown plants and cultured in vitro. Forty-three young pineapple shoots were obtained after 42 d of implantation. Shoots were micropropagated for 168 d to produce 24,768 shoots. Three hundred young leaves were randomly selected as explants for callus formation. Calli proliferated for 4 months. Five hundred calli were randomly selected and transferred to the plantlet regeneration medium. Four hundred twenty-seven in vitroplantlets were obtained and later hardened ex vitro. Then, 387 plantlets were transferred to the field environment and asexually propagated for two generations (30 months). Only two phenotype variants were identified: P3R5 and Dwarf. A more detailed study was carried out to compare these two variants with the donor plant. The variant P3R5 showed differences in the number of slips and suckers, and in the presence of thorns in the leaves and in the fruit crowns. The somaclonal variant Dwarf, was different from the donor plant in regard with the plant height; the peduncle diameter; the number of shoots, slips and suckers; the fruit mass with crown; the number of eyes in the fruit; the fruit height and diameter; the leaf color; the plant architecture; the length of plant generation cycle; and the fruit color and shape. Both somaclonal variants showed different AFLP banding patterns in comparison with the donor cultivar.

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