The sugarcane variety development program on Réunion Island is dedicated to an industry that encompasses numerous different agroclimatic production zones. The objective of this study is to characterize in detail the final selection stage of this program, consisting of multienvironment trials (MET) at seven representative locations, considering the genotypic response in terms of tonnes of cane per hectare (TCH), estimable recoverable sugar (ERS), fiber content (FIB), and an economic index (EI). Data from four recent variety series tested between one and three crop years were used. Each trait revealed a significant genotype 9 location (GL) interaction, always higher than the genotype 9 crop year (GC) interaction, indicating that testing genotypes across locations is more important than testing for ratooning ability. Broad-sense heritability (H) at MET level was relatively high for FIB compared with EI, while ERS and TCH exhibited intermediate H values. Genotype main effect plus genotype 9 environment (GGE) biplot analysis applied to a balanced set of genotypes tested over two crop years across all environments permitted reliable visualization at a glance of (i) the level of proximity between genotypes or environments, and (ii) the performance of varieties in each environment and their stability across all of them. No redundancy between any pair of environments was found for the most important selection trait (EI). These results confirm the relevance of a selection strategy firstly oriented toward selecting sugarcane genotypes for local adaptations with the objective of enhancing the mean productivity of the whole cane industry.

Sugarcane variety development programmes are costly and lengthy. It appears important to periodically assess their ability to select competitive genotypes for yield components and provide genetic gains. This article reports a 10-year retrospective analysis of successive variety trials conducted in four regional breeding programmes on Réunion Island in the most advanced regional selection stage. The four variety programmes were dedicated to the humid coastal zone (LM), the per-humid coastal zone (SB), the irrigated dry coastal zone (ES) and the dry high lands (VB) of the local industry. Using mixed linear models, the objective of the study was to (1) assess genetic variabilities available for yield components in this advanced selection stage; and (2) estimate trends of genetic gains achieved over the last decade across the four programmes. Yield components were: cane yield (CY), estimable recoverable sugar (ERS), fibre content (FIB) and economic index (EI). Broad-sense heritabilities were high (0.70-0.91) for all traits in each programme. Mean genetic coefficients of variation were about twice as high for CY (14.1%) and EI (15.5%) compared to ERS (5.7%) and FIB (6.6%). A higher probability of identifying superior varieties was found for CY and EI in two of the four programmes characterized either by thermal and hydric stresses (VB) or by an edaphic stress (SB). Simple linear regression of variety performances versus years of selection revealed trends in genetic gains for EI ranging between 0.53 and 1.81% increase per year that were highly significant (P \ 0.001) in the two programmes (LM and VB).

Sugarcane breeding programs aim to deliver new high-yielding varieties, resistant to diseases and pests, which contribute to profitability and sustainability of cane industries. These programs generally mobilize significant experimental, technological and human resources on long-term basis. Their efficiency in terms of genetic gains per unit of cost and time and their ability to release new varieties rely on the development of many breeding applications based on quantitative genetics theory and on statistical analyses of numerous experimental data from selection schemes including DNA marker data developed for some genomic breeding applications. New methodological approaches and new technologies that might better guide and support breeding research in cultivars development programs are continually sought. This paper presents an overview of the main applications developed in statistical methodology in support of the efficiency of sugarcane breeding programs. For each type of application, its conceptual and methodological framework is presented. Implementation issues are reviewed as well as the main scientific and practical achievements so far obtained.

All over the world, sugarcane breeding programs are developing new, high-yielding cultivars that are resistant to major diseases to improve the profitability and sustainability of the sugar-energy industries they serve. In Reunion Island, sugarcane genetic improvement efforts began in 1929. Many challenges had to be overcome. Continuous breeding efforts have been made to develop varietal resistances to control some major diseases and are still going on today. Given the extreme agroclimatic diversity that characterizes the different production areas of the industry, it was necessary to gradually develop a large network of seven decentralized breeding programs to support genetic progress throughout the whole industry. This article provides an overview of the sugarcane breeding program of Reunion. It describes historical achievements and gives detailed information about germplasm development, variety exchanges, breeding program and selection scheme and procedures. A review is also made on applied genetics research activities supporting variety improvement. Further progress depends on the optimized functioning of the current breeding program, which has never been so largely extended in terms of target environments. The article discusses prospects of genomics breeding applications in the complex genetic context of sugarcane, which will require large multidisciplinary collaborations.

Orange rust caused by Puccinia kuehnii is a major emerging disease in many sugarcane-producing countries. Breeding for resistant varieties is the main strategy for controlling orange rust. The rapid spread of this disease in recently contaminated sugarcane industries offers the opportunity to use on-going breeding trials to investigate the effect of orange rust on yield traits and gauge levels of resistance required to minimize losses. Orange rust was first observed in 2018 in Reunion. This study reports the effects of the disease on cane yield (CY), recoverable sugar (RS), fiber content (FIB) and economic index (EI) in five environments of Reunion’s sugarcane breeding program located in diverse agro-climatic zones. Disease resistance assessed under natural infection had high broad-sense heritability (0.76–0.91) in multi-environment analyses. Mean infection levels differed between locations congruently with location differences for two influential climatic parameters (humidity and temperature). Maximum potential yield losses ($${YL}_{max}$$ YL max ) associated with orange rust were estimated using regression analyses of yield traits versus disease susceptibility. $${YL}_{max}$$ YL max for CY and EI varied between environments and reached up to 26.0% and 24.2% respectively, in one of the most humid environments. RS was either unaffected or only slightly increased by the disease. In contrast, FIB was always reduced by the disease ($${YL}_{max}$$ YL max ≤6.5%). Multi-environment analyses of yield traits of varieties common to all five environments gave insights into the impact of orange rust on the yielding ability of these varieties across all environments. All these data provide food for thoughts to efficient breeding strategies for varietal resistance to orange rust.