YZ081609' (Reg. no. CV-187, PI 689800) sugarcane (a complex hybrid of Saccharum spp.) was developed through cooperative research conducted by the Yunnan Sugarcane Research Institute (YSRI) of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Yunnan Yunzhe Technology Development Co., Ltd. YZ081609 was selected from the cross YZ94-343 × 'Yuetang00-236' made by YSRI, and the fuzz was produced at Yacheng Sugarcane Breeding Station of the Guangdong Provincial Bioengineering Institute, Yacheng, Hainan Province of mainland China in December 2007. The female parent, YZ94-343, is an advanced clone developed by YSRI. The male parent, Yuetang00-236, is a cultivar developed by the Guangdong Provincial Bioengineering Institute. YZ081609 was selected from a five-stage selection program in YSRI and tested in the 14th Yunnan Regional Trial for Sugarcane Varieties at six locations in Yunnan Province, China, for three crop cycles (two plant-cane crops and one ratoon crop). YZ081609 was registered in China on 6 Feb. 2018. The cane yield of YZ081609 was 14.4 and 15.3% higher than 'ROC22' and 'ROC16' (two references cultivars), respectively; the sugar yield was 22.3 and 20.1% higher than ROC22 and ROC16, respectively. YZ081609 is moderately susceptible to smut and highly resistant to mosaic (Sorghum mosaic virus and Sugarcane mosaic virus).Abbreviations: DAP, days after planting; RCBD, randomized complete block design; SC, sugar content in cane; SSW, single stalk weight; YRTSV, Yunnan Regional Trial of Sugarcane Varieties; YSRI, Yunnan Sugarcane Research Institute.