Sugarcane biotechnology: tapping unlimited potential

Sugarcane is the world's largest biomass-producing crop. It is a rich source of food, fibers, fodder, fuels and chemicals and fertilizers. Demand for sugarcane and sugarcane-derived products are set to increase as the world population increases and as new technology extend the diversity of sugarcane-derived products. Climate change offers additional challenges that the sugarcane industry needs to consider to maintain a sustainable industry. This chapter describes the sugarcane crop, its history and genetics, conventional breeding versus genetic modification (GM) improvement, advancement through biotechnology and its limitations, GM approaches for improving biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, industrial applications of sugarcane biotechnology, and the effect of climate change on sugarcane. Pathogen-derived resistance (PDR) is a technique that has been successfully used to impart resistance to some plant viral pathogens. The improvement of sugarcane through the use of biotechnology will assist to improve the value and sustainability of the crop in the future