Biotechnological Intervention for Sugarcane Improvement Under Salinity

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a major cash crop that drives the economy of several countries owing to being an important source for sugar, bioethanol, and ethanol production globally. Several biotic and abiotic stresses have been reported to reduce the overall yield and production of sugarcane globally. Salinity is major abiotic stress which drastically influences the yield and hence needs a holistic approach to develop salt-tolerant sugarcane varieties. Efforts of conventional breeding approaches toward the development of salt-tolerant varieties are being hampered due to the presence of narrow genetic pool and complicated genome architecture of sugarcane. Substantial efforts have been made to expedite marker-assisted breeding approach. Recent advancements in the plant molecular biology have led to the identification of some of the identification of few potential genes for developing transgenic salt-tolerant sugarcane. The emergence of omics-based technologies such as genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics with the deciphering of genome sequences have substantially enhanced the pace of sugarcane improvement. Genome-wide analysis has revealed several salt inducible regulatory sequences, transcription factors, and miRNAs, which could be a potential tool for developing salt-tolerant sugarcane varieties. The potential of recent genome-editing technologies for enhancing salt tolerance in sugarcane is also being explored. The present review highlights the biotechnological intervention emerging from the recent omics-driven research for developing salt tolerance in sugarcane.

Automated summary

Sugarcane is a major cash crop globally, but it faces challenges from various stresses. Conventional breeding approaches have limitations, but recent advancements in omics-driven research provide new opportunities for developing salt-tolerant sugarcane varieties. The use of genomics, proteomics, and genome-editing technologies has greatly enhanced the pace of sugarcane improvement.