Field performance of temporary immersion bioreactor-derived sugarcane plants

Summary: 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.