Abstract
Progeny from 32 biparental crosses between F1 clones (i.e. Saccharum officinarum or commercial hybrid × S. spontaneum derived from S. spontaneum clones of different geographic origin), together with the parent F1 clones, were evaluated for sugar yield and its components. Previous studies suggested that progeny derived from different S. spontaneous sources may exhibit heterosis for sugar content and yield. Both progeny and parent populations exhibited high genetic variation for all attributes measured. No significant differences between the parent population and populations of progeny for either mean performance or variance were found. It is suggested that little or no immediate gain from favourable gene interactions may be achieved by crossing F1 clones of diverse genetic backgrounds.
