Michael Butterfield1, George Piperidis2, Krishnasamy Mohanraj3, Govindakurup Hemaprabha3, Danilo Cursi1, Marvellous Zhou4, Jean-Yves Hoarau5 and Angélique D’Hont5
1Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (CTC), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
2Sugar Research Australia, Mackay, Queensland, Australia
3ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute Coimbatore-641007, India
4South African Sugarcane Research Institute, Durban, South Africa
5Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), France
The ISSCT 13th Germplasm & Breeding /10th Molecular Biology Workshop was jointly organized by ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore and the Society for Sugarcane Research and Development, Coimbatore, India from 8-12 July 2024. The major workshop theme was Breeding, Biotechnology and Germplasm utilization for developing climate-smart and resource-use efficient sugarcane varieties. The workshop attracted 96 delegates from 14 countries, 42 Indian delegates, 38 delegates from Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, France, Fiji, Japan, Indonesia, Réunion, South Africa, Thailand, United States of America, and Zimbabwe. Sixteen delegates representing the sugar industry also participated in the workshop. The objective of the workshop was to provide a global platform for the sugarcane researchers working in different countries to interact and share their perceptions and concerns on current challenges in sugarcane agriculture and to review the progress of sugarcane research in different countries. The symposium was held for two days followed by a visit to the National Distant Hybridization Facility at ICAR SBIRC, Agali, Kerala and institute visit on 11 July 2024.