Drought stress ‘memory’ increases cane yield and juice quality of field-grown sugarcane

RV Ribeiro^1,2, MD Pissolato^1,3, LP Cruz¹, RL Almeida^1,2, TS Silva^1,2 and EC Machado^1,2

¹Laboratory of Crop Physiology (LCroP), Department of Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil; rvr@unicamp.br

²Center for Plant Molecular Breeding (CeM²P), Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil

³Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

This study explored the impact of intergenerational drought ‘memory’ on sugarcane yield and quality. Two sugarcane cultivars IACCTC07-8008 (drought tolerant) and IACSP95-5000 (high yielding) were subjected to drought cycles during tillering (group T) or maturation stage (group M). Propagules obtained from these stressed plants, as well as well-watered plants (group W) were then cultivated under field conditions. Our results demonstrated that sugarcane propagules ‘inherited’ drought memory from their stressed origin material. Propagules from groups T and M of IACCTC07-8008 showed a larger root system than ones from group W. In addition, group M of IACCTC07-8008 also exhibited improvements in juice quality (e.g., higher sucrose content). The stalk yield, shoot biomass, leaf area index, and tiller density of IACCTC07-8008 in group M and of IACSP95-5000 in group T were increased as a consequence of intergenerational drought memory. While drought memory was evident in both cultivars, its effects varied depending on the cultivar and the stage of parental stress. Notably, propagules from IACCTC07-8008 stressed during the maturation stage exhibited the most pronounced improvements in yield and quality. These findings highlight the potential for exploiting intergenerational drought memory to enhance sugarcane productivity and resilience in water-limited environments.