Sugarcane E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: World Agriculture Series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 2063

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Physiology of Sugarcane looks at the development of asuite of well-established and developing biofuels derived fromsugarcane and cane-based co-products, such as bagasse. Chaptersprovide broad-ranging coverage of sugarcane biology,biotechnological advances, and breakthroughs in production andprocessing techniques. This single volume resource brings togetheressential information to researchers and industry personnelinterested in utilizing and developing new fuels andbioproducts derived from cane crops.

Leseprobe

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword

Preface

Contributors

Chapter 1: Sugarcane: The Crop, the Plant, and Domestication

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

SINGULAR PROPERTIES OF THE GENUS SACCHARUM AND ITS MEMBERS

SECONDARY AND TERTIARY GENE POOLS, GERMPLASM RESOURCES

EVOLUTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF SUGARCANES

REFERENCES

Chapter 2: Anatomy and Morphology

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

PLANT MORPHOLOGY

THE CULM

THE LEAF

THE INFLORESCENCE

THE ROOT

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Chapter 3: Developmental Stages (Phenology)

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPMENT OF ROOTS

MOLECULAR CONTROL OF DEVELOPMENT

CONCLUSIONS

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

REFERENCES

Chapter 4: Ripening and Postharvest Deterioration

SUMMARY

ABBREVIATIONS LIST

NATURAL RIPENING

CHEMICAL RIPENING

POSTHARVEST DETERIORATION

REFERENCES

Chapter 5: Mineral Nutrition of Sugarcane

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTORY CONCEPTS IN PLANT NUTRITION

PRIMARY NUTRIENTS

SECONDARY NUTRIENTS

MINOR NUTRIENTS

BENEFICIAL ELEMENT

TOXIC ELEMENT

NOVEL APPLICATIONS OF GENETIC MANIPULATION TO PLANT NUTRITION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

REFERENCES

Chapter 6: Photosynthesis in Sugarcane

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

C4 PHOTOSYNTHESIS–AGRONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF C3 AND C4 PHOTOSYNTHESIS

ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY

PHOTOSYNTHETIC CAPACITY IN SUGARCANE

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Chapter 7: Respiration as a Competitive Sink for Sucrose Accumulation in Sugarcane Culm: Perspectives and Open Questions

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

TOWARD UNDERSTANDING RESPIRATION AND PLANT YIELD IN SUGARCANE

TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF RESPIRATION

IDENTIFYING CORE GENES INVOLVED IN POSTTRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF RESPIRATORY FLUX IN SUGARCANE

CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

Chapter 8: Nitrogen Physiology of Sugarcane

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

SETTING THE SCENE: NITROGEN IN THE SUGARCANE CROP SYSTEM

MICROBIAL ASSOCIATIONS AND SYMBIOSES FOR NITROGEN ACQUISITION

NITROGEN AND SUGARCANE PRODUCTIVITY

NITROGEN ASSIMILATION AND AGRONOMIC GAINS

IMPROVING NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY THROUGH GENETIC ENGINEERING

CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

Chapter 9: Water Relations and Cell Expansion of Storage Tissue

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

PROPERTIES OF WATER, CELL WALLS, AND CELL MEMBRANES

APPLYING PRINCIPLES OF WATER RELATIONS TO SUGARCANE

PLASTIC VERSUS ELASTIC CELL EXPANSION

WATER-POTENTIAL ISOTHERMS

ESTIMATING APOPLASTIC VOLUME IN SUGARCANE

SUGARCANE CULM GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

EARLY MODEL OF SUCROSE ACCUMULATION IN CULM TISSUE

APOPLASTIC SUCROSE

SUGARCANE SPECIES COMPARISONS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Chapter 10: Water, Transpiration, and Gas Exchange

SUMMARY

ABBREVIATION LIST

THE CHALLENGE OF GAS EXCHANGE

THE PROPERTIES OF WATER

TRANSPORT OF LIQUID WATER

TRANSPORT OF WATER VAPOR

STOMATAL REGULATION OF WATER LOSS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Chapter 11: Transport Proteins in Plant Growth and Development

SUMMARY

TRANSPORT BASICS

FACILITATED DIFFUSION

ACTIVE TRANSPORTERS

ION TRANSPORT

MEMBRANE TRANSPORT IN THE CONTEXT OF WHOLE PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF TRANSPORT PROTEINS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Chapter 12: Phloem Transport of Resources

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS OF RESOURCE TRANSPORT IN THE PHLOEM

PHLOEM TRANSPORT OF RESOURCES IN SUGARCANE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

REFERENCES

Chapter 13: Cell Walls: Structure and Biogenesis

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF SUGARCANE CELL WALL COMPOSITION

MAJOR CELL WALL CONSTITUENTS

EXPANSIVE GROWTH OF THE CELL WALL

GRASS CELL WALLS AS FORAGE AND BIOFUEL FEEDSTOCK

CLOSING REMARKS

REFERENCES

Chapter 14: Hormones and Growth Regulators

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

AUXIN

GIBBERELLINS

CYTOKININS

ETHYLENE

ABSCISIC ACID

STRIGOLACTONES

BRASSINOSTEROIDS

JASMONATES

SALICYLIC ACID

PEPTIDE HORMONES INCLUDING FLORIGEN

PERSPECTIVE

REFERENCES

Chapter 15: Flowering

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

DEVELOPMENTAL PHASES

REPEATABILITY OF FLOWERING DATE

SEASONALITY

LATITUDINAL DISTRIBUTION OF FLOWERING TYPES

PHOTOPERIODISM

MINIMUM NUMBER OF INITIATING PHOTOPERIODIC CYCLES

PHOTOPERIODIC ECOTYPES AND HERITABILITY OF THE PHOTOPERIOD RESPONSE

EFFECT OF LIGHT INTENSITY AND QUALITY

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE

EFFECT OF PLANT WATER AND NUTRIENT STATUS

ROLE OF LEAVES

BIOCHEMICAL SIGNALING, THE FLOWERING HORMONE

DEVELOPMENT

FLOWERING CONTROL: THE BREEDERS' VIEWPOINT

PHOTOPERIOD FACILITIES–DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

SYNCHRONIZATION FOR HYBRIDIZATION

FLOWERING CONTROL: THE GROWERS' VIEWPOINT

REFERENCES

Chapter 16: Stress Physiology: Abiotic Stresses

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

ABIOTIC STRESSES: BASIC CONCEPTS

WATER STRESS

SALINITY STRESS

SODICITY

TEMPERATURE STRESS

WATERLOGGING AND FLOODING TOLERANCE

SIGNAL PERCEPTION, TRANSDUCTION AND GENE REGULATION ASSOCIATED WITH ABIOTIC STRESSES

TOWARD ENGINEERING ABIOTIC STRESS TOLERANCE IN SUGARCANE

REFERENCES

Chapter 17: Mechanisms of Resistance to Pests and Pathogens in Sugarcane and Related Crop Species

SUMMARY

ABBREVIATION LIST

INTRODUCTION

FORMS OF RESISTANCE

PLANT DEFENSE HORMONES

RESISTANCE AT THE SURFACE

CELL WALL STRENGTHENING

SOLUBLE PHENOLICS

TERPENES

NONPROTEIN, N-BASED DEFENSE

PROTEIN-BASED DEFENSE

INDIRECT DEFENSE

DEFENSE THEORY AND THE COST OF DEFENSE TO PLANTS

PRIMING OF RESISTANCE

PERSPECTIVES

REFERENCES

Chapter 18: Source and Sink Physiology

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF SOURCE-SINK PHYSIOLOGY

COMMUNICATION FROM SOURCE TO SINK: ROLE OF SUGARS AND TRANSPORT MECHANISMS

INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SOURCE ACTIVITY AND SUCROSE ACCUMULATION IN SUGARCANE

REGULATION OF SOURCE ACTIVITY

INTERPRETATION OF APPROACHES TO INCREASE SUGAR ACCUMULATION IN SUGARCANE

SUGAR SENSING AND SIGNALLING: POTENTIAL TARGETS

SOURCE–SINK RELATIONS IN CHANGING CLIMATES

CONCLUDING COMMENTS: FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND RELEVANCE

REFERENCES

Chapter 19: Biomass and Bioenergy

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

BIOREFINERIES FOR BIOENERGY AND BIOMATERIALS

BIOENERGY FEEDSTOCK CROPS

LIFE-CYCLE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

SUGARCANE: AN ESTABLISHED BIOMASS AND BIOENERGY CROP

ENERGYCANE

BIOETHANOL

LIGNOCELLULOSE FOR SECOND GENERATION BIOENERGY

PROMISES AND PROBLEMS OF SUGARCANE CELL WALL IN SECOND GENERATION BIOETHANOL

BIOTECHNOLOGY POTENTIALS FOR BIOENERGY

CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

Chapter 20: Crop Models

SUMMARY

ABBREVIATION LIST

INTRODUCTION

BASIC CONCEPTS FOR SIMULATING ASPECTS OF THE SOIL-PLANT-ATMOSPHERE SYSTEM

SUGARCANE PROCESS MODELS

REPRESENTATION OF SUGARCANE PHYSIOLOGY IN PROCESS MODELS

THE POTENTIAL OF CROP MODELING TO ENHANCE SUGARCANE GENETIC IMPROVEMENT

FUNCTIONAL MODELS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Chapter 21: Sugarcane Yields and Yield-Limiting Processes

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

CANOPY DEVELOPMENT (LAI)

RADIATION INTERCEPTION

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

RUE

DRY MATTER PARTITIONING

POTENTIAL, ATTAINABLE, AND ACTUAL YIELDS

REFERENCES

Chapter 22: Systems Biology and Metabolic Modeling

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION TO SYSTEMS BIOLOGY

THE METABOLIC KINETIC MODEL

METABOLIC CONTROL ANALYSIS

KINETIC MODELING OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

MODELING SUGARCANE PHYSIOLOGY

THE FUTURE OF KINETIC MODELING IN THE CONTEXT OF THE OMICS ERA

REFERENCES

Chapter 23: Sugarcane Genetics and Genomics

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

GENETIC DIVERSITY

MOLECULAR CYTOGENETICS

GENETIC MAPPING

MAPPING QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI

QUANTITATIVE GENETICS AND BREEDING

MAP-BASED CLONING: THE EXAMPLE OF THE RUST RESISTANCE GENE

EST RESOURCES

CONSERVATION AND COLLINEARITY IN THE GENOME STRUCTURE OF SUGARCANE AND ITS CLOSE RELATIVES

PROSPECTS

REFERENCES

Chapter 24: Sugarcane Biotechnology: Axenic Culture, Gene Transfer, and Transgene Expression

SUMMARY

TISSUE CULTURE

GENE TRANSFER

TRANSGENE EXPRESSION AND GENE SILENCING

WHEN GENOMICS MEET TRANSGENICS

APPLICATIONS OF TRANSGENIC SUGARCANE

REFERENCES

Index

This edition first published 2014 © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sugarcane: physiology, biochemistry, and functional biology / edited by Paul H. Moore, Frederik C. Botha. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8138-2121-4 (cloth : alk. paper) —; ISBN 978-1-118-77108-2 (emobi) —; ISBN 978-1-118-77119-8 (epdf) —; ISBN 978-1-118-77128-0 (ebook) —; ISBN 978-1-118-77138-9 (epub) 1. Sugarcane. 2. Sugarcane—;Physiology. 3. Botanical chemistry. 4. Botany. I. Moore, Paul H. II. Botha, F. C. (Frederik Coenraad), 1953 SB231.P55 2013 633.6′1—;dc23 2013029210

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Cover image: Courtesy of Sagie Doorsamy, SASRI Cover design by Sagie Doorsamy and Matt Kuhns

To those past generations of sugarcane researchers and other plant scientists whose work has revealed many of sugarcane’s secrets, and to those scientists working today and in the future whose research will further resolve the complexities of this remarkable plant.

Foreword

Being well into editing the sixth edition of the text Plant Physiology, I am intimately aware of the current pace and breadth of modern plant biology. I also know something about the role of sugarcane in the discovery and characterization of C4 photosynthesis, the genetic intricacies of this species complex, and the use of sugarcane for the production of bioenergy including ethanol. (I prefer the fraction of that alcohol that one enjoys sipping a caipirinha over the much larger fraction that is consumed by the automobiles in Brazil.) However, until being invited to write a foreword for this new book, Sugarcane Physiology, Biochemistry, and Functional Biology, and surveying the book's content, I was unaware of the long history and current status of sugarcane research and development.

Some years ago, during a joint U.S./Australia workshop on stomatal function held in Hawaii, I was approached by one of the editors of this volume with an enthusiastic proposal to explore sugarcane stomatal control over gas exchange with the prototype steady-state gas exchange system that I had recently built. I took up that challenge with a postdoctoral fellow, David Grantz, and we had a wonderful brief period researching sugarcane in nontropical Palo Alto. David continued that work in Hawaii, where he and colleagues expanded the sugarcane research to canopy levels. The results of that research were used to calculate the optimal use of water available for irrigation. David is the author of an enlightening chapter in this book on sugarcane transpiration and gas exchange.

Sugarcane is one of the world's most productive crops, with biomass accumulation rates as high as 550 kg/ha/day. This exceptional ability to produce biomass makes it very attractive in a biomass-dependent economy. At least a part of this biomass accumulation ability relates to the use of the C4 photosynthetic pathway. However, as emphasized in this book, the current reported photosynthetic capacities of sugarcane are often low relative to other typical C4 species and frequently are equivalent to photosynthesis rates in C3 crops. There are a number of reasons for this phenomenon, including lower photosynthetic capacity in older plants because of leaf nitrogen limitations and possible feedback control by the sink tissues that accumulate exceptionally high sugar levels. Key targets for further improvement of sugarcane should be improving leaf photosynthesis by maintaining high leaf-nitrogen, improving photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency, or altering sink–source partitioning of carbon and nitrogen.

Mature sugarcane stalk tissue contains nearly 700 mM sucrose–among the highest recorded sucrose concentrations in plant tissues. It is therefore not surprising that many studies in the past focused on how sugarcane tissues have evolved and adapted to accumulate such high sucrose concentrations. Sugarcane, in contrast to most other plants, contains a very large apoplastic volume and the sucrose concentration in the apoplast can be as high as 20%. This high sucrose concentration in the cytosol and apoplast poses some interesting questions. First, how is it possible for that apoplastic sucrose not to diffuse into the xylem and contaminate the plant's water supply? Second, how is sucrose off-loading at the sink controlled against a high concentration gradient? Third, how are sink strength maintained and source–sink relationships influenced by the extremely high sucrose concentration in the cytosol? These are some of the issues that are addressed in this book by an integrated approach spanning structure, biochemistry, gene expression control, physiology, and modeling at both the crop and cellular level.

I commend the editors and authors of this book for undertaking this task. And I recommend the book to all who have an interest in understanding sugarcane through the prism of twenty-first century plant science. It is my hope that the book fills a significant niche in plant science and agricultural literature for years to come.

Eduardo ZeigerEmeritus Professor of Biology University of California at Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 90024 USA October 2013

Preface

Of the world's four most productive crops—rice, wheat, maize, and sugarcane—sugarcane produces the greatest crop tonnage and provides the fourth highest quantity of plant calories in the human diet. The very high levels of sugarcane biomass production and the efficiency with which ethanol can be produced from its extracted juice have made sugarcane a leading candidate for bioenergy production. The potential for sugarcane as a food and bioenergy crop is currently driving expansion of sugarcane production areas throughout the world. In short, sugarcane is rapidly becoming one of the world's most important crops.

Despite sugarcane's burgeoning importance, however, few sugarcane-specific reference books exist. The most commonly used was published in 1952; the most referenced on the subject of physiology was published in 1973. Obviously, both these books are grievously outdated in light of the ensuing many years of progress made in plant science.

Throughout our careers, we found the lack of reference works specific to sugarcane to be a problem, considering that among the world's most productive crops, sugarcane is the only one that is strictly tropical, perennial, and vegetatively propagated and harvested. Conventional agronomic wisdom presented in more general books does not apply. The time had come, we believed, for an updated overview of sugarcane as both plant and crop that would incorporate the latest in physiological, biochemical, and functional biological research.

We recognized that a work of the scope we envisioned had to be written by multiple experts. With that in mind, we invited an international group of outstanding scientists to write chapters that integrate structure, gene expression, metabolic control, hormone and crop physiology, and resistance mechanisms and to do so more thoroughly than previous sugarcane literature. They responded with well-researched, informative, comprehensive contributions.

Production of a book of this magnitude requires the work of many people who deserve our thanks. First, of course, we thank all our authors for their time and dedication. Every chapter was peer-reviewed, usually by several reviewers. Thanks to all of them. Thanks to Jody Moore for her editorial input. For the handsome cover design, we thank Sagie Doorsamy of the South African Sugarcane Research Institute. And, finally, thanks to our publishers, Wiley-Blackwell, not only for their support, but also especially for their patience during a long project.

A common theme running through virtually every chapter in the book is how much work remains to be done on sugarcane. Much of the progress achieved in other crops in recent years has not been achieved in sugarcane, a famously complex plant. Young plant scientists eager for a challenge would do well to consider sugarcane for their research focus.

Before we close, we must mention a sobering lesson learned in compiling this book. Many of the references cited, especially to crop field studies, are to literature produced by private research institutions, some of which have closed their doors or are in danger of doing so. Indeed, most sugarcane-specific research worldwide has been produced and reported by such private institutions. We fear that much of this literature and the hard-won knowledge contained therein could be lost to future generations if something is not done to preserve it. Tomorrow's producers and researchers could be condemned to reinventing the wheel, and that would be a pity.

Paul H. MooreHawaii Agriculture Research Center Kunia, Hawaii, USA October 2013

Frederik C. BothaSugar Research Australia Indooroopilly, Queensland, Australia October 2013

Contributors

Nils Berding

SCII Consultancy Pty Ltd and School of Marine and Tropical Biology

James Cook University

Cairns 4878, Qld.

Australia

Robert G. Birch

The University of Queensland

Brisbane 4072, Qld.

Australia

Graham D. Bonnett

CSIRO Plant Industry

Queensland Bioscience Precinct

306 Carmody Road, St. Lucia

Qld. 4067

Australia

Frederik C. Botha

Sugar Research Australia

P.O. Box 86

Indooroopilly

Qld. 4068

Australia

and

Institute of Plant Biotechnology

University of Stellenbosch

South Africa

Marcia Maria de Oliveira Buanafina

Department of Biology

Pennsylvania State University

University Park

PA 16802

USA

Daniel R. Bush

Department of Biology

Colorado State University

Fort Collins

CO 80525 USA

Caitlin S. Byrt

School of Environmental & Life Sciences

The University of Newcastle

NSW 2308

Australia

Youqiang Chen

College of Life Sciences

Fujian Normal University

Fuzhou, Fujian, 350108

China

Daniel J. Cosgrove

Department of Biology

Pennsylvania State University

University Park

PA 16802

USA

Michael D. Cramer

Department of Botany

University of Cape Town

Private Bag X1

Rondebosch 7701

South Africa

and

School of Plant Biology

Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences

University of Western Australia

35 Stirling Highway

WA 6009

Australia

Robin A. Donaldson

Sugarcane consultant

12A St.Helier Road

Gillitts 3603

South Africa

Marcelo C. Dornelas

Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)

Instituto de Biologia

Departamento de Biologia Vegetal

R. Monteiro Lobato, 255, 13083-862

Campinas, SP

Brazil

Gillian Eggleston

USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center

1100 Robert E. Lee Blvd.

New Orleans

LA 70124

USA

David A. Grantz

Department of Botany and Plant Sciences

University of California at Riverside

Riverside

CA 92521 USA

Christopher P.L. Grof

School of Environmental & Life Sciences

The University of Newcastle

NSW 2308

Australia

Gregory N. Harrington

School of Environmental & Life Sciences

The University of Newcastle

NSW 2308

Australia

Geoff Inman-Bamber

CSIRO Plant Industry

Australian Tropical Science Innovation

Precinct

James Cook University Campus

Townsville, Qld.

Australia

Graham Kingston

BSES Limited

P.O. Box 86

Indooroopilly 4068, Qld.

Australia

Prakash Lakshmanan

Sugar Research Australia

P.O. Box 86

Indooroopilly 4068, Qld.

Australia

Adriana P. Martinelli

Universidade de São Paulo (USP)

Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA)

R. Centenário, 303, 13416-000 Piracicaba, SP

Brazil

Alistair J. McCormick

Department of Metabolic Biology

John Innes Centre

Norwich Research Park

Norwich NR4 7UH

UK

Ray Ming

Department of Plant Biology

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Urbana

IL 61801

USA

Paul H. Moore

Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC)

P.O. Box 100

Kunia, HI 96759

USA

Anthony O'Connell

Sugar Research Australia

P.O. Box 86

Indooroopilly

Qld. 4068

Australia

Andrew Paterson

Plant Genome Laboratory

University of Georgia

111 Riversbend Road

Room 228, Athens

GA 30602

USA

John W. Patrick

School of Environmental & Life Sciences

The University of Newcastle

NSW 2308

Australia

Murilo Melo Peixoto

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

University of Toronto

25 Willcocks Street

Toronto

ON M5S3B2

Canada

Anne L. Rae

CSIRO Plant Industry

Queensland Bioiscience Precinct

306 Carmody Road

St. Lucia, Qld 4067

Australia

Nicole Robinson

School of Agriculture and Food Sciences

The University of Queensland

St Lucia, Qld.

Australia

Johann M. Rohwer

Triple-J Group for Molecular Cell Physiology

Department of Biochemistry

Stellenbosch University

Private Bag X1

7602 Matieland

South Africa

R. Stuart Rutherford

South African Sugarcane Research Institute Private Bag X02

Mount Edgecombe, 4300

South Africa

and

School of Life Sciences

College of Agriculture

Engineering and Science

University of KwaZulu-Natal

Private Bag X01

Scottsville 3209

South Africa

Rowan F. Sage

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

University of Toronto

25 Willcocks Street

Toronto, ON M5S3B2

Canada

Tammy L. Sage

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

University of Toronto

25 Willcocks Street

Susanne Schmidt

School of Agriculture and Food Sciences

The University of Queensland

St Lucia, Qld.

Australia

Abraham Singels

South African Sugarcane Research Institute

Private Bag X02

Mount Edgecombe 4300

South Africa

Thomas Tew

USDA-ARS Sugarcane Research Unit

5883 USDA Road

Houma

LA 70360 USA

Lafras Uys

Triple-J Group for Molecular Cell Physiology

Department of Biochemistry

Stellenbosch University

Private Bag X1

7602 Matieland

South Africa

and

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences

6 Melrose Road

7945 Muizenberg

South Africa

Margaretha J. van der Merwe

ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Energy Biology

35 Stirling Highway

WA 6009

Australia

Philippus D.R. van Heerden

South African Sugarcane Research Institute

170 Flanders Drive

Mount Edgecombe 4300

South Africa

and

Department of Plant Production and Soil Science

University of Pretoria

Pretoria, 0028

South Africa

Jessica Vogt

School of Agriculture & Food Sciences

The University of Queensland

St Lucia, Qld.

Australia

James Walsh

Department of Plant Biology

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Urbana, IL 61801

USA

Derek A. Watt

South African Sugarcane Research Institute

Private Bag X02

Mount Edgecombe 4300

South Africa

and

School of Life Sciences

University of KwaZulu-Natal

Private Bag X54001

Durban 4000

South Africa

Gregory E. Welbaum

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Department of Horticulture

306 Saunders Hall. West Campus Drive

Blacksburg

VA 24061 USA

Jisen Zhang

Department of Plant Biology

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Urbana, IL 61801

USA

and

College of Life Sciences

Fujian Normal University

Fuzhou, Fujian, 350108

China

Marvellous Zhou

South African Sugarcane Research Institute

170 Flanders Dr.

Private Bag X02

Mount Edgecombe 4300

South Africa

Lin Zhu

Department of Plant Biology

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Urbana, IL 61801

USA

and

College of Plant Science

Jilin University

Changchun, Jilin, 130062

China