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The aim of the study was to evaluate ten introduced sugarcane genotypes for yield and juice quality in three successive crop cycles at Finchaa Sugar Estate, Ethiopia. Eight sugarcane genotypes were grown from December 2016 to May 2020 laid in a CRBD with three replications. Data were collected for number of internodes, millable stalk, plant height, stalk girth, single cane weight, cane yield, brix percent juice, pol percent, and sugar recovery percentage and sugar yield. The collected data was subjected to analysis of variance with the help of statistical analysis system software and treatment means were separated using least significance difference method at 5% level of significance. Analysis of variance for the three crop cycles indicated the existence of variation between genotypes in all quantitative traits. In the mean comparisons of traits for the three crop cycles, the genotype CP 96 12 52 had the highest number of millable stalks and VMC 96 273 and MPT 96 035 produced the highest cane thickness and single stalk weights. Considering sugar yield the best sugarcane genotypes were N 14, CP 96 1252, CPCL 02 926 and VMC 96 89 respectively. N 14 was the highest performed variety in cane and sugar yield, but its sugar recovery percent performance was very low (10.32%). However, CP 96 1252, CPCL 02 926 and VMC 96 89 had the highest sugar recovery percentage 12.93%, 14% and 12.15% respectively and had been recommended for timely seed increase for verification in large plots at Finchaa Sugar Estate.

This study was conducted to assess the extent of morphological variation, cluster the genotypes into relatively homogenous groups and to identify the major characters contributing to the overall diversity of 22 exotic sugarcane genotypes at Finchaa Sugar Estate. The experimental design used was RCBD laid in three replications. Quantitative traits such as number of internodes, millable stalk, plant height, stalk girth, single cane weight, cane yield, brix percent juice, pol percent, sugar recovery percentage and sugar yield were investigated. ANOVA indicated the existence of high phenotypic and genetic diversity between genotypes for all quantitative traits studied which could be utilized for further sugarcane improvement. The principal component analysis for the genotypes exhibited variance of 43.12%, 18.8% and 13.71% for the first three categories and accounts about 75.63% of the total variation and the juice quality traits showed greater loading for the variation in the first principal component category. Cluster analysis grouped genotypes in to five distinct classes with maximum number of genotypes (7) in cluster II and minimum (1) in cluster V. In the first cluster six sugarcane genotypes were included this accounted 27.27% of the investigated materials which had been categorized by high cane length and single stalk weight. The second cluster which accounts 31.82% of the materials were characterized by lower cane length and single stalk weight. Recoverable sugar percent had almost zero correlation with cane length, millable stalk count and sugar yield (r= 0.02, 0.02 and-0.01 respectively) indicating the possibility of simultaneous improvement of these traits.