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Clonal propagation of sugarcane (interspecific hybrids of Saccharum) is conducive to spread of systemic diseases, such as ratoon stunting disease, caused by Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli. This important disease is controlled by obtaining and planting healthy seed-cane. In Louisiana, commercial seed-cane initially produced through tissue culture is available to sugarcane farmers and is being widely planted. Long-term acceptability of this seed-cane production method depends on the production of healthy plants that do not differ significantly in phenotypic and yield characteristics from the clones originally selected and released as commercial cultivars. To determine whether tissue culture affects yield or its components, three cultivars, CP 70-321, LCP 85-384, and HoCP 85-845, were compared in three successive crops initially planted with stalks from three sources: plants derived from callus culture of the leaf roll above the apical meristem, direct regeneration from the apical meristem, and conventional bud propagation. Stalks of plants derived from both explant sources were typical of seed-cane farmers would purchase for planting that had been previously rogued for phenotypic variants and increased by bud propagation. Differences in yield components among tissue culture explant sources and bud propagated cane only occurred in CP 70-321. Stalk diameter and stalk weight were lower and stalk population was higher for plants derived from leaf roll callus compared to bud propagated cane. Yield components were similar for plants derived from an apical meristem and bud propagation. Individual plant phenotypic variants resulting from somaclonal variation were not observed in any of the cultivars derived from either explant source. In summary, genotype and explant source affected persistent, uniform phenotypic variation resulting from tissue culture that changed some yield components. However, apical meristem culture was suitable for production of seed-cane, as sugarcane derived by meristem culture of three cultivars did not differ significantly from the original germplasm for any measured yield trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]