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Background Energy canes are viable feedstocks for biomass industries due to their high biomass production potential, lower susceptibility to insects and diseases, better ability to adapt to extreme conditions and clean bioenergy. Interspecific hybrids (ISH) and intergeneric hybrids (IGH) have great potential to meet the growing demand of biomass, biomass-derived energy and feedstock. Results In this study, two types of energy canes, Type I and Type II, derived from S. spontaneum and E. arundinaceous background were evaluated for high biomass, fiber and bioenergy potential under subtropical climate along with the check varieties Co 0238 and CoS 767. Out of 18 energy canes studied, six energy canes, viz., SBIEC11008 (204.15 t/ha), SBIEC11005 (192.93 t/ha), SBIEC13008 (201.26 t/ha), SBIEC13009 (196.58 t/ha), SBIEC13002 (170.15 t/ha), and SBIEC13007 (173.76 t/ha), consistently outperformed the check varieties under Type-I, whereas in type-II, SBIEC11004 (225.78 t/ha), SBIEC11006 (184.89 t/ha), and SBIEC14006 (184.73 t/ha) energy canes produced significantly higher biomass than commercial checks, indicating their superior potential for cogeneration. Estimated energy output from the energy canes (700–1300 GJ/ha/year) exceeded the range of co-varieties (400–500 GJ/ha/year) and energy utilization efficiency in plants and ratoon crops for energy canes viz., SBIEC11008 (3%, 1.97%), SBIEC14006 (1.93%, 2.4%), SBIEC11005 (1.7%, 1.9%), and SBIEC11001 (1.01%, 1.03%), was higher than best checks Co 0238 (0.77, 0.9%). Additionally, energy canes SBIEC 13001 (22.35%), SBIEC 11008 (22.50%), SBIEC 14006 (28.54%), SBIEC 11004 (30.17%) and SBIEC 11001 (27.03%) had higher fiber contents than the co-varieties (12.45%). Conclusion The study gives insight about the potential energy canes for higher biomass and energy value. These energy cane presents a vital option to meet the future demand of bioenergy, fiber and fodder for biomass due to their versatile capacity to grow easily under marginal lands without competing with cultivated land worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane an important agro-industrial crop, is cultivated under varied environmental regimes of the world. Development of stable and high yielding varieties across multi-environments is major concern to the breeders. The present study was planned to identify most stable sugarcane genotypes combining better cane yield and juice quality among the 52 genotypes developed over the years. Different stability statistics viz., AMMI, GGE and various others were executed on the experimental data recorded during six crop seasons (2015–2021) under subtropical India. The ranking of stable genotypes differed with different stability models. To draw a common consensus of stability, cumulative tend (CT) rank was calculated for each genotype based on the nine stability coefficients of different stability models. Combining cane yield and sucrose% Co 15023 (G48), Co 0238 (G8), Co 06037 (G21), Co 0331 (G12), G 0118 (G4) and Co 06034 (G18) were identified stable genotypes. The AMMI, and GGE analyses also reveals the stability of gazette notified varieties Co 15023, Co 0118 and Co 06034 for both cane yield and sucrose percentage. Their cultivation will sustain the sugarcane and sugar production in Subtropical India and will serves as valuable genetic resources for breeding program utilizing them as the parents in developing cultivars for future sustainable global sugar production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]