Sequencing BACs to Support a Reference Genome Sequence for Sugarcane Improvement as an Industrial Crop

Sugarcane (Saccharum hybrid ssp.) is a leading industrial crop globally with significant use for sugar, energy and biofuel production. An available genome sequence will help to dissect and identify the genes underpining important agronomic traits in sugarcane such as biomass yield, sugar content, fiber content and disease resistance. However, sugarcane genome sequencing has been hindered by the genome size of about 10 Gb and high polyploidy level (10-12x). Analysis of sugarcane genome sequencing variation in relation to industrial traits can be facilitated by first having a reference genome. The Sugarcane Genome Sequencing Initiative (SUGESI) aims to produce a reference sequence of sugarcane. We now report on the results of sequencing BAC clones from the sugarcane cultivar R570 to support the constructing of a reference monoploid genome of sugarcane.