Marker-assisted selection (MAS) has been widely used in the last few decades in plant breeding programs for the mapping and introgression of genes for economically important traits, which has enabled the development of a number of superior cultivars in different crops. In sugarcane, which is the most important source for sugar and bioethanol, marker development work was initiated long ago; however, marker-assisted breeding in sugarcane has been lagging, mainly due to its large complex genome, high levels of polyploidy and heterozygosity, varied number of chromosomes, and use of low/medium-density markers. Genomic selection (GS) is a proven technology in animal breeding and has recently been incorporated in plant breeding programs. GS is a potential tool for the rapid selection of superior genotypes and accelerating breeding cycle. However, its full potential could be realized by an integrated approach combining high-throughput phenotyping, genotyping, machine learning, and speed breeding with genomic selection. For better understanding of GS integration, we comprehensively discuss the concept of genetic gain through the breeder’s equation, GS methodology, prediction models, current status of GS in sugarcane, challenges of prediction accuracy, challenges of GS in sugarcane, integrated GS, high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), high-throughput genotyping (HTG), machine learning, and speed breeding followed by its prospective applications in sugarcane improvement.

Four different F₂ populations were developed involving Solanum habrochaites accession ‘EC-520061’ that is highly resistant to Tomato leaf curl virus (ToLCV) disease and four ToLCV-susceptible cultivars of tomato (S. lycopersicum L.), ‘Punjab Chhuhara’ (PBC),‘H-24’, ‘H-86’, and ‘DVRT-2’.The segregation ratios of tomato leaf curl disease development in all four F₂ populations were 13:3 (resistant:susceptible), indicating a dominant inhibitory gene for leaf curl disease resistance, and 3:1 (indeterminate:determinate) indicating a single dominant gene for plant growth habit. The patterns of inheritance were shown to be additive with dominant non-allelic gene interactions for the traits of ToLCV resistance and fruit yield. Using bulk segregant analysis (BSA) and one of the F2 populations (‘PBC’ X ‘EC-520061’) above, two SSR markers (SSR218_170–145 and SSR304_158–186) were identified for ToLCV resistance. The SSR marker SSR218_170–145 was located at 15 cM on chromosome 10, and the marker SSR304_158–186 was located at 35 cM on chromosome 7. This study will support the development of new ToLCV- resistant tomato varieties via breeding programmes.