Sugarcane grown under a wide range of agro-climatic conditions accounts for ~80% of the sugar production worldwide. Since sugarcane productivity is severely affected by abiotic stresses and hence, an experiment was conducted for two consecutive years during 2020 and 2021 on popular sub-tropical sugarcane varieties. The experiment was laid out in two-factorial RBD consisting of nine sugarcane genotypes (Co 98014, Co 0118, Co 0238, Co 05011, Co 06034, Co 09022, Co 12029, Co 15023 and Co 15027) and salinity treatments (Control, EC_iw ~ 4, 8 and 12 dS m⁻¹) in 5 replications. Two budded setts were planted in pots and irrigated with saline water of respective levels till formative phase and observed the build-up in electrical conductivity of soil extract (ECse) from 0.48 (control) to 2.99, 4.81 and 7.08; while further saline irrigation increased the ECse values to 4.48, 6.24 and 9.33 dS m⁻¹ in treatments EC_iw ~ 4, 8 and 12 dS m⁻¹, respectively. Increase in soil EC decreased plant survival by 24.1, 47.0 and 79.6% under continued irrigation of EC_iw ~ 4, 8, 12 dS m⁻¹ with respect to control. Continued saline irrigation caused significant reduction in growth, which was associated with reduction in relative water content (RWC) and gas exchange traits. RWC decreased by 4.91 to 21.9%, chlorophyll content by 8.46 to 32.75%, photosynthetic rate (Pn) by 16.85 to 91.44%, stomatal conductance by 14.96 to 84.25%, transpiration rate by 14.13% to 89.8% and chlorophyll fluorescence by 5.33 to 42.67% from EC_iw ~ 4 to 12 dS m⁻¹, respectively. Significant variations in Na⁺ and K⁺ ion content was observed under elevated saline condition in roots, leaves and juice extract of genotypes. Na⁺/K⁺ ratio, an important trait for screening salinity tolerance, increased in all genotypes as compared to control, the increase was predominant in susceptible varieties. Single cane weight (SCW) was drastically affected by saline irrigation, with a reduction of 36.4, 68.5 and 83.5% at EC_iw ~ 4, 8 and 12 dS m⁻¹, respectively as compared to control, with similar declining trend in juice quality. Based on our results, Co 0238, Co 0118 and Co 98014 were tolerant to salinity stress by maintaining higher Pn, lower leaf Na⁺/K⁺ ratio, higher SCW and higher juice sucrose content.

Waterlogging + sodicity proved more harmful than sodic or waterlogging stress individually. Wheat genotypes were evaluated for waterlogging tolerance in neutral (pH 7.8) and sodic (pH 9.3) soils. There was 50% greater reduction in overall grain yield when genotypes were waterlogged for 15 days in sodic soil than in neutral soil. This was associated with proportional reductions in biomass and productive tillers. Severe effects of waterlogging were observed on grain yield in sodic soil and the extent of damage depends heavily on the stage of development, duration, and temperature. Waterlogging reduced the concentration of macro elements (K, Ca, and Mg), whereas effects on microelements concentration were mixed, with some elements increasing (Fe, Al, Mn, and Na) and others decreasing (Cu and Zn). Significant genotypic variation was observed for grain yield and biomass under the stress treatments and KRL 3–4, KRL 99, KRL 210, and Kharchia 65 were the top performers.

Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI), as well as various AMMI-derived statistics, Genotype, and Genotype × Environment Interaction (GGE) models were employed on 24 sugarcane genotypes planted during two seasons (2017–18, 2018–19) under different induced salinity stress environments using saline water irrigation (iw) viz., E1 (Normal _iw during crop season 2017–18), E2 (Normal _iw during crop season 2018–19), E3 (4 dsm⁻¹ EC_iw during crop season 2017–18), E4 (4 dsm⁻¹ EC_iw during crop season 2018–19), E5 (8 dsm⁻¹ EC_iw during crop season 2017–18), E6 (8 dsm⁻¹ EC_iw during crop season 2018–19), E7 (12 dsm⁻¹ EC_iw during crop season 2017–18) and E8 (12 dsm⁻¹ EC_iw during crop season 2018–19) to assess the genotype by the environment interaction for the cane yield, commercial cane sugar (CCS) yield, number of millable cane (NMC), single cane weight (SCW), and pol % in juice. Individual and interactive effects of the genotype and environment for all the traits were significant. In the expression of total variability, the environmental contribution was higher for the cane yield (66.98%), CCS yield (67.60%), NMC (65.78%), and SCW (43.27%), whereas genotypic contribution was higher in the expression of pol% (82.48%). As per AMMI Stability Value (ASV), G14 (Co 13033), G23 (Co 15026), G7 (Co 05009), G17 (Co 13036), and G2 (Co 15025) were the most stable genotypes for the cane yield. Whereas as per GSI (genotype selection index), genotypes G24 (Co 15027), G21 (Co 15023), G23 (Co 15026), and G17 (Co 13036) were found most stable. The Sustainability Index (SI) of the cane yield (CY) and its contributing and CY-based computed traits were low for most of the genotypes, which indicates the negative impact of increased levels of irrigation-induced salinity in the expression of these traits. In the mean vs stability biplot analysis, G21 (Co 15023), G24 (Co 15027), G16 (Co 13036), G6 (Co 0238), and G20 (Co 14036) were found to be highly productive and stable genotypes for the cane yield. The superior and stable performance of early maturing notified varieties G21 (Co 15023) and G6 (Co 0238) for CY and CCS yield indicates that they will help the farmers to obtain sustainable income in saline soil conditions.

The low temperature (LT) conditions that prevail during winter in subtropical regions of India drastically affect the growth and yield of sugarcane. To identify low-temperature-tolerant agronomical acceptable genotypes for immediate deployment as donor parents in the subtropical sugarcane breeding program, 34 sugarcane clones belonging to 7 genetically diverse groups were evaluated under three crop environments, viz., spring planting, winter ratoon and spring ratoon, during 2015–2016 and 2016–2017. In the winter ratoon crop, commercial cane sugar and cane yield were reduced, whereas sucrose % was increased over the spring planted crop and the spring ratoon crop. The wild species and introgressed hybrid groups showed improvement for yield and quality traits in the winter ratoon crop, whereas commercial and near commercial groups showed reduction for these traits over the plant and spring ratoon crops. The tropical cultivars group was the poorest performer irrespective of the traits and crops. Yield per se under a stress environment was adjudged as the best selection criteria. For classification of sugarcane clones according to their low temperature tolerance, an index named winter tolerance index (WTI) is proposed which takes into account the winter sprouting index (WSI), winter growth and yield per se of the winter ratoon crop. The WTI had significant positive association with WSI, cane yield, millable cane population and cane length. As per the WTI ratings, the wild species of Saccharum complex and introgressed hybrid groups were rated as excellent WT clones. Subtropical commercial or advanced generation groups were poor WT clones, and tropical commercial cultivars group were winter sensitive clones. Clones such as AS04-635, AS04-1687, IK76-48, GU07-2276, IND00-1040, IND00-1038 and IND00-1039 had excellent tolerance, and GU07-3849, AS04-245, Co 0238, AS04-2097 and GU07-3774 had good WTI scores. The variety, Co 0238, may be continued for cultivation under LT regions with prophylactic measurers for red rot, while other clones listed above may be utilized in subtropical breeding programs.

Winter sprouting potential and red rot resistance are two key parameters for successful sugarcane breeding in the subtropics. However, the cultivated sugarcane hybrids had a narrow genetic base; hence, the present study was planned to evaluate the Erianthus procerus genome introgressed Saccharum hybrids for their ratooning potential under subtropical climates and red rot tolerance under tropical and subtropical climates. A set of 15 Erianthus procerus derived hybrids confirmed through the 5S rDNA marker, along with five check varieties, were evaluated for agro-morphological, quality, and physiological traits for two years (2018–2019 and 2019–2020) and winter sprouting potential for three years (2018–2019, 2019–2020, and 2020–2021). The experimental material was also tested against the most prevalent isolates of the red rot pathogen in tropical (Cf671 and Cf671 + Cf9401) and subtropical regions (Cf08 and Cf09). The E. procerus hybrid GU 12—19 had the highest winter sprouting potential, with a winter sprouting index (WSI) of 10.6, followed by GU 12—22 with a WSI of 8.5. The other top-performing hybrids were as follows: GU 12—21 and GU 12—29 with a WSI of 7.2 and 6.9, respectively. A set of nine E. procerus-derived hybrids, i.e., GU04 (28) EO—2, GU12—19, GU12—21, GU12—22, GU12—23, GU12—26, GU12—27, GU12—30, and GU12—31, were resistant to the most prevalent isolates of red rot in both tropical and subtropical conditions. The association analysis revealed significant correlations between the various traits, particularly the fibre content, with a maximum number of associations, which indicates its multifaceted impact on sugarcane characteristics. Principal component analysis (PCA) summarised the data, explaining 57.6% of the total variation for the measured traits and genotypes, providing valuable insights into the performance and characteristics of the Erianthus procerus derived hybrids under subtropical climates. The anthocyanin content of Erianthus procerus hybrids was better than the check varieties, ranging from 0.123 to 0.179 (2018–2019) and 0.111 to 0.172 (2019–2020); anthocyanin plays a vital role in mitigating cold injury, acting as an antioxidant in cool weather conditions, particularly in sugarcane. Seven hybrids recorded a more than 22% fibre threshold, indicating their industrial potential. These hybrids could serve as potential donors for cold tolerance and a high ratooning ability, along with red rot resistance, under subtropical climates.