This investigation aimed to optimize the time, pH, pressure, and temperature of sugarcane juice pasteurization and to develop a “ready to serve” bottled sugarcane juice with a high preservation efficiency. Fresh sugarcane juice was extracted from sugarcane genotype Co 89003, and beverage samples were collected using three different treatments: sulphitation of juice with the addition of potassium metabisulphite (KMS-25, 50, 100, and 150 ppm), acidification of juice (addition of citric acid, to reduce the pH of the juice to 4.8, 4.5, and 4.25), and steam treatment of the canes (5 min, 10, and 15 min at 7 psi). In all treatments, the juice was pasteurized in glass bottles @ 65 °C for 25 min and stored at low temperature (5 °C) in pre-sterilized glass bottles. Juice properties such as the ˚Brix, total sugar, pH, and total phenolic content decreased with storage, whereas the microbial count, titrable acidity, and reducing sugar content significantly increased during storage. The addition of KMS, citric acid, and the steam treatment reduced the browning of juice and maintained the color of juice during storage, by inhibiting the polyphenol oxidase enzyme activity, from 0.571 unit/mL to 0.1 unit/mL. Among the selected treatments, sugarcane juice with KMS (100 and 150 ppm) and steam treatment of the canes for 5 and 10 min at 7 psi showed the minimum changes in physico-chemical properties, sensory qualities, and restricted microbial growth. Thesulphitation treatment with pasteurization proved best for increasing the shelf life of sugarcane juice upto 90 days with refrigeration. Similarly, the steam-subjected cane juice (10 and 15 min at 7 psi) could be effectively preserved for upto 30 days with refrigeration, without any preservative.

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.

Pokkah boeng (Fusarium moniliforme J L Sheldon) is a minor fungal disease in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.), characterized by malformed leaves. The disease incidence was surveyed at two locations in Haryana (Karnal and Kaithal) from 2010 to 2013. Chlorotic phase infection was prevalent in the study area. The percent disease incidence ranged from 6.90 to 25.30%, the highest incidence was recorded during 2013. A total of 138 subtropical sugarcane varieties, 40 pre-release clones and 182 exotic clones were screened against the disease under natural epiphytotic condition at Karnal. Most of the clones (80.83%) were resistant (120 clones out of 360) or moderately resistant (171 clones out of 360) to pokkah boeng. Subtropical varieties such as BO 137, Co 0238, CoH 110, CoJ 83, CoJ 85, CoS 8432, CoS 8436, CoS 88230, CoS 03251, CoS 03252, CoSe 95436, CoSe 01434 and UP 0097 were moderately susceptible hence strong seed health programme is suggested to contain the disease. Fourteen clones, viz. Co 425, Co 12027, Co 10036, Co 0331, M 165/38, H 45-2120, B 46-199, Q 64, PR 1058, CP 81-1384, F 65-554, POJ 6688, EPC 37-069 and H 44-3098 were susceptible to pokkah boeng hence this information may be taken into account while deciding the merit of the clones for hybridization. Autumn planted canes manifested less disease incidence than spring planted canes. Canes around field border and broad leaved clones showed higher disease incidence. However, the incidence did not vary between plant crop and ratoon crops. There were no association between pokkah boeng incidence and top borer attack but their combined damage would be detrimental to the crop. About 92.67% of pokkah boeng infected plants recovered growth, without fungicide spray, as the age of the crop advances and with change in weather.