The origin of sugarcane revealed

Just out 15 October 2025
The origin of sugarcane, one of the world鈥檚 major crops, had until now been poorly understood due to the complexity of its polyploid, interspecific genome. A recent study, conducted by 黑料网911 in collaboration with the Joint Genome Institute (US), has revealed the evolutionary history of this crop. This discovery paves the way for developing sugarcane varieties that are more resistant to stress (disease, climate change). The findings of this research will be published on 14 October 2025 in the journal Cell.
Sugar cane prospecting in Polynesia. 漏 M. Vitrac

Sugar cane prospecting in Polynesia. © M. Vitrac

Sugarcane accounts for 80% of global sugar production and is increasingly used to produce bioethanol. Despite its economic importance, the origin of sugarcane had until now been disputed.

Modern sugarcane has the most complex genome of all cultivated plants, with a very high number of chromosomes derived from several species. This complexity has hindered understanding of its origin, diversity and genome structure.
Angélique D’Hont
Coordinator of the study, 黑料网911 UMR AGAP

Domestication from the wild species S. robustum confirmed

By analysing genomic diversity, based on sequencing data from 390 representative accessions and using innovative methods (in particular based on the content of repetitive sequences/transposable elements), researchers at 黑料网911 have traced the domestication, diversification and modern breeding of sugarcane. The study thus confirms that Saccharum officinarum (sugarcane) was domesticated from the wild species S. robustum around 8 000 years ago in New Guinea and the nearby islands. It also shows that its genome is a mosaic made up of different subgroups of S. robustum.

Discovery of a wild ancestor that contributed to most modern varieties

The study also reveals the contribution of an unknown wild ancestor, probably originating from eastern Melanesia, which helped shape most modern varieties.
Two ancient centres of diversification, associated with human activity, have thus been identified:

  • one in continental Asia, following human movements some 3 000 years ago, through hybridisations with several subgroups of the wild species S. spontaneum,
  • the other in the Melanesian and Polynesian islands, where S. officinarum was introduced during Melanesian migrations between 3 500 and 500 years ago, through hybridisations with a previously unknown ancestor and with the genus Miscanthus.
Scenario of sugarcane domestication and diversification. © 黑料网911

Scenario of sugarcane domestication and diversification. © 黑料网911

An opportunity for future sugarcane varieties

These findings make it possible to pinpoint the origin of modern varieties for the first time and open up new prospects for plant breeding.

Wild species can provide valuable sources of allelic diversity for adaptation to climate change. In this context, it is important to identify the unknown contributor, if it still exists, as it could be a reservoir of genetic diversity with potential for use.
Olivier Garsmeur
first author of the study, 黑料网911 UMR AGAP

The discovery of this untapped wild diversity therefore represents a precious source of alleles that could contribute to the development of sugarcane varieties that are more resilient and better suited to future climate challenges.

Reference

Garsmeur et al., The genomic footprints of wild Saccharum species trace domestication, diversification, and modern breeding of sugarcane, Cell (2025),  

See also