Scientists decode why some sugarcane survives freezing winters
Climate Adaptation
If you've ever wondered how farmers push a tropical crop like sugarcane into freeze-prone Louisiana, this research shows the plant's own antifreeze chemistry and stronger stalk fibers are what let it survive a hard frost.
Sugarcane is a tropical plant, but growers in Louisiana push it to its limits by growing it in the coldest region on Earth where sugarcane survives. Researchers found that the toughest varieties have more fiber in their stalks for structural support and special fats around their veins that help cell membranes stay flexible when temperatures drop below freezing. They also used heat-sensing cameras to watch, in real time, exactly where ice starts forming and damaging the plant.
Key Findings
An XGBoost machine-learning model using juice metabolites successfully classified sugarcane cultivars by cold tolerance, with a breeding clone showing higher tolerance than its wild germplasm parent line
Cold-tolerant sugarcane stalks contain higher fiber content, providing mechanical support that helps cells resist freeze injury
Fluorescence microscopy revealed phospholipids around the vascular bundle's lignin that likely help maintain membrane fluidity during frost, and thermal imaging was proposed to track ice formation and stalk injury in real time
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists used metabolite analysis, fiber measurements, and imaging to figure out why some sugarcane varieties survive freezing winters better than others, which could speed up breeding of cold-hardy crops for the northernmost sugarcane region in the world.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Multivariate and imaging methods to classify cold tolerance of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) cultivars and breeding clones
Tolerance against winter freeze is the main focus of variety development in Louisiana, which represents the northernmost sugarcane-growing region worldwide. Antifreeze metabolites, xylem structure,...
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