The modern commercial cultivars of sugarcane are hybrids of several
species belonging to the genus Saccharum. These species
(S. spontaneum, S. officinarum, S. robustum, S. edule, S.
barberi and S. sinense) all originate in Southeast Asia.
Although several species of Saccharum have contributed to
give rise to the current commercial cultivars of sugarcane, they
are primarily the result of the cross between S. officinarum
and S. spontaneum and were developed by genetic improvement
with the objective of gathering characteristics of interest present
in the different species.
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