Characterisation of Erianthus sect Ripidium and Saccharum germplasm (Andropogoneae-Saccharinae) using RFLP markers

A collection of 65 Erianthus Michx. sect. Ripidium Henrard accessions (representing seven accepted species) and 14 Saccharum L. representatives (S. officinarum L. and S. spontaneum L.) were studied by RFLP analysis using 14 dispersed nuclear single-copy probes from maize. An intergeneric distance (1-F) of 0.748 was revealed between Erianthus and Saccharum. Within the Erianthus collection, the greatest distances were found between E. elephantinus Hook f. or E, ravennae (L.) P. Beauv. (the two 2n=20 species), and the rest of the Erianthus collection. The smallest distances were found amongst the E, arundinaceus (Retz.) Jeswiet clones collected in Indonesia ((1-F)=0.005). In addition, a partition based on the geographical origin and consistent with the chromosome numbers, ie E. arundinaceus from Indonesia versus E, arundinaceus and E. procerus from India, was revealed. E. bengalense was intermediate. The study of the Saccharum individuals confirmed the greater variability of S. spontaneum compared to the so called noble cane, S. officinal um. The 2n=80 S. spontaneum genotypes were shown to be closely related to S. officinarum. The implication of these results on the involvement of S. spontaneum and Erianthus sect. Ripidium in the origin of S. officinarum is discussed.