Saccharum spontaneum is the major wild species extensively used in sugarcane
genetic improvement and cultivar development worldwide for its resistance to abiotic and
biotic stresses (Ming et al., 2006). More recently, S. spontaneum crossed with selected sugarcane
clones (S. officinarum or Saccharum hybrids) has been deployed to produce early
generation hybrids selected for sugar-fiber energy cane or fiber-only energy cane as a bioenergy
crop (Tew and Cobill, 2010). Hybrids are selected for adaptation to more temperate
environments and production of higher biomass yields compared to traditional sugarcane
cultivars. New germplasm in S. spontaneum will provide genetic materials with considerable
potential, needed for new bioenergy cultivar development. More specifically those collected
from more temperate and humid regions can contribute to desirable genes for cold tolerance
and disease resistance