Cell-wall chemical-composition analysis of a Saccharum spp.

ACEVEDO A,; GARCÍA JM, ; SILVA MP; GOMEZ L

Tucuman

Congreso; XXX ISSCT Congress; 2019

Knowledge of cell-wall composition in sugarcane hybrids could be used for the selection of cultivars with high bagasse digestibility in order to improve sugar release in 2G ethanol production. Cell-wall components of 76 hybrids of a sugarcane cross, their parents and two high-fibre genotypes were analyzed. The Van Soest method was used to determine cellulose, hemicellulose and acid detergent lignin contents (ADL). Spectroscopic acetyl bromide lignin (ABS) was also determined. A correlation analysis was performed with major cell-wall polymers and agronomic traits. Despite the minor differences observed between parental lines? cell-wall composition, genotypes with high cellulose and low lignin content were identified in the progeny. Differences among them depended on the method used for lignin measurement. The ADL mean was 43% lower than the ABS mean, in agreement with lignin losses during acid detergent treatment previously reported. There was no correlation between ADL and ABS assays. Bagasse of genotypes with higher stalk weights was associated with higher cellulose content and lower ADL content. Saccharification studies are needed to validate lignin assessment methodologies to be used as bioenergy cultivar selection tools.