Selection of sugarcane families in the Burdekin district

An experiment was conducted at the Burdekin Sugar Experiment Station to determine the value of family and mass (individual) selection in crops with growth restricted by minimising irrigation and fertilisers. Neither method of selection was particularly effective, although significant gains were made for most characters studied. It was found that superior clones could be identified in families with relatively poor performance, so selection of families needs to be liberal. Family selection based on means should be preferred to selection based on within-family variances.