Molecular mechanism of heterosis in sugarcane cultivars

In this study, we found (1) the introduction of the S. spontaneum genome lineage resulted in sig-nificant up-regulation of biotic and abiotic stress resistance genes in sugarcane hybrids. (2) Transgressive genes in hybrids were mainly concentrated in the synthesis pathways of biotin and vitamin B6, helping establish advantages in stress resistance, antioxidant, and growth. (3) Gluta-thione-S-transferase (GST) was highly likely to enhance stress resistance in hybrids, and corre-sponding genes were key positive selection genes in processes including round-robin selection and other adaptations.