Sugarcane Saccharum Officinarum L Tissue Culture In Ethiopia Opportunities For Ethiopias Sugar Industries

Sugarcane Saccharum officinarum L is commercial cash and sweet industrial crop. Considering its importance in the agro-processing industry and its economic contribution to the countrys the Ethiopian government has planned an ambitious plan to expand the sugarcane cultivation farmland and sugar processing factories in the country. Despite the significant commercial value of this crop the main production constrain is the availability of healthy quality quantity and safe planting material within short time. The planting materials obtained through conventional methods do not meet the increasing demand for planting and they are poor quality and yielding. Nowadays unlike the conventional propagation method micropropagation is the only realistic means of achieving rapid and large scale production of healthy quality planting materials in sugarcane and it is an alternative approach for fast multiplication of a variety in its original form even if its procurement is costly. The use of best alternative in terms of cost is the key to make developing countries like Ethiopia beneficiary from micropropagation technology. In Ethiopia a lot of sugarcane tissue culture protocols were developed which help to minimize the current challenges of sugarcane production in the country. Currently sugarcane production in Ethiopia has given due attention it is also allied with its important potential for an environment-friendly bio-fuel production and generating huge electric power. This review highlights the techniques of plant tissue culture and achievement of sugarcane tissue culture in Ethiopia. The production of sugarcane using conventional propagation and micropropagation technology is delineated. Opportunities for Ethiopias Sugar Industry are also highlighted.