Executive Summary : | SWEET genes are novel genes that play a crucial role in sucrose transport and pathogen susceptibility in plants. They are involved in sugar efflux, bidirectional sugar transport, and developmental processes such as phloem loading, nectar secretion, germination, pollen/embryo/seed development, and pathogen nutrition, leading to crop resistance or susceptibility. However, limited information is available on SWEET genes in sugarcane, one of the highest sugar accumulating plants. Sugarcane is a crop rich in sugar content, making it highly susceptible to pathogens. SWEETs are essential for sugar transport and disease susceptibility, as they supply sucrose to pathogens, making them more prone to disease. This study aims to explore the role of SWEETs in sugarcane, which has the highest sucrose content and a devastating fungal pathogen, Colletotrichum falcatum, causing red rot disease. SWEETs were discovered in 2010 and have been renamed from the Xa series of genes involved in Xanthomonas oryzae bacterial blight disease. Gene expression profiling using quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed clear differential expression, indicating SWEETs' major regulatory role in controlling sugar content. Genome-wide identification, phylogeny, and bioinformatics analyses were performed. A large-scale expression study is proposed to understand the temporal and spatial expression of SWEET genes, as well as their role during disease/pest incidence. Expression studies should be planned from 6-12 months from planting till harvest, with functional validation and characterization of SWEET genes and designing guide RNAs/gene editing targets. |