Uncovering the mechanism of female restitution in sugarcane hybrids

Nature, Published online: 05 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10863-3

Female restitution in interspecific sugarcane hybrids between Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum arises from second division restitution, as haplotype-resolved F1 genomes reveal duplicated, partially recombined maternal chromatids and distinctive recombination signatures, resolving its meiotic mechanism and enabling breeding strategies to accelerate crop improvement.