Aiming at the evaluation of the gene action predominant in sugarcane characters of economic importance and the identification of crossing with favorable genetic potential to the development of new cultivars, eight genotypes were evaluated according to the unbalanced diallel cross scheme. Progenies obtained from 44 crosses were evaluated on a 7 x 7 lattice experimental design with three replications at the Centro de Pesquisa e Melhoramento da Cana-de-açúcar (CECA) of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa. The following characters were studied: juice Brix %, stalk number, average stalk weight, tons of stalks per hectare, tons of Brix per hectare and flowering percent. The results emphasized the importance of either the additive and the non-additive genetic effects in the expression of those characteristics. The genotypes SP82-6108 and IAC86-2210 showed potential for increasing the sugarcane productivity, that is also valid for the following crossing combinations: SP82-6108 x SP88-754, SP82-6108 x SP87-365, SP81-1763 x SP82-6108, IAC86-2210 x SP88-754, IAC86-2210 x SP86-96, IAC86-2210 x SP81-1763, SP88-819 x SP87-365, SP84-2029 x SP87-365 and SP88-754 x SP87-365.
Genetic improvement; general combining ability; specific combining ability
