Sugarcane for water-limited environments: Theoretical assessment of suitable traits

► Drought resistance in sugarcane is becoming increasingly important worldwide. ► We modelled variation in five traits that could confer adaptation to drought. ► Increased root vigour resulted in 0-21% increase in mean dry biomass yield. ► Traits such as reduced conductance which conserved water were generally unsuccessful. ► However reduced conductance plus increased transpiration efficiency was beneficial.