The invention is generally related to sugar cane mini-chromosomes containing sugar cane centromere sequences. In addition, the invention provides for methods of generating sugar cane plants transformed with these sugar cane mini-chromosomes. Sugar cane mini-chromosomes with novel compositions and structures are used to transform sugar cane cells which are in turn used to generate sugar cane plants. Methods for generating sugar cane plants include methods for delivering the sugar cane mini-chromosomes into sugar cane cell to transform the cell, methods for selecting the transformed cell, and methods for isolating sugar cane plants transformed with the sugarcane mini-chromosome.
