Designing of future ornamental crops: a biotechnological driven perspective

Abstract

With a basis in human appreciation of beauty and aesthetic values, the new era of ornamental crops is based on implementing innovative technologies and transforming symbols into tangible assets. Recent advances in plant biotechnology have attracted considerable scientific and industrial interest, particularly in terms of modifying desired plant traits and developing future ornamental crops. By utilizing omics approaches, genomic data, genetic engineering, and gene editing tools, scientists have successively explored the underlying molecular mechanism and potential gene(s) behind trait regulation such as floral induction, plant architecture, stress resistance, plasticity, adaptation, and phytoremediation in ornamental crop species. These signs of progress lay a theoretical and practical foundation for designing and enhancing the efficiency of ornamental plants for a wide range of applications. In this review, we briefly summarized the existing literature and advances in biotechnological approaches for the improvement of vital traits in ornamental plants. The future ornamental plants, such as light-emitting plants, biotic/abiotic stress detectors, and pollution abatement, and the introduction of new ornamental varieties via domestication of wild species are also discussed.