Ornamental plant breeding: entering a new era?

Abstract

During the last century, plant breeding of crops and ornamentals has become an important business. Mendel's principles of inheritance of traits laid the foundation of today's modern genetics. Although intra- and interspecific cross breeding, chromosome doubling and mutation breeding still form the cornerstone of ornamental plant breeding, the speed of plant breeding has significantly increased since Mendel's time. New genomic tools now offer possibilities for advanced precision breeding and selection towards more difficult to assess or quantitative traits. Today's ornamental plant breeding is a complicated exercise, characterized by new and rapidly-changing challenges. Partnerships between industry and research will be essential to implement available technologies in minor crops.