Advances in chicory (cichorium intybus L.) breeding strategies

Abstract

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a perennial plant of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, collected, domesticated and cultivated in Europe, India and Egypt, like endive (C. endivia L.), its closest related species. It grows as a weed in temperate climatic regions and is widely cultivated in northern Europe. Chicory is beneficial to both humans and animals due to its high protein content, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and phytoactive compounds. It is consumed as a vegetable, edible flowers, coffee substitute and for medicinal and cosmetic metabolites. It is also used in hepatoprotective compounds and as a flavoring in beer. Its extract is an inhibitor of salmonella. It is consumed as an animal feed, always with great care to avoid toxicity. Industrial chicory is developed mainly for its inulin content. There is recent interest in genetically engineering chicory to obtain higher yields and create new cultivars, but chicory potential still awaits development, especially in Asian countries. This chapter presents an overview of the origin, distribution, taxonomy and conservation of genetic resources, as well as crop cultivation practices and advances in modern biotechnology and molecular biology and their application for crop improvement concurrently with traditional chicory breeding.