2025/11/11 by Rupali Thakur, Sheetal Dogra, R. K. Pandey +14 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Flowering Plant Growth and Cultivation #Plant Genetic and Mutation Studies #Advances in Cucurbitaceae Research
paper · doi:10.21273/hortsci18429-24
openalex publication_date 2025/11/11 · openalex created_date 2025/11/11 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
Ornamental plants exhibit the capacity to augment visual appeal through their diverse morphological features, encompassing floral forms, hues, foliage, and numerous other attributes. These botanical specimens find application in landscaping, floral arrangements, container gardening, and various commercial endeavors. As a result, there exists a persistent need for the creation of novel cultivars to satisfy market demands. Traditional plant breeding is slow and takes a lot of work. This has led to the use of biotechnology, especially molecular breeding. Molecular breeding lets breeders target specific, difficult-to-change traits like flower color, scent, and plant shape. It uses advanced methods like marker-assisted selection and genome-wide selection to speed up improvements and reduce the time it takes to develop new varieties. Molecular breeding may revolutionize agriculture in the 21st century by making genetic improvements faster and more efficient. Thanks to advances in genomics, gene editing, and molecular plant breeding, we now understand molecular markers much better. This has improved breeding strategies and given us a deeper understanding of crop diversity. This review elucidates the importance of various commercially valuable ornamental traits and delineates the research endeavors and accomplishments in enhancing floral characteristics through molecular breeding techniques.