Breeding of Orchids Using Conventional and Biotechnological Methods: Advances and Future Prospects

The domestication of plants, including ornamental plants, is an ancient tradition based on human curiosity and is the first form of plant breeding based on modern agriculture. However, recent advances in biotechnology, molecular biology, and genetic engineering, associated with better knowledge of the genome, have enabled numerous achievements to advance agriculture towards a new green revolution. In orchids, it has not been different, and recent advances in genome sequencing and the development of more sophisticated breeding techniques based on biotechnology have demonstrated their applicability for the constitution of more sophisticated cultivars. However, conventional breeding by directe…