Tropical Ornamental Plant Breeding and Genetic Research In Southern China

The ornamental plant industry has developed rapidly in southern China over the last 10 years, and Guandong has become a key production area and marketplace in China, supplying nearly 70% of all the tropical ornamental plants nationwide.  Foliage crops include Araceae, Calathea, Fern, Dracaena and the main potted flowering plants are Bromeliads, Anthurium, and tropical orchids. To meet the industry’s need for new cultivars, scientists from floricultural institutes, universities and South China Botanical Garden of Chinese Academy of sciences initiated ornamental plant breeding programs in the 2000’s, with support from local governments. Germplasm nurseries have been established and more than 1000 cultivars or species have been collected and conserved in the nurseries. Research efforts are being made to analyze chromosomes and ploidy levels, develop pollination and seed processing techniques, identify cultivars and species, and assess genetic diversity. DNA markers are being developed for gene mapping and marker-assisted breeding. Candidate genes regulating flowering in orchids and fragrance in Hedychium have been isolated. Genetic transformation systems are being explored for Phaleanopsis, Gerbera and Hedychium. Multiple breeding systems have been adopted for orchid, Anthurium and Bromeliads, including controlled pollination, ploidy manipulation, and somatic mutation. These systems have resulted in huge hybrid populations and many potential lines. More than 20 cultivars of Anthurium, Bromeliad, Phaleanopsis have been released or registered with the RHS in recent years. However, there is still a lack of breeding program for foliage plant, although novel Dracaena cultivars have been identified from somaclonal variants. While numerous promising breeding lines will be released to the industry in the near future, there is a long way to go to produce cultivars that are competitive in the global tropical ornamental plant market.