Vol. 11, Issue 7 (2022)

Author(s):
Amrutha Unni M and Beena Thomas

Abstract:
Orchids have been used successfully as blooming potted plants. One such category that is getting more and more attention on the global floricultural scene is Dendrobium orchids. Due to its blossoming floriferousness, diversity in flower colour, size, and form, year-round availability, and prolonged post-harvest life, Dendrobium orchids are in high demand as cut flowers and flowering pot plants worldwide. Dendrobium orchids can be used in breeding programmes by using both traditional and molecular breeding techniques. The mainstay of creating new varieties of orchids is traditional breeding through sexual hybridization, variant selection, and polyploidy; however, the difficulty in obtaining specific traits and the lengthy hybridization process are significant barriers to the production of orchids with commercial value. Dendrobium orchid breeding is greatly facilitated by the use of molecular technologies, such as genotype identification, genetic diversity assessment, molecular phylogenetics, genetic mapping, and genome. The markers can help identify favourable characteristics in Dendrobium orchids. In comparison to conventional breeding, marker-assisted selection may significantly increase breeding efficiency and efficacy. The past 10 years have seen intense and quick progress in the field of molecular biology, which has created new opportunities for orchid breeding that go beyond the constraints of traditional breeding techniques. We may anticipate that large-scale molecular breeding efforts will be applied to the greatest value of Dendrobium in the near future. Traditional breeders of the Dendrobium orchid crop have much to gain by using these techniques to their selection procedures.