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 directed crosses associated with the selection of superior genotypes has brought the greatest number of contributions to the generation of new cultivars for the flower market. The main objective of this chapter is to demonstrate this moment of transition from conventional to biotechnological breeding tools and their achievements, as well as the advances in biotechnology aimed at the production of orchid cultivars with characteristics that are not obtained by conventional breeding. In addition, it raises bigger questions and prospects about the use and applications of transgenic orchids, as well as other techniques involving targeted manipulation of DNA, such as genomic editing.