Section One Cytogenetics.- 1. Chromosome Evolution in Ornamental Taxa.- 2. Aneuploidy of Ornamental Species.- 3. Protoplast Fusion and Somatic Hybridization.- 4. Techniques for Chromosomal Transformation.- 5. Chromosome Variability in Callus Produced Plants.- Section Two Quantitative Genetics.- 6. Selection for Physiological Traits.- 7. Selection for Production Traits in Flower Crops.- 8. Multi-Trait Selection in Flower Crops.- 9. Breeding for Disease and Insect Resistance in Flower Crops.- 10. Dynamics of Host-Parasite Interactions.- 11. Genetics of Variegation and Maternal Inheritance in Ornamentals.- Section Three Molecular Genetics.- 12. Molecular Aspects of Flowering.- 13. Tagging Floral Structure Genes.- 14. Engineering of Novel Flower Colours.- 15. Modulation of Flower Color and its Intensivity via Directed Gene Manipulation.- 16. Gene Expression and Flower Senescence.- 17. Molecular Aspects of the Development of Reproductive Cells.- 18. Self-Incompatibility in Flowering Plants.- 19. Routes to the Development of Disease Resistant Ornamentals.

Ornamental plants are economically important worldwide. Both growers and consumers ask continuously for new, improved varieties. Although there are numerous ornamental species, ornamental plant breeding and plant breeding research is mainly limited to some major species. This book focuses on the recent advances and achievements in ornamental plant breeding. The first part of the book focuses on plant traits and breeding techniques that are typical for ornamental plants. Eminent research groups write these general chapters. For plant traits like flower colour or shape, breeding for disease resistance and vase or shelf life are reviewed. General technical plant breeding chapters deal with mutation breeding, polyploidisation, in vitro breeding techniques and new developments in molecular techniques. The second part of the book consists of crop-specific chapters. Here all economically major ornamental species are handled together with selected representative species from different plant groups (cut flowers, pot plants, woody ornamental plants). In these crop-specific chapters, the main focus is on recent scientific achievements over the last decade.

In this book we bring together the most up-to-date information on developments, both basic and applied, that already have or are expected to impact the field of ornamental breeding. These include classical and molecular techniques, traditional and high-throughput approaches and future trends. Since not only professional scientists, but also thousands of future scientists/students as well as amateur breeders around the world contribute heavily to the field of ornamental breeding, an introductory section dealing with the basics of molecular and classical genetics and the evolution of floral diversity is included. This should enable the reader to bridge the gap between traditional and molecular genetics. Classical approaches to the creation/selection of genetic variability, including mutation and tissue culture-aided breeding, are presented. Processes affecting ornamental and agronomic traits at the molecular level are delineated, along with an in-depth analysis of developments in the protection of intellectual property rights. The thoughts and strategies of molecular and classical geneticists, which are not always complementary or even compatible, are presented side by side in this book, and will serve to spark the imaginations of breeders as well as students entering the exciting world of state-of-the-art ornamentals.

Floriculture is one of the fastest-growing sectors of commercial agriculture. This book provides a unique and valuable resource on the many issues and challenges facing flower breeders, as well as the industry at-large. Featuring contributions from 32 international authorities, it offers tools and directions for future crop domestication and enhancement as well as offers essential information for breeding a wide range of floriculture crops.

Breeding plants to encourage specific traits is usual in agriculture but less common in ornamental horticulture. Daffodils, daylilies, hostas, lilacs, magnolias, and rhododendrons are among the 15 subjects covered by experts in the field. This book is only available through print on demand. All interior art is black and white.

Ornamental crops account for more than US $42 billion globally. With the exception of few floral species, limited genetic, genomic, and breeding information is publicly available, owing to the fact that the majority of breeding work is performed by the private sector. Public research programs are increasingly participating in ornamental cultivar development and genetic studies. With lower sequencing costs, genomic information of non-model species including ornamental crops is continuously becoming available. Ornamental breeding utilizes a wide array of breeding strategies ranging from traditional crossing and selection methods to the use of next-generation sequencing in genomics and transcriptomics for gene identification and trait development. A continuing search of new species for the ornamentals industry has resulted in the utilization of tools that increase diversity and in the development of alternative methods for obtaining new crops by achieving interspecific and intergeneric crosses. This Special Issue aimed to present papers on new breeding methods, novel cultivars and species entering the ornamental industry, the identification of genes conferring novel traits, technological developments in ornamentals research, and the use of next-generation sequencing to improve ornamental plants.