International projects
Novel innovative doubled haploid technology for ornamental and medical plant breeding
Researchers (1)
| no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
09565 |
PhD Borut Bohanec |
Biotechnology |
Head |
2004 - 2006 |
592 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Medicinal and ornamental plants are of great and diverse importance for human health and daily life. They cover a large market in Europe and world wide, exceeding billions of Euros. Improving the quality of medicinal and ornamental plants is mandated by a need to produce better medicines, particularly better defined herbal medicines, and new ornamentals to please the senses. At the same time, however, the improvement of ornamentals and medicinal plants is using old fashioned, traditional methods, because breeding is done mainly in small, family-owned companies and because own funds and funding from governmental sources is lacking.The proposed project is the first concerted effort to bring together academic research institutes and several small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from a five EU countries and new membership country to develop innovative doubled haploid technologies to obtain homozygous pure lines in a single generation as a core for breeding of important selected ornamentals and medicinal plants. These benefits may accrue to immenseadvantages to these SMEs and ultimately, for the European ornamental and medicinal plant industry. For the first time a large number of important ornamentals and medicinal plants will be screened for doubled haploid production via gynogenesis (cultured ovaries and ovules) and androgenesis (anther and isolated microspore cultures). Basic protocols expected to be developed during the course of this project will have wide applications also in other important crop species and cultivars. Thus, the project will arm ornamental and medicinal plantbreeding with new, innovative doubled haploid technologies, which might revolutionize breeding.
