Biotechnological Advances in Horticultural Ornamental Crops

The global ornamental industry, encompassing flowering annuals, potted plants, and landscape plants, sustains on novelty. Traditional breeding in ornamental horticulture is often constrained by large, highly heterozygous genomes, sexual incompatibilities, and long gestation cycles. Consequently, conventional methods struggle to keep pace with consumer demands for unique flower colors, enhanced fragrances, keeping quality and climate-resilient varieties. Biotechnology offers transformative solutions to bypass these traditional bottlenecks. Modern interventions, ranging from advanced tissue culture to precision genetic engineering, empower breeders to rapidly introduce targeted traits. This Research Topic aims to consolidate recent breakthroughs in these molecular and in vitro techniques, highlighting their critical role in shaping the future of sustainable floriculture.The primary problem this Research Topic seeks to address is the limitation of conventional breeding techniques in rapidly developing and commercializing elite ornamental varieties with desired aesthetic and agronomic traits. While classical crossbreeding remains foundational, it is labour-intensive and genetically restricted. We aim to showcase how recent biotechnological advances can overcome these barriers to achieve targeted crop improvement. Recent developments in speed breeding, inception of AI, CRISPR/Cas genome editing, multi-omics approaches, and advanced micropropagation are revolutionizing how breeders manipulate complex pathways. By integrating these tools, researchers can engineer novel floral architectures, alter metabolic pathways for rare petal colours, and significantly extend vase life by suppressing ethylene production. Furthermore, biotechnological approaches are essential for developing stress-tolerant ornamentals suitable for changing urban climates. The goal of this collection is to provide a platform for researchers to present how these modern techniques are being successfully applied to horticultural ornamental crops and thereby accelerating the pace of crop improvement.This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, methods, reviews, mini-reviews, and perspectives that explore the application of modern biotechnology in ornamental horticulture. We’re particularly interested in manuscripts exploring the following themes, though authors are welcome to submit articles related to any aspect of the research topic title.- Precision genome editing and genetic transformation- Advanced Micropropagation & In Vitro Regeneration - In vitro mutagenesis, Molecular breeding and omics technologies - Biotechnological interventions - Development of abiotic and biotic stress-resilient cultivars - Use of AI in advances in vitro propagation.- Germplasm conservation and cryopreservation - Protocols and metagenome analysis. - Synthetic biology and bio art,- Biotechnological advances in post-harvest biology Topic editors: Muneeb Ahmad Wani, Shri Mohan Jain, Ambreena Din, Jameel M. Al-Khayri, Mihaiela Cornea-Cipcigan Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83461/biotechnological-advances-in-horticultural-ornamental-crops