Possibilities for polyploidy breeding in Costa Rican orchids

Abstract

The world orchid market is a dynamic horticultural business in which novelty and beauty command high prices. The two main traits of interest are the development of flowers, mostly large and showy with fragrance. Overall organ size might be modified by doubling the chromosome number, which can be accomplished by careful study of meiotic chromosome disjunction in hybrids or species. Meiosis is the process in which diploid (2n) pollen mother cells recombine their DNA sequences and then undergo two rounds of division to give rise to four haploid (n) cells. Therefore, by interfering in chromosome segregation, one may induce the development of diploid recombinant cells, called unreduced gametes. These unreduced gametes may be used for breeding polyploid progenies with high fertility and large flower size. This report covers work done by us and provides a brief overview of developments in orchid polyploidy breeding in genera Sobralia, Vanilla and Guarianthe placed in the large context of horticultural innovation for sustainable development in a tropical country rich in biodiversity.