Abstract: Carnation, native to the Mediterranean coastal region, is one of the world's major cut-flower crops (VBN 1995). It is a member of the family Caryophyllaceae and belongs to the genus Dianthus, which contains over 300 species. Commercial carnations, grouped into the phenotypical categories standard and spray, result from crosses within Dianthus caryophyllus. Pot carnations, resulting from crosses involving D. chinensis and D. barbatus, are also becoming popular among consumers. As one of the major contributors to the cut-flower market and a commercial leader in terms of the number of stems sold worldwide (Jensen and Malter 1995), carnation has been an important target for the breeding of new varieties with novel characteristics. To date, new carnation varieties have been produced mainly via classical breeding, and are propagated vegetatively. However, high heterozygosity, a limited gene pool, and almost no knowledge of carnation's genetic makeup severely restrict such breeding programs (Woodson 1991).
Publication Year: 2001
Publication Date: 2001-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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