Asparagus Tissue Culture, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Improvement: A Review | Chapter 8 | Microbiology and Biotechnology Research: An Overview Vol. 1

About 200 species are included in the asparagus family, Asparagus officinalis is an economically important worldwide cultivated species consumed as human food and some other species are used as medicinal plants. After a general introduction about the importance and uses of these species, botanical and genetic characteristics, information about the origin of cultivated varieties, world production and breeding problems, this chapter reviews the different studies developed in the wild and cultivated species of Asparagus genera until 2025. We included the tissue culture works such as the different methods of micropropagation in vitro: in vitro seed germination, direct organogenesis, indirect organogenesis, and somatic embryogenesis, (with an overview in two tables, Table 1 presenting the methods developed in micropropagation in A. officinalis, and Table 2 the micropropagation works developed in wild asparagus species). The studies of somaclonal variation has also been reviewed, studies in germplasm preservation (in vitro germplasm banks, in vitro slow growth preservation, and cryopreservation; information about the status of Genetic transformation and genetic edition, about the application of Molecular markers in asparagus breeding; works of Generation of new varieties and Elite genotypes with better agronomical parameters and increased resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. The Manipulation of ploidy in Asparagus sp. such as Polyploidization, Development of “all-male” asparagus genotypes through anther culture, Protoplast culture, Genetic manipulation: Protoplast fusion, Genetic transformation and genome editing, Interspecific hybrid recovery through in vitro rescue of immature embryos. We reviewed the studies about Biotechnological applications: Bioactive compounds; and finally the Future prospects and Conclusions.

We need to conclude that some lines of research (Polyploidization, Protoplast fusion, Genetic transformation, Genome editing, Interspecific hybrid recovery through in vitro rescue of immature embryos,…) need to be completed and extended to other species of asparagus genera to elucidate the problems (climate change, tolerance to pest and diseases, spear growth regulation, the asparagus decline syndrome, etc.) still remaining in the Asparagus genera together with the complementary support of new and emerging technologies.

 

Author (s) Details

Encina C.L.
Institute for Mediterranean and Subtropical Horticulture (IHSM) “La Mayora” (UMA-CSIC) Malaga, Spain.

 

Regalado J.J.
Department of Biology and Geology, Agri-food Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3) and Research Center CIAMBITAL, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mbrao/v1/4840