Recent developments, challenges, and opportunities in genetic improvement of essential oil-bearing rose (Rosa damascena): A review

Rosa damascena Mill is a popular Rosa species cultivated for industrial rose oil production in the world. Besides its major application in aroma and cosmetic industries, rose essential oil has been reported with valuable pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities. Poor oil yield, short flowering period, and low oil content are the major constraints in the prevailing damask rose varieties. Plant breeders are being encouraged to develop new damask rose cultivars with improved oil content and higher flower yield qualities due to rising market demand. The aforementioned qualities can be improved using traditional breeding methods such as clonal selection and intra-specific hybridization. But, through the convention breeding method creation of genetic variation is time taking, and the preservation of the authentic scent and quality of the rose oil is very difficult. Recent breakthroughs in molecular-markers techniques, genomics, and transcriptomics, have resulted in large volumes of data being generated in damask rose. It will be feasible to discover genes/pathways that are responsible for essential characteristics if this data is combined with phenotypic information. Several attempts have been undertaken to accelerate the breeding of R.damascena using molecular technologies. However, due to the species' high heterozygosity and polyploidy nature, translating the findings of such studies to practical breeding remains a significant challenge. This review paper outlines recent advances in conventional and modern molecular breeding procedures, as well as their potential uses and limitations in improving the oil-bearing rose.