Progress in the Methods of Jujube Breeding

The genus Zizyphus, which originated in Indo-Pak and China where its cultivation dates back more than 4000 years, is widely distributed globally. Most of the commercial jujube cultivars in the world are recommended through a direct selection replaced with developed through a direct selection. Thus, it was necessary to develop superior genotypes through segregation populations. A Jujube breeding program has recently been implemented to develop improved cultivars by crossing local cultivars with Asian cultivars for drought and pest tolerance. This review describes the importance, morphology, distribution, and current cultivation practices of jujube plants. Different traditional breeding techniques regarding their limitations are discussed with close attention to breeders with a lot of useful exploration. Modern emerging tools including tissue culture, plant genetic engineering to develop transgenic cultivars, as well as molecular breeding techniques that are promising in terms of basic and applied plant sciences are discussed.