In Vitro Culture Technology and Advanced Biotechnology Tools Toward Improvement in Gladiolus (Gladiolus species): Present Scenario and Future Prospects

In the world's flower trade, gladiolus (Gladiolus spp.) is ranked first among bulbous flowers and eighth among cut flowers, with more than 30,000 different cultivars being grown. Mass multiplication and commercialization are restricted by the traditional propagation methods. However, the large-scale proliferation and improvement of the gladiolus have been accomplished with the aid of plant tissue culture and other biotechnological techniques. The current review includes a thorough examination of the growth and development parameters required for successful in vitro gladiolus development as well as cormel formation. Moreover, focus is being given to various techniques and methods such as in vitro cytogenetic stability and modification of chromosome number, in vitro mutagenesis and selection of pest resistance, in vitro identification and selection to develop virus-free germplasm, cryopreservation, synthetic seed technology, identifying virus diseases by RT-PCR, somaclonal variation, and protoplast and somatic hybridization. Molecular markers and their applications for genetic diversity analysis, relationships between different genotypes, and clonal stability analysis in Gladiolus species have been conducted by several research groups worldwide and are also being discussed. The article also covers efforts to enhance the functionality of plant phenotypes through genetic transformation. Future prospects for further improvement of ornamental gladiolus are also explored. Overall, the current review provides insight into the applications of basic and advanced biotechnological tools for gladiolus improvement.