Marker Development in Ornamental Plants

Development of markers for a new crop or development of additional markers for a crop where markers have been developed in the past raises the question of the intended use of the markers. Depending on the different objectives in mind one marker type may be better suited then another. In general one can think of two main objectives for the use of markers; variety identification and breeding applications. In view of recent developments in molecular genetics, and sequencing technologies in particular, within the 23rd International Eucarpia Symposium Section Ornamentals a workshop was devoted on molecular markers and their use in ornamentals. Within this paper an overview will be presented on the development of markers for identification of ornamental crops and on the importance of the new developments in marker and sequence technology for the use of markers in ornamental breeding.