MOLECULAR SUPPORT FOR GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF LAMIACEAE

The advances in molecular biology during the last decades have increased the possibilities and the efficiency in plant breeding enormously. In the case of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) the deeper insight into the genetics of the formation of plant secondary compounds will lead to efficient breeding strategies assisted by molecular techniques. Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is playing a leading role in genetic engineering of the Lamiaceae. Many different aspects have been successfully carried out like the improvement of the essential oil composition, the increase in essential oil yield and the resistance to broad-band herbicides. A further field of application for molecular techniques is the detection of the genetic structures of breeding populations with molecular markers. This is of importance for efficiently choosing correct base populations for breeding, in estimating the breeding progress, in controlling the success of distant crossings and in managing natural resources. Molecular markers, especially markers for certain plant secondary compounds, will allow the indirect selection of traits difficult to observe or strongly influenced by the environment and could be used in the future in breeding as well as in quality control.