Recent Advances in In Vitro Floral Induction in Tropical Orchids: Progress and Prospects in Vanilla Species

Orchids and other flowering plants offer a wide range of floral traits. Within the Orchidaceae family, the <i>Vanilla</i> genus is one of the most valued plants in the commercial flavor industry. In vitro biotechnological approaches to <i>Vanilla</i>, such as germplasm conser...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Obdulia Baltazar-Bernal, José Luis Spinoso-Castillo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Horticulturae
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/7/829
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Summary:Orchids and other flowering plants offer a wide range of floral traits. Within the Orchidaceae family, the <i>Vanilla</i> genus is one of the most valued plants in the commercial flavor industry. In vitro biotechnological approaches to <i>Vanilla</i>, such as germplasm conservation, massive propagation, and genetic engineering, have played a key role in breeding programs. There are, however, few studies that elucidate the physiological, molecular, and genetic aspects of vanilla orchid flowering and in vitro induction. This review’s main objective is to provide updated and complete data on in vitro floral induction and flowering of tropical and vanilla orchid species. A bibliographic search was carried out for scientific reports in academic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and ScienceDirect), and a total of 39 documents from 2014 and 2025 were analyzed. This review discusses the most important factors that affect in vitro flowering in <i>Vanilla</i>, including the monopodial genotypes, photoperiod, irradiance, temperature, nutrition, plant growth regulators, explant types, and culture methods. Consequently, this revision incorporates a number of studies on orchid in vitro flowering, with a focus on vanilla species. In conclusion, there still exists limited progress in <i>Vanilla</i> compared to other orchid species; however, the use of biotechnological techniques like in vitro flowering offers a fundamental framework for orchid breeding.
ISSN:2311-7524