Reflection on new avenues for research and practice in ornamental horticulture: perspectives for innovation, sustainability and sector application

Scientific and technological advances have been primarily responsible for the diversification and improvement in the quality of flower and ornamental plant production in Brazil and around the world.The introduction of new technologies and management practices allow to increase the number of species cultivated and, above all, to improve the quality of those already in production.These topics have been highlighted in the articles published in Ornamental Horticulture, addressing crucial aspects aimed at optimising production, quality, sustainability, genetic conservation, and economic viability of various species of flowers and ornamental plants.Considering aspects of genetics, taxonomy, and conservation, comparative studies conducted on Alstroemeria werdermannii plants confirmed that the varieties share the same karyotype, despite morphological and distribution differences (Baeza et al., 2025).Similarly, genomic and karyotypic analyses of diploid and tetraploid varieties of desert rose (Adenium obesum) suggest that these are distinct taxonomic entities, not just varieties (Rosa et al., 2025).In another analysis, a comparison of the reproductive biology of diploid and triploid cytotypes of Passiflora foetida identified triploids regenerated from in vitro endosperm cultures (Barros et al., 2025).The use of molecular markers is an important technique for plant breeding and the production of new species, such as advances in the floriculture and ornamental plant segment.Thus, the application of SSR markers is important for assessing genetic diversity in native carnivorous plant species of the genus Nepenthes (Sontikun et al., 2025), while SRAP markers can be used to analyse genetic diversity in zinnia (Zinnia elegans) accessions (Sari et al., 2025).Another application of ISSR is for the detection of genetic (somaclonal) variation in callus cultures of Etlingera elatior (Rosli et al., 2025).To support the development of other technologies, the use of morphological markers for microsporogenesis and microgametogenesis provides an important basis for in vitro culture techniques of anthers or microspores for the genetic improvement of Adenium obesum (Campos et al., 2025).For plant conservation, the development of cryopreservation protocols for orchids Oncidium baueri (Suzuki et al., 2025) and for the carnivorous species Drosera schwackei (Alves et al., 2025) represents significant advances.Focusing on native Brazilian species with untapped potential, conservation and production studies of Vanilla bahiana and Vanilla pompona enabled the establishment of viable techniques for these species (Nadal et al., 2025).In Vanilla planifolia, studies of different pollination schemes on the morphometry characteristics of the fruits (Fernndez-Villa et al., 2025) introduced important information to support future genetic breeding programmes for the species.The study on research trends with emphasis on heliconias revealed that plant biotechnology is the main technique used (Hernndez-Chontal et al., 2025).The optimisation of tissue culture protocols is essential for mass propagation and overcoming limitations of important species, such as chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) (Winarto et al., 2025);