Challenges and Opportunities in Genetic Improvement of Essential Oil-Bearing Damask Rose (Rosa damascena): A Review

Abstract

Damask rose cultivated for essential oil production mainly used in perfume 
industry. Due to the highly perishable flowers, post-harvest handling of the flowers prior to oil 
extraction would be considered as a key point in rose essential oil production. Besides its major 
application in aroma and cosmetic industries, rose essential oil has been reported with valuable 
pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities. Plant breeders 
are being encouraged to develop new damask rose cultivars with improved oil content and higher 
flower yield qualities due to rising market demand. The aforementioned qualities can be improved 
using traditional breeding methods such as clonal selection and intra-specific hybridization. But, 
through the convention breeding method creation of genetic variation is time taking, and the 
preservation of the authentic scent and quality of the rose oil is very difficult. Recent breakthroughs in 
molecular-markers techniques, genomics, and transcriptomics, have resulted in large volumes of data 
being generated in damask rose. Several attempts have been undertaken to accelerate the breeding 
of R.damascena using molecular technologies. However, due to the species' high heterozygosity and 
polyploidy nature, translating the findings of such studies to practical breeding remains a significant 
challenge. This review paper outlines recent advances in conventional and modern molecular 
breeding procedures, as well as their potential uses and limitations in improving the oil-bearing rose.