Review on the development of virus resistant plants in Alstroemeria

This review describes the stratagies of development of virus-resistant Alstroemeria plants using the genetic modification system. Despite of increasing of its importance in cut flower market, improvements of some horticultuirally important traits such as fragrance, long vase-life, virus resistance and tolerance against abiotic stresses are lack of the breeding program in Alstroemeria. Of these traits, virus-resistance is quite difficult to develop in Alstroemeria plants due to the limitations of genetic variation in the existed germplasm. To extend the genetic variation, plant biotechnological techniques such as genetic transformation and tissue culture should be combined to develop virus-resistant line in Alstroemeria. In this review, several strategies for the generation of virus-resistance by using natural resistance genes, pathogen-derived genes and other sources including pathogen-derived proteins, virus-specific antibodies and ribosome-inactivating proteins are presented. Also, brief histories of breeding, tissue culture, and transformation system in Alstroemeria plants are described to inderstand of the application of transgenic approach for the development of virus-resistance in Alstroemeria species.