Transgenic strawberry: State of the art for improved traits

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.), a member of the Rosaceae family, is one of the most important fruit crops cultivated worldwide. Strawberry is unique within the Rosaceae because it is a rapidly growing herbaceous perennial with a small genome, short reproductive cycle, and facile vegetative and generative propagation for genetic transformation. For these reasons, strawberry has been recognized as excellent germplasm for genetic and molecular studies for the Rosaceae family. Although traditional breeding methods have achieved steady improvement in agronomic traits, the lack of useful economic characters still remains a major challenge. Genetic transformation has opened a new era for greater creativity in strawberry breeding and germplasm by offering an effective method for creating new varieties that selectively targets a specific interested gene or a few heterologous traits. Enormous advances have been made in strawberry genetic transformation since the first transgenic strawberry plant was obtained in 1990. This paper reviews recent progress in genetic transformation of strawberry on increasing resistance to viruses, fungi, insects, herbicides, stress, and achieving better quality. Problems and prospects for future applications of genetic transformation in strawberry are also discussed.