Cut peony industry: the first 30 years of research and new horizons

Abstract

Herbaceous peony is an ancient medicinal and ornamental crop, cultivated in China and Japan for thousands of years. Numerous varieties of different colors are popular garden plants in different continents and countries. In recent decades, peony has gained a new reputation as cut flowers. Only in Europe, in 30 years, trade in cut peony stems has increased 50 fold. Today, more than 25 countries produce cut peony flowers, with primary markets in Europe, Asia and the USA. This short review summarizes the contribution of research in plant physiology to the development of new technologies of peony production and flowering advancement. Despite the popularity of cut peonies, several factors still restrict their production: complicated flowering physiology, challenges in mass propagation, and postharvest handling. Further research of biochemical and molecular mechanisms, as well as breeding of new cultivars will promote the development of the peony industry and facilitate the creation of a Global Peony Chain for the successful marketing of this beautiful flower.

Co-Infection of Tobacco Rattle and Cycas Necrotic Stunt Viruses in Paeonia lactiflora: Detection Strategies, Potential Origins of Infection, and Implications for Paeonia Germplasm Conservation

“…Herbaceous peonies (primarily Paeonia lactiflora Pall. cultivars) have been domesticated for over four millennia [4][5][6]. This long history of domestication of P. lactiflora, including…”

Establishment of a Homologous Silencing System with Intact-Plant Infiltration and Minimized Operation for Studying Gene Function in Herbaceous Peonies

“…Herbaceous peonies are all geophytes with underground buds generated on the rhizomes or tuber roots (such as P. anomala L). With the coming of autumn, the aboveground parts of herbaceous peonies entirely wither and disappear, whereas the underground buds enter the endodormancy stage and can be released after several months of chilling accumulation in winter, namely the fulfilment of chilling requirements (CRs) [5][6][7][8]. After this crucial stage, known as bud endodormancy release (BER), buds transition into the ecodormancy stage, concluding as temperatures increase and day length extends.…”

High-quality assembly and methylome of a Tibetan wild tree peony genome (Paeonia ludlowii) reveal the evolution of giant genome architecture

“…Now, more than 8000 cultivars are widely distributed in the world [ 1 ]. The production and markets of cut peony flowers have increased significantly in the past 30 years [ 2 ]. Apart from its ornamental value, tree peony is a candidate woody oil crop as its seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid (C18:1 Δ9 , OA), linoleic acid (C18:2 Δ9,12 , LA), and α-linolenic acid (C18:3 Δ9,12,15 , ALA) [ 3 , 4 ].…”